Good morning and Happy Royal Wedding Week! Yep, the week of the Wedding of the Year has arrived and no doubt we’re going to have non-stop Royal coverage coming out our ears (okay, I admit it – we’re joining the party and have some stuff planned too). Well, today’s engagement shoot is the perfect antidote to all of the over-the-top craziness…

Brian and Julia’s lovely engagement session (photographed by Lindsey Gomes Photography) is sweet, simple and focuses on the core of the matter – two folks who are very obviously in love. I love that this session is all about the couple and that they don’t need to haul out the pomp and circumstance to get the job done (Lindsey does a wonderful job of capturing a variety of emotions).

Julia writes very eloquently about their proposal and shoot location, but my favorite bit has to be how she knew Brian was the one. Keep reading for details after the photos!

Julia’s Thoughts:

How did you two meet?
Brian and I met through mutual friends. These friends were high school sweethearts who got married. I’ve known them since high school, Brian met them in college. We met about 5 years ago when Brian was in town, and they hosted a poker party we were both invited to. When I left that evening, Brian walked me out and got my phone number…and actually followed through on calling the next day! From there we started a long distance romance, and I eventually made the move up to San Francisco.

How did you know he was “the one”?
When I realized he didn’t think my silly outbursts of singing or breaking into dance during random quiet moments at home were weird! He’d actually join in! I thought to myself, who else could tolerate me and not think I’m just really weird?

Please, tell us about the proposal!
We went to wine county an hour north of San Francisco on the weekend of our fourth anniversary. I had an idea a proposal might be coming, but wasn’t sure. On day one we went wine tasting, and the proposal never happened that day, so I thought – maybe next time! Because on day two, we were planning to go kayaking on a river and I didn’t think he’d bring an engagement ring on that trip. Day two came and went – after our kayaking trip we headed back to the city, and as we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, Brian headed into an unusual direction, and said he was hungry and wanted to get dinner. Brian ended up recreating our first date in the city together! Dinner and drinks at Beach Chalet, followed by a walk on the beach at sunset. Except this time it was super foggy and there were lots of people in crazy costumes because of Bay-to-Breakers, an annual race in SF. But these little things made it all the more fun and memorable, looking back on that day. So after dinner, we took a walk on the beach with wind and fog, and Brian got down on one knee and proposed. I was very surprised!

Anything special about the engagement shoot or why you chose the location you did?
We chose the town of Paso Robles, instead of our home city, San Francisco. We’re getting married in Paso Robles, and the town holds a lot of sentimental value for us, so we opted to take our photos there. We love outdoor settings, and had so much fun – especially at Halter Ranch. And I think this really translated into the photos! The ones at Halter Ranch are our favorite. Lindsey has a really great approach to photography – I was really surprised that the engagement shoot was a really intimate and meaningful experience between Brian and myself. It was one more moment in the wedding planning process that brought us even closer together. And it has been our favorite part of the process so far, because it was all about US. No noise from other people’s influences, just a private moment to enjoy each other’s company and have a fun moment of puppy love event after five years of being together!

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