Liz + Kayvan | An Enchanted Engagement in Vallecitos | Santa Fe Wedding Photographers

We have known Elizabeth and Kayvan for a few years now, Brandon having met Liz through his work, and they quickly became good friends of ours. It then goes without saying that, as soon as they became engaged and asked us to do their pictures, we (like Liz had with her man) squealed, “Of course!”

The couple immediately knew the perfect location for the engagement session: the farm that has been in Liz’s family for generations. In fact, the bridge one must take to access and leave the property was built by Liz’s grandfather himself— so of course we had to take some photos of them on this fun piece of ancestral heritage (which you can see if you scroll to the end of their session). The farm was not only the ideal place due to its importance in Liz’s family, but also because it was a sprawling property in Vallecitos that contained some of the most stunning photo op areas: there was a fairly deep canyon with a picturesque river, an adorable rustic barn, and seemingly endless fields with a gorgeous view of the surrounding mountains. We were almost overwhelmed by all of the options!

We began the shoot by (hilariously) trying (semi-successfully) to wrangle Kayvan’s attention as he opened the gate to let us onto the property… and began trying to fix the gate, examine the bridge, and tell us about the neighbors. Our first staked out spot was in the canyon running through the property. It was sweet to watch Kayvan delicately lead Liz across the stream and help her onto a large boulder. While they snuggled on the boulder, Maura balanced precariously on a rock ledge across the canyon to snap the perfect shot. After that, we moved to one of the many jaw-dropping open spaces, where we had Kayvan twirl Liz until she was dizzy— and then we had him give her just a couple more spins, because her dress was simply perfect for it! The barn stairs were also a cute location for the couple to canoodle, and we then finished with yet another incredible field positioned perfectly in front of misty blue mountains. They ended their session with some “Dirty Dancing”-worthy lifting shots… and then snagged a couple more on the bridge as we went to leave.

We thoroughly enjoyed this shoot, as it was not only with good friends, but with two hilarious individuals who were clearly made for each other: Kayvan would wander away, telling us what kinds of animals had been there via their scat and footprints, and Liz would gently wrangle him back, reminding him that they were mid-shoot with a kind smile.

Congratulations, you two, and we are so excited to shoot your upcoming wedding!