Two days before Christmas, my cousin PJ and his GORGEOUS fiance, Angelina, braved the cold wind and slightly treacherous terrain for an engagement shoot. I’m soooo glad they did because we got some amazing shots at beautiful location….a cattle pasture! Haha! They have such an obviously fun-loving relationship! They were so into each other that I had to give very little direction on engaging with one another during the shoot. We had a blast!

They both met when PJ worked at GNC at the Southern Hills Mall while attending college in Sioux City and Angelina worked at Younkers during her college Christmas break. It was love at first sight for the two so it was only fitting that their engagement session took place exactly 2 years later. Early on in their relationship, Angelina knew PJ was the one for her. “I was the one who said ‘I love you’ first and that was maybe 2-3 weeks into the relationship. I don’t know if there was one defining moment for me but I kind of just knew he was going to be stuck with me forever. I’m just really glad he agreed. There has never been a moment when I haven’t felt loved by him whether it’s him massaging my shoulders because he knows it’s been a long day or him giving me the last slice of pizza.

They currently reside in Rapid City, SD where PJ works as a physical therapist assistant and Angelina as an orthodontic technician. They really enjoy hiking in the Black Hills and surrounding areas. “We love watching football together and Paul even puts up with me yelling at the TV and by yelling I mean aggressively yelling at the TV.”

“We can be very goofy and childish which I think makes the relationship fun. Paul can definitely come off as a serious kind of person but when he’s around me he’s just the biggest dork you’ll ever meet and I love it! I absolutely love the fact that Paul has really embraced my Mexican family, culture, and most of all the food. That boy can definitely handle some spicy food!”

I’m so excited to photograph these two next summer as they commit to each other in marriage. Their Sioux City wedding will be an exciting adventure shooting in a new location and my baby girl, Liella, will get to wear a beautiful dress as a flower girl! But I think I’m most excited to dance my booty off to the Mariachi band!