This overcast day in the mountains around Kimberley, BC made the perfect backdrop for an adventurous mountain engagement photography session.
Their story
I am in LOVE with Shawn & Sheehan’s story. They’re high school sweethearts, lacrosse playing badasses, and have overcome more obstacles than most married couples!
Sheehan (pronounced ‘She-in’) couldn’t help but check out the boy a couple years older than her in high-school. Between also being a lacrosse player and having tattoos she was SMITTEN friends! Little did she know Shawn had his eye on her as well.
One night they found themselves at the same party and let’s just say the sparks were flying! To make things even more interesting they ended up locking themselves out of the house in the dead of the Calgary winter while hot tubbing! After what could only be called a team building exercise everyone made it back into the house after freezing their BUTTS OFF as the hot tub went from hot to warm to cold.
Since then they have spent 5 out of their 9 years together in a long distance relationship while going to different universities in the US on lacrosse scholarships (these two are seriously badass!), they’ve lived with her parents, they’ve adventured together, and even got a puppy 3 days before Shawn proposed.
The proposal
They had been talking about getting married but Shawn wanted the proposal to be a surprise. So he decided to throw Sheehan off the proposal mindset by agreeing that they should get a puppy before they went on their European adventure last year. Hint: he planned to propose to her during their trip to Ireland!
I totally sympathized with Shawn as he told me the painful story of trying to keep the ring a secret from Sheehan through their international travels. While at the Calgary airport, the very beginning of their trip, troubles were already brewing. His carry on bag was flagged for screening as they went through security. After uncharacteristically snapping at Sheehan that he could handle it he stared into the soul of the security guard and mumbled under his breath: ‘I have an engagement ring in my bag and I DON’T want my girlfriend to see it!’ The guard was on board and they managed to get Shawn through security with his secret intact. Phew!!!
Well, it didn’t end there! He also ended up temporarily misplacing his passport while they were getting ready to head to their gate. Sheehan was lovingly offering to help him look but he INSISTED that he could do it on his own. Poor guy! He told me he thought he was going to be proposing to Sheehan right then and there in the Calgary airport because there was no way she wasn’t going to end up finding the ring with all these mishaps! Sheehan said she thought he woke up on the wrong side of the bed that morning and she suspected nothing!
Well, it all made sense after he popped the question in Ireland – where he had told Sheehan’s parents he’d propose. They laughed about how many times Shawn was acting weird because he was trying to hide the ring. It all made sense now!
Ahhhh I just love a good proposal story!
The photoshoot
These two were such a blast during our session! They trusted me and were down for ALL of my silly suggestions during their adventurous mountain engagement shoot. I’m in LOVE with the results!
Finishing off with some drinks at The Old Baurhaus
We finished off the best day with drinks and the best meal at The Old Bauerhaus in Kimberley to celebrate! I’m so honoured these two chose me to be their photographer for their engagement session and their mountain wedding in Kimberley this August.
Sheehan’s Hair: Brandy Penner from Lavish Hair & Beauty – Kimberley, BC
Sheehan’s boots: Talaria Footwear – Kimberley, BC
Smoke bombs: Enola Gaye Wire Pull Smoke Grenades
Pre-shoot beers: The Shed – Kimberley, BC
Post-shoot beers & grub: The Old Bauerhaus – Kimberley, BC
