Megan + Stefan | A Glowing Engagement in the Sandia Foothills | New Mexico Wedding Photographers

Megan and Stefan met through mutual friends while they were going for their undergrad at UC Santa Barbara. At the time, she was a freshman and he was a sophomore, and after six months of knowing each other, they realized they would be much better off dating.

The couple currently lives in California, but last November they decided to spend Thanksgiving with Megan’s family in Los Alamos. Stefan’s birthday is very close to Thanksgiving, so the day before the holiday, Megan set up a birthday scavenger hunt for him. She gave him the first clue, sending him on his way to the location of the next one, and so on and so forth, with the intention of him finding his birthday present at the end. However, he misinterpreted one of the clues, which sent him to the incorrect location at Overlook Park in White Rock. He realized after a bit that he went to the wrong spot and began to leave, but to Megan’s surprise, her mom stopped the pair and asked for a photo in front of the scenic view. It shocked her even more to discover that Stefan had teamed up with her mom to plan his proposal, as it was then, in front of the gorgeous view and with her father taking all the pictures he could take, that Stefan dropped to one knee and asked her to be his wife. Here she was thinking she was the one with big plans for the day, and he completely turned it in a totally different (but absolutely wonderful) direction!

When they arrived for their engagement shoot, again visiting New Mexico before returning home to California, Megan expressed her desire to find a heart-shaped cactus. She thought that it would be the perfect backdrop for her ring shots and was very excited about. While these things are so prevalent on Pinterest, one might believe that heart-shaped cacti are abundant here in the desert. In reality, though, it’s rare to find them. What’s amazing is that, right after she gushed about her idea, Maura glanced to the side and immediately found the most flawless— you guessed it— heart-shaped cactus. Obviously, it was meant to be!

We are so excited for this young couple and their many love-filled years ahead, and we cannot wait for their wedding at El Dorado come August!