Orchards Inn // Sedona, AZ Engagement Session // Athena & Alex

Sedona is never a bad idea when it comes to engagement photographs, and, luckily it is close by, since I lived in Flagstaff. Athena and Alexandria knew from the beginning that they wanted to capture their engagement in Sedona, and since I am doing their wedding as well, we get to take photos in Sedona and Flagstaff!

Alex and Athena met working at the hospital here in Flagstaff. Alex offered to help Athena carry a tray, which she declined; she dropped the tray. They eventually became friends, then started dating. The rest is a relationship that will last their lifetime.

While I was driving down the hill to Sedona, there was a huge monsoon storm! There was backed up traffic and I was worried about the shoot. By the time we all arrived, the storm had cleared to the most perfect, cloudy sky.

We met at the Orchards Inn, a place Athena had stayed and therefore knew it had a beautiful view. When we walked to the place she had in mind there was a wedding ceremony taking place there. We decided to wander around and take photos until the ceremony was over. This ended up being the best decision.

We walked down to Lauberge and then up to the main stores snapping photos and chatting as we went. I had an especially fun time taking shots of their two engagement rings, we found a lot of succulents to get some Arizona ring shots.

Finally, we made it back to the original location. The clouds had formed into the most stunning backdrop. We got the shots Athena and Alex wanted of the beautiful red rock, along with the start of a gorgeous sunset. When I asked Alex to twirl Athena she was thrilled to pull her in for a kiss, and, when I asked her to do it again, she didn't want to stop twirling her future bride.

Athena and Alex are such a lovely couple; it was really special to capture their engagement and I cannot wait to share photos of their wedding day!