Today’s desert botanical garden engagement is so special to me. When my bestie Jess got engaged, I never thought it would be possible to shoot her engagement photos because she lives on the west coast. Last year, about three weeks before COVID shut the whole world down, we both found ourselves in Arizona for our other bestie’s wedding. I got to spend the day with Jess and Randy doing the thing I love most in life, exploring and photographing.
We started our shoot at the Cub’s spring training field, Sloan Park. Randy is a sports fanatic, but having lived in Chicago myself, I also felt some butterflies when we walked into the stadium. It was incredible to see how huge the facility was! In my mind, I thought a spring training facility would be small, but it was about the size of the Columbus Clipper’s stadium if not bigger.
From the ballpark, we went to the desert botanical gardens just as the sun was dipping in the sky. The very first thing I did was step on a cactus, and I was wearing sandals. I can’t even describe to you how painful that was and how stupid I felt. I also couldn’t stop laughing at the thought of me leaving a trail of blood behind me. Anyways it was totally worth it because the lighting, the gardens, and Jess and Randy were too perfect for words. It was an amazing day that I will remember forever. Congratulations are also due to this couple, as they eloped in California late last year! I love you to the moon, Jess! XOXO Jess squared.
