Beyond the fact that Stephanie and Will are delightful people, I knew this engagement session would be glorious because we are good friends! Stephanie is one of my first close friends that I made here in Roanoke. When we met, I learned that she is one-half Mainer (my state of origin) and a teacher (my soon-to-be job) and I took it as a sign that we were meant to be united in friendship. And so we are.
Since we are so close, I know that Stephanie is not the most interested in outdoorsy activities. So, you can imagine how completely stoked I was that she and Will were up for hiking to the summit of Buffalo Mountain for a sunset engagement session! While we were planning this shoot, she sent me a picture of the dress she chose for the more formal photos and I just about died. This girl is a photographer’s dream come true!
We carpooled together from Roanoke to Floyd, chatting and pasture-watching our way along. I was excited to spend more time with Will, whom I do not know as well as I do Stephanie. It turns out he is a master at facial expressions! He knew just when to be serious and when to be joyful. Together, they are a very cute pair. Stephanie loves to be silly and bold, and you can tell Will just has so much fun with her. They adore each other. Just look at the way he looks at her in those photos!
We arrived at the trail head and set to walking, photography gear and outfit changes in tow. At the top, we got lucky - we had the summit to ourselves. I have to give Stephanie and Will credit, because I asked them to jump and run and climb up and down rocks and they did it all with big smiles on their faces - even in their formal attire. The sunset was absolutely breathtaking, and I was getting so overwhelmed by the beautiful drama of the scene - Stephanie in her flowing dress, Will in his clean white button-up, and the epic sunset casting a dreamy glow on their faces. I also just love how much Stephanie’s gorgeous sapphire engagement ring mimics the blue of her eyes.
I had been wanting to do an engagement session at Buffalo Mountain for a while, and I’m so happy I got to do it with these lovely friends. We toasted champagne at the top and took the trail back to the car, riding those sparkling bubbles all the way down. The drive home passed quickly while we listened to and laughed at my embarrassing selection of mixtape CDs from high school.
I cannot wait to shoot Stephanie and Will’s wedding in July! Congrats you two!