Coeur d'Alene Idaho Mountain Engagement - Aaron & Payton

They met in forth grade. Payton told me that when she first met Aaron she didn't like him - boys were weird. Aaron, on the other hand, said his first thought was "woah, she's beautiful" or something along those lines. Either way, Aaron's interest in Payton started in the fourth grade, and depending on who you talk to, it may or may not have ever stopped.

But according to Aaron it did. Right around their freshman year of high school, he started thinking of Payton as a good friend. They started hanging out a lot more, going on "adventures" and Payton and basically put him firmly in the "friend zone" - she wasn't interested in a relationship with Aaron. This friendship continued for years - all the way through high school, and eventually Aaron would decide he needed to move to California for work. They would stay in contact, but at one point Aaron told Payton she should "come down to visit him" in Cali.

Payton did. They were good friends, and when she got down there, she agreed to road trip up to the Pacific Northwest. So her three day trip became a six day trip. It was on this trip that her feelings would start to change. From holding hands as they walked around Vegas (although even then, she was convinced it wouldn't turn into anything) to spending time together in Zion. But the real change happened when Aaron wrecked his bike by riding of a 60 foot cliff.

Yeah. 60 feet.

I was pretty blown away by that too. Apparently Aaron broke legs, ruptured some lungs, a bunch of stuff. But it was in the hospital that Payton went from "oh, this guy is pretty cool" to "oh man, I don’t' just like this guy, I love this guy" And the rest is history - because it was also in that moment, when Aaron was drugged up on pain killers that he also realized Payton wasn't just a friend - she was someone he didn't ever want to be without. 

Such an amazing story, such an awesome couple. I loved getting to know them, laughing with them, hearing their story, and I am SO excited to be there for their wedding.