Oregon Engagement Photos | Trillium Lake & Mt. Hood

Chelsea and Justin chose the beauty of Oregon’s Mt. Hood and Trillium Lake for their sunset engagement photo location. They are getting married this September at the Abernethy Center in Oregon City. We cannot wait until your wedding day! Congratulations Chelsea and Justin on your engagement! XOXO Rebecca & Jerome

How We Chose Our Engagement Photo Location

Our relationship has been about adventuring. Justin and I love to travel, especially to destinations in Oregon. We have always said that Oregon is “God’s Country” because of how much natural beauty exists in this state. We chose Trillium lake because it is exactly the place we think of that embodies what Oregon has to offer. The beautiful lakes, the majestic mountains, and the landscape of trees. It makes for one stunning scene and makes up every reason why Justin and I want to grow old here.
 
I think our favorite memory from our engagement session is probably when the sun was setting and we had cotton candy colors of pinks and purples in the skyline. We loved when we lit the fire and enjoyed being wrapped up in a blanket together. Enjoying each other’s company, beneath a sunset, in nature by a fire – that is a perfect day to us. That moment was perfectly captured in who we were are and what we love to do as a couple.

How We Met (from the bride)

Justin and I originally met when we were 17 years old and both attending a summer church camp retreat at Lake Shastas. We ended up locking eyes on each other for the first time on top of one of the house boats – Instant spark. We realized how much we had in common and were drawn to each other from our first encounter. After the trip, we didn’t want our time together to end, so we exchanged phone numbers. It wasn’t long after that Justin asked me out to go on our first date together. We were going to grab a bite to eat together. Little did I know that Justin was planning an exciting and extravagant afternoon at Multnomah Falls, that included lunch and a hike to the top of the Falls.

Well, right before our food was supposed to show up, I received a phone call from my mother. I had neglected to mention to my mom that I had left the city with a strange boy, in his shiny red Ford Ranger, to go on a date. As you can only imagine, my mother was upset to hear the news of where I was (on a date about 45 minutes outside of the city) and was then sternly asked to pack up my food and come home – immediately. I felt so bad! We never got the opportunity to enjoy our meal and our first date ended abruptly, to say the least.  Luckily this didn’t deter Justin from pursuing a relationship with me. We dated for the next few months. Unfortunately, shortly after senior year began, life circumstances changed and the relationship was on hold.

Fast forward 10 years, we ended up reconnecting and it was like no time had passed. Our second first date consisted of endless conversation and closing down the restaurant, without even ordering a meal. We didn’t want the night to end, so Justin took me dancing, to prove he could bust a move better than he could from high school…(sort of). Our second first date marked the beginning of our new relationship. From that moment on, we have been inseparable!

When We Knew

There wasn’t a singular moment that made me fall in love with him but a ton of tiny moments that added together over time that made me realize how much I cared for him. I actually was the one who wanted to take our relationship very slow at the beginning, but the longer we were in each other’s presence, the more everything just clicked. Every moment felt right and real and I think we both just came to the realization that this was it. We both found our person. We were always the right one for each other. January 3^rd, less that a month and half from our first date, we said “I Love You” to each other and not a day has gone by where we have not said it to each other since that moment.  
 
We consider our anniversary to be on November 28^th. The day that we had a second first date and the day that became the new official beginning of our story together. Fun fact: On our first anniversary together, we discovered that we picked out the exact same card for each other at two completely different stores. That is just one example of how he and we have always felt so in sync with each other. A series of little moments where we get to learn, explore, and adventure with my best friend.

How He Proposed

Last July, I had been working a lot and Justin and I decided we wanted to do something fun over the weekend and just focus on spending time with each other. So Justin came to my work on Friday, July 20^th, and picked me up after I had finished a meeting. We got in the car and just started driving. He asked me where I wanted to go and I said somewhere outside of the city. Well halfway through the car ride, he starting getting really antsy and asked me if we could stop to take a driving break. Well, as it turns out, we happened to be right near the exit for Multnomah Falls. He said that since we were there, why don’t we walk to the base of the falls and take some pictures. (He knows I would never turn down an opportunity to take a picture). So he found a “stranger” in the crowd to take a picture of us. Well, while we were looking out at the falls, he pulled me in close and told me how much he loved me. At that moment, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Him halfway expecting me to be crying, all I could do was literally jump up and down with joy clapping my hands. A crowd gathered around us and as I shouted “yes”, we received an audience of applause. It turns out he recruited two of his friends to film the whole proposal and for the stranger taking pictures of us, that was all planned too. He got the whole moment captured on film. Justin, being the man that he is and always going above and beyond, made reservations to the restaurant for after our proposal. Almost exactly 12 years later from our first date – we finally got to enjoy our meal together at Multnomah Falls. We had come full circle. Later that night Justin took me to our favorite place and drove us up to Skamania lodge. He had planned out for us to get a couples massage together and enjoy an amazing candlelit dinner together. It was a perfect day.