Erica M Photography »

I love an unique engagement story and when I heard Celeste and Chris’ I had to smile…because, as relationships sometimes go, Chris did something that he thought was stupid at first. Whenever Celeste has seen a caricature artist she always bugged Chris to have one done of them. He always thought they were stupid and said no. Well despite his feelings, he hired one and planted him in the back of a cozy little cafe where he took Celeste one wintry Albuquerque night. Of course that night he was willing to get a picture drawn with Celeste. When it was finished Chris handed the drawing over to Celeste and she replied that it was great. He and the caricature artist artist stared at her in blank silence. Chris pointed to the top of the drawing where “Will you marry me?” was written. Celeste was speechless and in shock – when Chris knelt down and pulled out the ring all she could do was kiss him :) You two are so sweet and I love how you make each other smile and laugh. I am sort of in love with way too many photos from this shoot – thanks to your enthusiasm, those beautiful yellow wildflowers, and that golden light!

I couldn’t choose just one of the following…Celeste – you have such great facial expressions!

My no.1 favorite of the evening…

In high school, one of my best friends was very family oriented. The longer I knew him, the more and more I found myself in the presence of his big family gatherings. Most of my equally large family lived 8 hours away and though we are close, I don’t see them as often as I’d like. To be openly welcomed into another family felt so good. The Morris Family is part of that clan. They started by simply welcoming me warmly and now I feel like part of their family (Robin jokes – I’m like your sister not your mother right?!) I am so thankful of their support and encouragement in my life and my photography. Having also been a nanny for them for two summers I can safely say that they are a wonderful family and individuals. Robin and Greg are the most amazing parents – of six children none the less. I don’t know how they do it, and are so good at what they do. If I can retain half of what I learned those two summers, I think I’ll be an amazing parent. I’m still waiting for Robin to write a parenting book though! Thank you for letting me document your love as a family :)

I say this about all the couples I have met through the Air Force, but only because it’s true. Lindley and Derek are such a sweet couple and I am lucky to have them as friends. Their love is evident in just being around them and in these photos. But Derek is also proud to vocalize it. At an orientation on base, spouses were introduced. Derek was one of the first called and he introduced Lindley to the room by telling everyone about his time at the Air Force Academy and saying Lindley was the best thing he got out of being in Colorado. All the other guys sighed saying, “How are we supposed to top that introduction!” Lindley and Derek have been married almost a year and though their home is full of beautiful engagement and wedding photos, Lindley wanted to do a shoot to have some more fun and colorful photos to put up. Aaand they wanted to get their new adorable pup Moose into some of the shots! I am so glad I had this opportunity to meet you both. You will be missed, but hopefully our paths will cross again!