February 28, 2018

WINTER ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK ADVENTUROUS ENGAGEMENT|ESTES PARK ENGAGEMENT I CLIFF + AMY

ENGAGEMENTS

WINTER ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK ADVENTUROUS ENGAGEMENT|ESTES PARK ENGAGEMENT

JUSTYNA E BUTLER PHOTOGRAPHY | ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK ELOPEMENT PHOTOGRAPHER | COLORADO MOUNTAIN ADVENTUROUS ELOPEMENT PHOTOGRAPHER | CLIFF + AMY GALLERY

WINTER ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK ENGAGEMENT

Can I just say these two hearts took the gold for braving their Colorado winter magic engagement…this does not happen very often with me…to show up at epic spot at RMNP with winds gusts…up to 30 miles an hour…temps 12 degrees windchill -7 if not lower…

I can take the cold…but man…we ended up taking a rain check and finish their engagement adventures after the wedding, because of high winds and blowing snow, closing the routes

….meet Cliff + Amy and their love story.

In spite of crazy weather, their love, connection is just contagious! It will be such an honor to shoot your BIG DAY in just couple weeks away, part 2 of your RMNP adventures and your summer hiking adventures in July!!!! Eeeekkkkk!!!!! Cannot wait!!!

“Yes, of course!”  Those were the words that Amy finally mustered after grasping the moment and calming her emotions.  After an incredible 8 years together, I had proposed to Amy at sunset along a narrow path that traversed a grape vineyard in the Rhone region of southern France. 

It was a beautiful evening and I’ll always remember the expression on her face and how her eyes sparkled with joy.  After her tears subsided, she gazed into my eyes and smiled.  Her smile was magnificent, and is something that I’ve always loved.  

It was that very moment when I reflected on how truly special our relationship has been.  It was an incredible moment that began the next chapter of our relationship.

We first met while working for the same company.  Our personalities quickly meshed and we realized how much we enjoyed the other’s company.  We would often spend our evenings chatting after work and getting to know each other. 

Our schedules were hectic and it took many months before we finally went out on our first date, which was dinner out on the town!  We had a great time that night and have been together ever since. 

Our similar passions for the outdoors, travel, adventure, food, and new experiences have been a hallmark of our relationship.  With our love and commitment growing, we eventually moved in together. 

Living together grew our relationship even more.  We learned to be partners in life and we were able to share the simple joys that day-to-day living bring.  I love our simple summer evenings at home sitting outside on the patio playing board games and drinking wine together and also snuggling on the couch in front of the fire in the winter while watching a movie. 

We’ve had an incredible journey together and have shared in each other’s joys, tears, triumphs, and hardships.

Our wedding is a significant event for not only Amy, and me but our family and friends as well.  We wanted a more traditional wedding and soon after our engagement, we set out on the daunting task of planning our big day.  As with most challenges, Amy and I took a divide and conquer approach. 

One of my tasks was finding the photographer.  I have dabbled in photography as a hobby and am an engineer by trade.  I knew I wanted an artist who could capture the moment, our love for one another, and who could add something intangible to the feeling of the photographs………all while being able to balance the technical aspects of photography. 

I spent hours, spanning multiple weeks, researching photographers.  I became slightly obsessed with finding a photographer who fit our criteria.  After all, our memories and the photographs are what will last a lifetime.

 I finally came across Justyna Butler.  I perused her work that is displayed on her website and was amazed by her innate ability to capture the emotion of the moment and the expression of love between the couples in her photos.

  I was also drawn to how she composed her photographs and how many of them were dynamic and captured motion.  All of this was set against incredible, mountainous backdrops. 

I was mesmerized and envisioned our engagement photographs with two of my biggest passions in life, Amy and the mountains. 

I sent inquiries by email to 5 photographers that Saturday morning, the first was to Justyna.  I received a phone call from her within an hour after sending the email. 

Our conversation was great!  Justyna was extremely personable, was excited about getting to know Amy, and me and even took the time to nerd-out with me on camera gear.  Our immediate connection made my decision easy.  Justyna exceeded my expectations in that one phone call and I knew she was the one.

Leading up to our engagement photo session, Justyna was very supportive and communicative.  She walked us through everything from possible locations for our photo session to what to wear. 

When we arrived in Rocky Mountain National Park for our engagement shoot, plenty of snow, wind, and frigid temperatures were there to greet us!  While the weather cut our session short, we had so much fun working with Justyna. 

 We had already developed a great connection with Justyna along the way and our experience that day in the mountains was very relaxed and organic.  Justyna directed us and helped to create natural and expressive moments that she captured perfectly! 

I am thrilled with her work!  The first picture I saw was magical!  Justyna is an amazing soul who we now think of as our friend and we are so excited that she will be part of our wedding day.  We can’t wait for our wedding pictures and our next adventure shoot!

~ Cliff + Amy

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