Fairytale Picnic Engagement Session at Big Springs Park in Provo Canyon

What a day. I headed down to Moab, Utah just after the new year to capture a surprise photo proposal in one of the most iconic locations in the world… Arches National Park. These two were traveling from the south hitting up all of the national parks in Utah during the off-season.

Photographing and capturing a wedding proposal might be the most rewarding and exhilarating part of being an engagement & wedding photographer. Weddings are very fast-paced and are always rewarding, but nothing is quite like helping guide someone to propose and ask the biggest question of their lives. I mean its kinda crazy. You are conspiring with a stranger to completely fool their best friend haha!

Antelope Island is one of my favorite locations to photograph engagement sessions, bridals, and elopements. It’s such a beautiful location that is so unique, especially considering its proximity to the Wasatch Mountains. There are beaches, bison, and jagged rock formations. With only an hour drive from Salt Lake City, I am always excited to head out to these beaches on the Great Salt Lake. Also if we ride in the same car, we can get in for free with my photographer’s pass!

By Jordan Varela - Utah Wedding Photographer

We’re back at Little Dell Reservoir in Emigration Canyon for a lovely engagement session filled with white snow and gorgeous Wasatch mountains! Right in between Salt Lake City & Park City Utah, Little Dell is a fantastic option to get your engagement photos done for your wedding. Especially in the winter! Utah was gifted with so much snow this year, we had to get creative with this engagement session.

Jessica, Tyler & I snowshoed from the parking lot down the ramp to get to even ground. Once we found a solid spot, I patted down the snow to make sure that slipping through the snow was minimal. How many wedding photographers do you know that will go to such lengths for their clients? Ha!

Once they kicked off their snowshoes (I kept mine on) we were off to the races! They were absolutely stunning on this cold & overcast day. The Wasatch Mountains were absolutely gorgeous and were a great reminder of why I moved to Utah! I am truly blessed to be a wedding photographer in such a scenic and beautiful state!

Located about 42 miles from Salt Lake City, Antelope Island is one of Utah’s hidden gems for a wedding photographer. From the moment you enter the causeway, you see the great expanse of the Great Salt Lake with views reminiscent of the Bonneville Salt Flats with half the drive time! On this particular afternoon, the sky was overcast and the air was quite chilly. London & McKay opted to dress in denim & low cut Chuck Taylor Converses. I absolutely loved the look of the denim and black Chuck T’s against the wispy brown vegetation & rocks at Antelope Island. I highly encourage couple’s to dress down like this for their next engagement session! Save the formal look for your wedding day! Overall we had a fantastic session and I can’t wait to go back to Antelope Island for another engagement session to explore all of its stunning features!

In between Salt Lake City & Park City, Utah, Little Dell Reservoir is a hidden gem. A giant water reservoir overlooked by Emigration Canyon, Little Dell Reservoir is a hotspot for winter activities such as cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling - wedding engagement sessions not so much. Unless your photographer brings snowshoes!