McKenzie & Conner | Flagstaff Engagement
McKenzie and Conner are a super sweet local Flagstaff couple that have resided in here for the last few years after graduating NAU together. The couple has an absolutely adorable meet-cute story that changes a bit depending on which of them tells it, but it boils down to a day when Conner was working a booth for a rock climbing gym at an NAU Community Fair, and McKenzie was doing social media coverage for her job with the university. They first talked when she decided to interview him and after a few missteps- Conner chickening out on asking McKenzie out then and there, a missed chance to return some lost sunglasses to McKenzie, and Conner taking a two-week-long study abroad trip to Japan- the couple finally had their first date and the rest was history. From what I’ve seen the couple balances each other out perfectly, with Conner acting as the laid-back counterpart to McKenzie’s ambitious, restless energy. This is the exact dynamic that I have with my own husband, so I felt instantly connected to this couple and like we could become fast friends!
McKenzie reached out after being referred to me by a couple I worked with last fall. She let me know that she and Conner were interested in working with me for their wedding, and the package that they ended up booking included a complimentary engagement session that they were excited to use for invitations and save-the-dates! McKenzie also asked if they could incorporate their mountain bikes into the shoot, as it was a hobby she picked up after seeing how much joy it brought Conner and realizing it was a COVID-friendly activity they could do together during quarantine. I was totally down, and though it was a great way that the couple could incorporate a mutual interest as well as a unique part of their relationship into the photos.
After discussing some locations together, McKenzie decided on Buffalo Park for the true Flagstaff views it had to offer- the pine trees and sprawling mountains- but also for its nice, smooth trails that I knew would be great logistically if they were going to be walking bikes throughout the shoot. When we arrived at the location the couple was wearing more formal outfits, so we started out with some simple shots and poses as we warmed up to one another and got to know each other more since this was the first time I was meeting them in person. Since they had brought second outfits to change into, this was also when I got some shots of them spraying champagne and taking some celebratory sips (just in case any happened to get on their clothes).
Once they had changed into their second outfit and grabbed their bikes, we rolled out to the pedway and captured some really cute pictures using both their bikes, as well as some more “artsy” shots that we really just had fun and played around with! McKenzie was great at being a total idea machine and then just letting me run with them and trusting me fully to bring her idea to life, which was so much fun for everyone involved.
I really loved the way this couple took advantage of their engagement session to highlight their true selves and fun, adventurous relationship. I’ve had a great time meeting with McKenzie and Conner over the past few months to help them along the way with different aspects of the planning process, and with their wedding coming up in a couple of weeks I’m so glad I had this chance to get to know their personalities and interests so that I can better serve them when it comes to capturing their wedding day!
