Last Sunday I made my way down south to meet Megan & Matt for their engagement session.  After driving through winding roads along mountain sides and through cute little towns we found ourselves in wine country; aka Ramona.  The shoot took place at a vineyard, Milagro Farm Vineyard and Winery.  And boy was this venue beautiful!  From the lake surrounded by willow trees, to the grassy ceremony site, to the rows of vines and the outdoor reception area. Milagro Farms Vineyard and Winery is perfect for an outdoor wedding.  I enjoyed every second of this shoot and can not wait for the wedding!  These two are so cute and so much fun – its going to be one amazing day!

Megan & Matt’s Engagement At Milagro Farms Vineyard and Winery

After having lived just down the street from each other for years, literally, the stars aligned and this couple finally met at the end of Megan’s senior year of high school.

From Him

“Our first date was long over due by the time we got around to it.  It was preceded by a number of accepted invitation to family events. None of which I was willing to consider to be our first date.  I would say our first date was actually a long walk from south Mission Beach to the Pacific Beach pier. Followed by a bonfire that night at South Mission.”  

From Her

“We met up to walk our dogs together in the evening nearly every night for about 3 weeks before we went out.”

From Her:

“I knew Matt was the one about 6 months into our relationship.”

From Him:

“I honestly can’t put my finger on an exact moment, but somewhere between the first time I told her I loved her on top Mt. Helix, putting up with my busy schedule all through college, and saying “yes” when I popped the question, I’m sure I figured it out.”  haha!

From Her

“One of my favorite dates was our first Valentine’s Day together.  I packed a picnic dinner and decorated champagne flutes and we sat on the cliffs of the beach to watch the sunset.”

From Him

“My favorite time with her was the first time I took her wake boarding in Arizona; not only because she gravitated toward the water sport, but also because it was the first time I brought her breakfast in bed.  This is one of the best memories I have of waking up next to her, something I continue to enjoy as one of my favorite parts of the day.”

From Her

“What I admire most about him is his dedication to anything he sets his mind to and how good he is to me and any of his or my friends.”

From Him

“Her open-mindedness to try things that I take an interest in.  Particularly in my hobbies I had before we met; snow boarding, wake boarding, and even paintball (caught me off guard).”

Best Qualities

When talking about what qualities best describe the other…
From him: “Beautiful, Sense of Humor/Playfulness, Ambition.”
From her: “Honest always, he’s always a hard worker, he’s sarcastic and a nerd.”

The Proposal

From him: “The proposal was arguably long over due.  We had been talking about and looking at engagement rings in the fall.  I had always had the intention of proposing soon after her graduation, but life had gotten in the way and it was taking longer than originally planned.  I decided to pop the question over our Christmas in Hawaii, even though this was prior to her final semester.  Beyond that I didn’t really have a plan set in stone.  I wanted it to be authentic more than original.  The obvious choice would have been at a luau; however, I felt this would have added a lot of pressure on her and the situation, and I’d rather her answer be genuine and not for show.

The Night Of The Proposal

“That night however, I planned for us to take a walk along Waikiki beach.  The air was warm and still.  It wasn’t a full moon, but there was enough lunar and ambient light to navigate through the sand.  With a ring box in one pocket guarded by my hand and a shared ice cream in the other, I finally felt the time was right.  I waited for her to take the ice cream to free my one hand, at which point I apologized for not proposing at the luau (playing on the notion she had been expecting the question either during or soon after this trip).  

She played it off by saying she was glad I didn’t; for all the reasons I was worried about.  I then proceeded to ask, “How about now?”; at which point I was down on one knee in the sand holding out an open ring box with a single LED, which when it reflected off the stone, trumped any light source around.  After a brief profession of my love and desire to spend the rest of our lives together, she gave me what felt as the longest hug in our relationship…  In reality it was only a few seconds, but it felt like hours as I awaited her to give verbal confirmation of acceptance to my proposal.  When she let me put it on her hand, a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and I was more excited than I thought possible.”

Megan & Matt, you are a beautiful couple – inside and out! After your engagement session at Milagro Farms Vineyard and Winery I am so excited for your wedding. And am very honored to be the one to capture it.  See you soon! <3

Love!
Stefani Ciotti