To say it was love at first sight would be accurate, but to also say they’re high school sweethearts, seems like a dream. Cause let’s be honest, to get both of these lovely cliche’s as part of your very own love story is such a rarity. But for Katie and Zach, that’s exactly how their engagement story began.

Katie and Zach met in their high school Spanish class. And like most high school girls, when the perfect guy catches their eye, that’s it. He’s the one. But, then comes the tricky part; getting him to notice you back. For Katie, this took very little effort, because of course Zach noticed her right a way.

The two spent the year flirting and hanging out till one night Zach brought her on a special date by the lake. As they walked down be the water on the ground were rocks laid out in the shape of heart, with pink roses in the middle. And it was there that Zach asked Katie to be his girlfriend.

Fast forward to graduation and these two high school sweethearts embarked on a “long” distant relationship at two different Colorado schools. Zach was accepted into the US Air Force Academy and Katie pursued her passion at CSU. For two people in the same state, it took a lot of patience and love to stay connected. But they did it with total commitment and are now heading into their senior years still together.

Here’s where their story gets extra cute… after dating for the last 5 years, Zach wanted to take Katie on one more date before heading back to the Academy. Leading her down a trail of roses along the river, they came upon a familiar site. Rocks lined up, side by side creating a heart on the ground with red roses in the middle. It was then that Zach dropped down to one knee and asked Katie to by his wife.

I mean… I don’t know about you, but my heart grew 3 sizes. It’s stories like that that remind you how beautiful love is. And how it takes work, dedication and commitment to make it through. It doesn’t matter if you meet in your 30’s or in grade school, your forever love can be found in any season of life.

So when Katie asked us to quickly take engagement photos for them before he headed back to the Academy, we couldn’t wait. The trickiest part was finding somewhere perfect in just a few days time. So with the help of Sarah at Sweet Heart Winery, we took these two on a mountain-lake-winery adventure.

Starting on the docks of Carter Lake, we wondered along the shore and then found ourselves wrapped in the tall pine tree’s above the water. It was sweet and romantic and the perfect place for this water loving couple.

And just as the sun began to set, we then adventured down the Big Thompson River with wine in hand. Sweet Heart Winery has always been one of my favorite locations to photograph at and engagements there are particularly fun, because no one’s waiting for you at a wedding. So soaking up every last drop of warm light along the river makes for the perfect night.

Honestly, we loved every moment we got to share with these two. Even getting to spend time reminiscing with Katie, whom we’ve known for what seems like forever made the evening a bit more nostalgic.

We’re so happy for you Katie and Zach! We loved getting to witness how perfectly you two compliment and balance each other . And I hope capturing this very special time before you head back to school helps ease the distance. Enjoy looking back at our fun adventure together to celebrate your engagement!

And why just have photos when you can also have film? We’re loving the addition of engagement films to our wedding collections and getting to share all the sweet moments, laughter and kisses.

Your wedding day will be here before you know it and we wish you the VERY best senior years! CONGRATS!!!

Are you looking for a romantic film to tell your engagement story, capture your proposal or even use to tell friends to “Save the Date”? We would love to help you share your love story! Engagement Film‘s are an easy add-on to any of our engagement session! And incase you didn’t know, engagement sessions are complimentary with all our Wedding Collection Bookings!

Want to see more engagement films? Check out our engagement session with Shahnoza and Dmitriy at Horsetooth Reservoir.

So what are you waiting for? Let’s connect and start planning your engagement!