Marisa + Sean {Montana de Oro, Los Osos}

I got a call from Sean the day after he proposed, a Saturday, asking me to shoot their engagement pictures ‘tomorrow’ before he left town. I said… “Heck YES!” It was amazing to photograph these guys because they were exploding with excitement and love each separate moment I spent with them. Marisa would randomly shout out as if afflicted with tourettes, “I’m engaged!!!”

The story goes like this. Sean met Marisa at church in Santa Maria while stationed at the Air force base locally. Sean says, “it’s funny how sometimes you are in a place you think you shouldn’t be and then God brings you something you never expected. It’s then that you realize you were actually right where you were supposed to be.” They started out their friendship playing guitar and keyboard together at a friend’s house. Months after the friendship progressed to feelings, Sean writes Marisa a song. While on a camp out (in Montana de Oro) he tells her that he wrote this song, but can’t play it for her around their friends. A day later he texts her saying that the song is for her. She thinks it is a ‘I Just Wanna Be Friends’ song. But when he finally plays it for her it was a song expressing how much he had fallen in like with her! Thus, the start of their romance!

Months later and Sean is now relocated to Colorado. This past weekend he flew into town for a surprise proposal. He taped a card to her door with detailed instructions to get a glass of water, sit on the couch, and then to walk out to her balcony. He was waiting below with a ‘Will You Marry Me?!’ sign. She wasn’t expecting the proposal to come for at least a couple more months, so she was beyond surprised! The next morning he calls me when I’m getting ready for a wedding and within 24hrs I find myself hanging with these awesome people capturing the first few moments and emotions of their engagement.

And the last fun fact I will leave you with. Marisa has a superpower. She can look at a word, or think of it, and immediately tell you how many letters it is. She says it’s a blessing and a curse; she just can’t help it!