Engagements Emma Miller Engagements Emma Miller

Oroville Engagement Photographer: Sam + Kassy

Sam + Kassy

Kassy and Sam met at a country bar they liked to visit in San Diego where they were each living at the time. Sam spotted Kassy from across the room and thought to himself, “Man, that girl is beautiful!” Kassy noticed a coworker of hers standing with a group of other guys pointing in her direction. The group walked over to Kassy and her coworker introduced them all to her as his roommates; one of these guys was Sam. Kassy said when she was introduced to him, she gave him a big hug and thought to herself, “Damn, this guy is hot!” They had an instant attraction. However… another one of the guys from the group, Oscar, was also interested in Kassy and initially tried to pursue her. Sam, being the good guy that he is and not wanting to break the bro code, took a step back until Kassy expressed to Oscar that they would always just be friends. Well, no one needed to tell Sam twice, he asked her out as soon as he was able and she said yes immediately! And, to quote Kassy, “If you’re curious…both of us are still friends with Oscar, no hard feelings there!”

Fast forward to when Sam knew he wanted to propose. He had been loosely planning to pop the question and had purchased the perfect ring in advance so when a trip to San Diego with Kassy’s family came up, he adjusted his timeline and set his plans into motion! He decided on a location, arranged for a friend to take his camera so they could photograph the moment he asked for her hand, and (most importantly) pulled Kassy’s dad aside to ask for his blessing–which he excitedly gave! The next day, he suggested to Kassy that they go to Mission Beach for a little date. She liked the idea so they set off! Unfortunately, the one thing Sam didn’t factor into his plan was the fact that this was the morning San Diego hosts its annual beach marathon so there were literally thousands of people running on the beach as far as the eye could see. Kassy remembers Sam being so irritated by this and not understanding why– she was oblivious to his plan! However, after walking for about half an hour Sam brought her to the water’s edge to take a picture since the crowd had thinned out. Unfortunately, Kassy gave him a little grief because she didn’t want her Vans to get sandy and wet. Sam later laughingly recounted how he had to kindly pull her to the water while she protested just so he could ask her to marry him! Kassy is so glad that he did! After he asked she instantly started crying and was even more emotional as she saw their friend running up snapping photos of the entire moment. It’s a moment neither of them will ever forget.

We connected with these two after Sam’s mom met us at the Chico Bridal Show and later told them, “You have to book these photographers!” How sweet is that?! So at their engagement session, Sam was sure to snap a photo of our card to text to his mom saying, look what we are up to and she was thrilled! We love familial connections; weddings are such an intricate web of relationships and on “the Big Day” we work with families as a whole. More than once we have asked if we could be adopted by a loving mother, father, auntie, or grammy!

I hadn’t had a chance to meet Sam or Kassy yet and I was really taken with what positive and warm energy they had from their first hellos! We had rescheduled their session once before as it had initially been planned for a week when the weather was well into 100+ degrees and we were SO glad that we did; the weather on their engagement session day was utter perfection– warm, with soft breezes. As Anne of Green Gables said, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”

It was easy to strike up a conversation and begin cracking jokes; almost as if we were reuniting with friends who live out of town we hadn’t seen for a while. We talked about all kinds of things, from their shared love of Vans shoes to their adorable nine-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback. As we walked around the afterbay sanctuary location, both Sam and Kassy were taken with the beauty of it but I think Sam especially so. He remarked upon the trees, the fish, etc., and how excited he was to return to this location another time with his fishing pole! They were so playful with one another and willing to try silly and adventurous poses which make for the best candid photography. 

Between the easy conversation and the absolute gorgeousness of this couple– both inside and out– the time flew by and we were chasing the sunset (and then the mosquitos were chasing us!) and it was time to say our goodbyes for now. We are so looking forward to being there to capture your wedding memories, Kassy and Sam, see you in December!


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