Bryce and Monica's Washington Coast Engagement

Bryce and Monica are magnetic. And not just to each other (which they definitely are) but to others. They are so thoughtful in the way they talk and interact, they are fun and kind, I genuinely had a great time with them on the Washington Coast - which, can we just say, is a pretty awesome place to do engagement photos. The only thing I was bummed about in this situation is we had a completely overcast sky this day. That said, it meant we got some really soft light (which is beautiful) and no bright hot-spots. Now, I would normally tell you the little bits of the couples story in these blogs, and I do know that Bryce and Monica met in the military. The Infantry - if I remember correctly - where Monica was one of very few women in a branch of the military that has traditionally only allowed men.

Chance and Lily's Beautiful Overcast Engagement in Coeur d'Alene

They met around 7th grade. According to Lily he was the "guy that knew everyone" He played sports, was kind, and just generally got along with everyone in his class. I asked Chance if he noticed Lily to which I got a little chuckle from both of them. Because Lily didn't really get to know Chance right away, rather, she was friends with his friends. So by nature, she was around, but they never really hung out, they were never really all that close.

Stefan and Alicia's Engagement Downtown CDA

They met at a house party about ten years ago. Both of them had extremely solid first impressions, from "wow, this girl is amazing, fun, beautiful… and taken" to Alicia's first impression of Stefan being "handsome and sweet… and taken" You see, even though they both knew each other, and seemed to really get along, they were both not available when they first met. So nothing happened. In fact, they didn't talk again after that first impression for about 8 years. Through that time relationships would come and go, and things would change - but what wouldn't change would be those impressions. That one person I met a long time ago was pretty darn cool. They would see periodic updates on Facebook, but again, they wouldn't really engage.

Kyle and Jessica's Coeur d'Alene Engagement

Kyle and Jessica are like so many people in the way they met - that is, they met online. It seems that is about 75% of all the couples I photograph each year. In Jessica’s case, she had made her profile to acknowledge all the things she did - and didn’t - want in a guy. She basically said on her profile “need not apply” if you don’t hit “x, y and z categories”. In her mind, she didn’t want to waste her time meeting guys who wouldn’t be someone she would marry. Kyle wasn’t someone who hit all the marks.

Jeff and Nicola's Spring Engagement Near CDA

They met on Match.com. This isn't surprising these days, as almost everyone seems to meet online. I asked them what attracted them to each other's online profiles and I got an answer I hear a lot - the person looked "real" on the other end. In other words, they didn't look like the other person was trying to be fake, or put their best foot forward, they were just being themselves.

Hunter and Becca's Avondale Golf Club Engagement

They met at Costco. If we're really tracking things, Becca was kind of* his boss. Well, she was a supervisor when he started working. That said, Hunter told me that when he first saw her she caught his eye right away, and it became his mission to find a way to talk to her. Becca, for her part, also noticed the "cute red head" right away. The question wasn't "will they get together" but it was more "WHEN will they get together?"

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Brent Looyenga is a Spokane wedding photographer based IN SPOKANE WASHINGTON and Coeur d’Alene Idaho area. He loves people and specializes in wedding, engagement, family and senior photography. You can like Looyenga Photography on Facebook or follow them on Instagram.