mountain engagement

Bryce + Desiree - Engagement - Snow Covered Mountain Session - Angelus Oaks CA / March 13, 2023 by Ulices Del Toro

When I first talked to Bryce + Desiree about their engagement session, they already knew they wanted to do something adventurous. We planned on doing a mountain session in hopes of finding snow. Well the snow found us! The week we planned on having their session, we had a nice winter storm that more than guaranteed snow. Luckily for us, Bryce’s truck was built for this.

On the way up the mountain headed towards Angelus Oaks, we were a little concerned about finding a place to play in the snow that wouldn’t be over-populated with everyone who had the same idea that weekend. As we entered the snow covered mountains, we ended up getting into a mile-long line of traffic with people waiting to put their chains on.

We made a last minute decision to take a side road that was already covered in snow and had not been plowed yet. That road just happen to lead us up to the perfect empty trailhead where we had full range of mountains and forest completely covered in snow all to ourselves.

We got to run and play in the snow and take some pretty epic photos. Surprisingly it wasn’t event hat cold. it could not have been a more perfect way to spend an engagement session. Towards the end of our session it even started to snow on us. This really will be an engagement session i will never forget.

Cory + Sahar - Engagement - Forest Sunset Angelus Oaks California / January 31, 2023 by Ulices Del Toro

I cannot express my excitement for this couple enough. The first time I officially met Cory + Sahar was at this engagement session and we really hit it off! We had the best time exploring the San Gorgonio Wilderness up near Angelus Oaks Ca. It felt like we had the mountain to ourselves, we played in the street, found some cabins in the forest and shot way past sunset. Had the best time and seriously cannot wait for their wedding which I don’t want to spoil now, but I will hint, it may or may not take place at the top of a mountain somewhere….

Sergio + Nicole - Engagement - Mountain Sunset Twin Peaks / February 9, 2022 by Ulices Del Toro

This is one engagement session I will certainly never forget.

I feel so fortunate to have been chosen to photograph these two. I have known Nicole for many years now. A long time ago, Maria and I hiked into the mountains to a place called Bridge to Nowhere to Bungee Jump off of it. Nicole was our instructor that day. We bonded with all of those instructors that day over a large mount of breakfast burritos our crew brought in with them that day.

Since then we have been friends on instagram. When these two started dating, it was no surprise to see what an adventurous life they lived together. From bungee jumping, sky diving, traveling, camping, hiking, these two never had a boring weekend. When they got engaged and reached out to us, we were just so happy for them and excited we would get the chance to be a part of their day.

The part I will never forget about this engagement session was going from one moment where we were completely enjoying the session, laughing and telling stories, to the next moment where we were running for our lives being chased out of the forest by a swarm of yellow jacket wasps!

We ran and ran, only to stop and swat the wasps off each other for a moment and keep running. It was really scary for a while there, but it all turned into laughter and disbelief. That is one of the craziest things I have experienced during a session, but in the end we were all ok, had a big laugh about it and were able to finish their photos and enjoyed a beautiful sunset.

We are so excited about their wedding and cannot wait for the day to come.

Luis + Sierra - Engagement - Angeles Oaks Ca / December 23, 2019 by Ulices Del Toro

You know it’s going to be an awesome shoot when you pull up to your session, and everything is covered in snow! This was also the first time we met Luis and Sierra in person, and I’m pretty sure we hit it off because we spent the rest of the day laughing and having exploring the Angelus Oaks forest together!

Their pup Waffles also came with them, he loved running around the snow and playing with his humans! This was such a fun shoot from beginning to end. Their engagement session was a blast and we cannot wait for their big day!

Elysia + Lauren - Engagement - San Gorgonio Wilderness / May 4, 2019 by Ulices Del Toro

There is never a bad time to head up to the mountains for photos, and both Elysia and Lauren were up for an adventure. We drove up to the San Gorgonio Wilderness and found some beautiful forests for us to play in, but it was even more amazing than we expected. All of the fall colors were in full bloom. We went for a walk through the forest and right away Elysia and Lauren were so comfortable, they had already been excited for this day, and you could tell! On our way out we noticed the clouds rolling over the mountains and all agreed we had to stop and find a place to take some more photos. The weather was perfect this day, and it felt like we could keep taking photos for hours. These two were so fun to be with, they have adventurous hearts and are incredibly in love. Their wedding day cannot come soon enough.

Tyler + Courtney - Engagement - Forest Falls, Ca / September 29, 2018 by Ulices Del Toro

Tyler + Courtney met at a halloween party, and at that time they had no idea what their first interactions would lead to. Now they are getting ready to start a whole new chapter in their lives, and we couldn’t be more honored to be able to follow them on their new journey. We met up in Forest Falls for their engagement session, it was a perfect quiet day and it felt as though we had the entire mountain to ourselves. We ran around, laughed, and we captured these two falling in love all over again.

Jimmy + Jessica - Engagement - Mormon Rocks, Ca / July 30, 2018 by Ulices Del Toro

When we found out that Jimmy and Jessica were dancers, we knew we were about to get into something really fun! We took them up to one of our favorite spots with some pretty epic views to show off their dance moves. It was perfect! We hiked some trails and climbed some rocks, but it was so worth it. They practiced some of the dances they were preparing for their big day, and we really just cannot wait for that day to come!

Felipe + Iris - Engagement - Twin Peaks Ca. / April 18, 2018 by Ulices Del Toro

When I first sat down to get to know Felipe and Iris, it was clear to me that these two are a perfect pair, and their enthusiasm for their big day got me just as excited even though they had just started planning everything out. We decided to head up to Twin Peaks for their engagement session, and things could not have gone any better!

Felipe is a huge Green Bay Packers fan, and we joked about having a Green Bay wedding! Rightfully so we had to do a few photos sporting some of his gear, and I am almost certain he will be sporting some green and yellow at his wedding. We strolled around the woods, found some epic spots for photos and had an amazing time watching these two fall in love all over again.

When we reached the peak of the mountain, the fog rolled in. It got a little windy, and a little cold, but it did not phase either Felipe or Iris and it made for some pretty magical photos.