Who could have guessed that a chance conversation, three years ago while on vacation, walking the Las Vegas strip, would lead to a marriage. Well sometimes it’s the simplest beginnings that lead to the strongest relationships. Savannah and Shane are living proof of this. They dated long distance for 2 years before settling in their current home in San Francisco.
To celebrate the next step of their adventures in life together, they decided to have their engagement photos in some of their favorite places close to home. The first of which are from Stow Lake, in Golden Gate Park:
One of Savannah and Shane’s favorite things to do is hike to pretty locations and have gourmet picnics. So, after boating around the lake, of course we just had to have a bite to eat in the meadow with their adorable maltese, Bexley (who will also be the ring bearer for their wedding). I think he rather enjoyed it!
We ended our day enjoying the sunset along Baker Beach. :-)
Savannah and Shane will be returning to Vegas, where it all started, for an outdoor wedding at the gorgeous Legend’s Ranch. Check back this fall for their wedding photos!
It was Holly’s last few days at the Quileute Indian reservation where she was doing volunteer work. Wednesday night was the weekly drum circle where residents would gather for food and festivities. Holly was working the dessert station serving her special home-made Chex Puppy Chow when Vince first laid eyes on her. Being the only two on the reservation who actually knew what this sugary dessert was, they instantly hit it off. But while Vince admits her puppy chow was extremely delicious, he says it was Holly’s smile that won him over. :-)
This June they’re heading back to where it all began: La Push, Washington! They’re saying their I Do’s on the 3-year anniversary of the day they first met. And yes, there will be drummers and there will be puppy chow! I can’t wait for the big day! But in the meantime here’s a few images from their engagement session:
Holly: It must have been the Chex puppy chow I served for dessert at the drum circle that made Vince want to follow me home :) I was volunteering with Global Citizens Network and Vince was working a summer job on the reservation. Vince came through the dessert line at the drum circle with his sweet smile, excited to try some of my homemade Chex puppy chow.
He turned out to be my knight in shining armor! I ended up locking myself out of my cabin – I couldn’t find any of my cabin mates so Vince helped me break in…twice! Seconds after he got me in the first time, I forgot the key on the kitchen counter…again :) He still wanted to hang out with me after that – definitely must have been the puppy chow, haha
Vince is a self proclaimed ‘popcorn addict’. They even have a B.Y.O.P (Bring Your Own Popcorn) sign on their mantle.
Vince: I have to admit, although the chex puppy chow was extremely delicious, it was Holly’s smile that caught my attention! I waited forever, well 45 minutes (but it seemed like forever), for her to finally step away from her group of friends so I would have a chance to talk to her. It was well worth the wait, who says you can’t meet your soul mate at a Native American drum circle.
During the first year of their relationship (while things were still long-distance), Vince would hand-write Holly love letters on baseballs. :-)
Vince’s family owns a gun factory that makes assault riffles and Holly and him love going shooting together, so they brought along a few toys. ;-)
It’s a rare occasion that Debbie and Will’s family is all together, so they decided to celebrate with a family photo-session while their children were home to visit. But in addition to family photos, Debbie and her son Landon were scheming up a very special surprise. They came up with the idea to use the photo-shoot as a way doing a secret proposal for Landon’s girlfriend Tiffany.
While we planned everything out together, Landon took every precaution to keep the proposal a surprise – from waiting until Tiffany was out of the house to chat about details to coming up with a secret code phrase, ‘Red Elephant’. On the day of, after I brought the two of them into the space I wanted I told Tiffany to look away off into the distance as if there was a ‘Red Elephant’ standing there. She laughed and said “What?” And as she turned back around, Landon was down on one knee opening a special little box. She said, yes!
The day was full of happy tears, smiles and loads of laughter. I loved being a part of such an incredible occasion and spending the morning with this amazing family. So without further ado, meet the Derentzs – Aley, Landon, Tiffany, Debbie, Will, Luke, Kaitlyn and Adam:
Now for the big moment…
Landon’s family decorated their getaway limousine:
Cheers to the happy couple. :-) Congrats you two!
xo
Chelsea Nicole
Now, you may be thinking Clay is totally Sarah’s honky-tonk hero, and you’d be right. But he’s also mine. While we were driving out to this shoot, my car got stuck in the ultra thick, post-rain lake-bed dirt. But not to worry! Before I knew it, he jumped out with chains and used his truck (the very same truck they used for their first secret-desert-picnic date) to wrangle me out. Without him, I guess you could say, this shoot never would have happened. And you’d be right!
So thanks Clay! You and Sarah made this whole day such a fun, playful, sexy adventure! But I’ll let the images tell the rest!
‘Save a horse ride a cowboy!’
Be sure to check back for lots more of these two! I am SO looking forward to their wedding next spring! It’s going to be an outdoor, country style affair at the beautiful Springs Preserve.
I’m so excited to introduce you to my good friends, Liz & Jean!
When they first met, Jean couldn’t get Liz out of his mind. After talking all night with her, he regretted not getting her number. But he just had to see her again. He found out about the pottery shop, The Artful Potter, she owned and decided to get a little creative. Employing the help of a friend’s child, he came to “paint pottery” as a ruse to see her again. When he found out she had already left for the day, he decided he had to cook up another plan. He left the little ceramic dog and returned a few days later to pick it up. This time he came at midday on a weekday so that he could be sure to bump into her. His plan worked. He asked her to dinner, and they went out that same night. And this time, he didn’t leave without her number. 
In addition to being good friends, Liz & Jean are also great photographers and owners of Elizabeth Le Photography. I’ve gotten to know them quite well and knew we had to plan something as fun and lively as they are for their engagement session! After brainstorming ideas together, we decided on a 2-Part shoot starting at the L.A County Fair.
After the fair we headed to Griffith Park for part II! We made it just in time for the magical sunset. 
I loved the adorable tree swing and ‘Sweet Love’ plates Liz made for our shoot! 
I can’t wait Liz and Jean’s wedding day next spring at the historic Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills! :-)
**Update: See more photos from Liz & Jean’s engagement session featured on Style Me Pretty California!
by chels
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