Nick and Dana: An Arizona Cactus Garden Engagement Session

March 4, 2019

Dana and I have been friends for over a decade. Back in the day, you could find us singing camp songs in the dining hall, throwing slabs of clay on the wheel, and making dozens of friendship bracelets (literally, about half of my forearm was covered in them). We lived for those summers when we would be reunited, as we lived so far apart (Dana in MA and me in NY and then FL). After our camp days came to an end, we continued to keep up with each other with the help of social media. We even got together a few times. Now, 15 years later, we actually live in the same area, as Dana is at Stanford medical school (so impressive!!)! Of course, when I saw Dana’s email come through about her upcoming wedding, my heart swelled up. It is so special to capture wedding days, and even more so when you have a history with the couple. After months of coordinating, I was thrilled to finally meet Nick during their Arizona cactus garden engagement session on Stanford’s campus.

Nick and Dana met on the ski team in high school and started dating shortly after. Even though they have both changed and grown a lot since high school, so has their relationship – and it is much better for it! They both knew that marriage was on the horizon, but neither of them wanted to rush into anything. I respect the fact that they both pushed each other to follow their dreams – even if that meant distance would separate them. 11 years after they first started dating, they got engaged on Christmas day. Their first kiss had been during a snowstorm, so it seemed fitting that their engagement was, too!

While we’re all really hoping we can make an engagement session in Alaska happen (that’s where Nick is for work at the moment) we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to do at least a mini session at the Arizona cactus garden while everyone was in town.

Dana and Nick, thank you for squeezing us in on your short weekend together. I’m so glad we got to see you both! After hearing about Nick for a long, long time and it was wonderful to meet you in person! You two fit so well together – I loved watching you laugh throughout our short time. I hope we can get together again before your wedding in September! Hugs! p.s. Eating my petite mints as I write this!!

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