There are lots of things to love about Jennifer and Stefano’s engagement session by Photography by Verdi – the location is creative and interesting, taking place at an old Ghost Town called Goldfield, which also happens to feature stunning backdrops; their wedding sounds like a blast – Stefano is Italian so they’ll be taking the whole gang over to Italy for the Big Day; and their looks match the location perfectly – dressy with a nod to Western, but not over-the-top.

But what I love most about their shoot is their genuine affection for each other. When you look back over your engagement photos you want to see the love, and, dear readers, can’t you just see it? They look completely relaxed with each other, whether they’re laughing, posing on a roadside sign or looking deep into each others’ eyes (which I know from experience is much harder than it looks…).

Be sure to keep reading after the photos to hear the deets on their engagement. Very, very romantic, I promise you…

Jennifer and Stefano’s Thoughts:

How did you two meet?
Jennifer moved to Phoenix in 2005 for a software support position at a high tech company. Stefano took a microchip analog design position at the same high tech company in 2005.  She loves her job, she loves the company she works for, and most of all, she loves the engineer she supported and sat next to for 3 years!  He was looking for a career change, little did he know he’d also meet his soul mate! Stefano and Jennifer no longer sit next to each other, but they’re still inseparable!

How did you know he/she was “the one”?
It may sound cliche, but we both just “knew”.

Please, tell us about the proposal!
Stefano and Jenn spent most of the summer 2009 remodeling Jenn’s master bathroom. They finished Labor Day weekend and decided to celebrate by going to Sedona the weekend before her 30th birthday. Stefano booked a gorgeous bed and breakfast in Sedona, each room with its own hot tub on the patio over looking the red mountains…very romantic!

Unfortunately, the Thursday before they left, Sedona had a huge rain storm. Mudslides piled up cars in the Talaquepaque parking lot! Floods trapped people in their homes! They quickly cancelled their reservation and went to Flagstaff for the weekend. He found a cute little bed and breakfast in an old historical house about a mile from downtown. It was raining there too, but they were happy to get away from Phoenix and away from the bathroom remodeling!

They spent the day walking to town and doing a little shopping. When they returned to the room, there was a bottle of champagne on ice waiting for their arrival. Jenn figured something must be up. Stefano said he wanted to celebrate her birthday early since family was coming to town the following weekend. He ran out to the car to pick up her birthday gift. It was a heavy box with a pink bow on top and a little card. She opened it up and there was another box inside with another card, this card a little sweeter than the first. She opened that one to find another box with another card! He had about 5 or 6 boxes each with a card that got sweeter and sweeter until the last box was opened with a card that said “will you marry me?” and a beautiful ring that he designed!

Jenn said YES! Although she does occasionally tease him about not having an engagement ring since this was technically a birthday gift.

Anything special about the engagement shoot or why you chose the location you did?
Stefano is from Italy, his entire family lives in Italy, Jenn’s entire family lives several thousand miles from Phoenix and hasn’t been to Italy, so what better place to have their wedding?

To add a little American flare to their wedding with a touch of true Western heritage, the couple chose Apache Junction for their engagement photos. Along with the town’s authentic ruggedness, the couple’s favorite valley mountains (the Superstitions) serve as the perfect back drop for their photo shoot.

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