Brett & Raquel’s Desert Sanctuary Engagement

I fall in love with the desert more and more every year. There’s something about those soft pinks. The deep purples and greens. Sigh.

The glowing beauty of the Arizona desert can become easy to forget because of our harsh temperatures and prickly plants, but oh my goodness, when paired with a beautiful couple, the desert is breathtaking. Especially when that couple is from chilly Chicago, and they can truly appreciate all that Phoenix has to offer! Brett and Raquel have a special place in their hearts for Arizona, because it’s where he asked her to be his wife during a dreamy vacation to The Sanctuary on Camelback. The same place where they will say their “I do’s” this October; how romantic is that? They are in love with the colors, the heat, and sun, but more in love of the memories and amazing times they spend here.  It only seemed fitting that we would capture their engagement photos among the corridors and trails of the beautiful resort for their short visit!

When I arrived, Brett and Raquel were enjoying some mouthwatering cocktails at the Jade Bar that overlooks Paradise Valley. As they sipped their drinks we gushed about how unusually rare it was that it was 80 degrees here in May, and joked about how they brought some cooler weather with them on their trip! Brett grabbed a sunny yellow drink to go, in true vacation style, (that I was pretty jealous of) and we made our way down the courtyard steps. Having only met them in person once before, my heart fluttered with nerves as I began setting up my equipment. As we began, I positioned them in the perfect lighting spot, and they fell into their first pose without any direction from me. Seriously? They were making my job way too easy (the second photo from the top)! They held each other so naturally and posed so effortlessly, I literally snapped away squeeling, “Don’t stop what you’re doing! That is perfect! Are you sure you’ve never done this before??” They were giving me gold, but to them, they were just loving each other as if I wasn’t even there. We adventured around the resort, up the hills and into a little patch of open desert. They jumped over plants, risking getting stuck by Jumping Cholla Cacti and bitten by bugs, but they didn’t care. They were having too much fun! This is why I’m so excited for their wedding this year and so happy for them, because they just love doing life together. Congratulations you two, and just remember one thing when you’re missing Arizona: Together you bring the sun to Chicago, no matter how dark the sky may be.

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