Magical engagement photo session in Big Sur

Dani and Kaelee’s engagement photo session in Big Sur was nothing short of magical. The couple was celebrating Dani’s proposal to Kaelee that took place in their backyard after Dani’s original proposal plan with a trip to Asia was thwarted by Covid-19.

“Big Sur’s landscape often experiences moody, unpredictable weather,” says Heather K. Purdy, the couple’s photographer, “and the day of their session was no different. Light clouds gave way to heave fog, and then the end of the day… We were awarded with the most spectacular sunset and when we turned around, the Universe gave us the most amazing slash of rainbow! So, the ladies proudly kissed underneath a rainbow that magically appeared during blue hour and we all took is as a sign of blessing on their union! LOVE IS LOVE!”

HOW DID YOU MEET?
Danielle and I met through a mutual friend group. She will say her first memory of me was stumbling out of a bar laughing, but my first memory is meeting her at a gathering and we started talking about playing guitar. She was in a relationship at the time but a few weeks later I got a text from her saying she “had an opening” for a new friend and I invited her over. We were actually best friends for a while, even lived together for a year. Our romantic relationship didn’t blossom until I moved away to LA!

WHAT MAKES YOUR RELATIONSHIP SPECIAL?
We are literally ying and yang. Where she is strong, I am weak and vice versa. She is my favorite travel buddy, guitar jamming companion, and we read books to each other before bed. What I love most about us is what we create for our relationship. It’s never about what society expects or what’s normal, we create exactly what we want. We also are both extremely successful in our own careers and we support each other as independent strong women. What I really love is that we stand for each other to be our best self, to constantly put work into being a better partner and person.

HOW DID YOU KNOW YOUR PARTNER WAS THE ONE?
I wish I could say there was an ah-ha moment but it really was a creeping love that snuck up on us. We were both actually in relationships with men… and I knew that I wanted to wake up to her every morning forever. She was comfort, home, my best friend, sexy as hell, and always down for an adventure. There’s an unspoken understanding and acceptance we share that I’ve never shared with another partner.

TELL US ABOUT THE PROPOSAL(S)!
Oh, man. Danielle had an elaborate plan. We were going to Thailand and Vietnam for my 30th birthday with 15 of our closest friends and then Covid hit one week before we were set to take off. She ended up rallying a whole village; my family, friends, even my employers were involved. She created a Thailand-themed display in our backyard and was going to propose then, but we ended up drinking a little too much so her second plan was foiled. She popped the question the next morning in our favorite place (our bed), surrounded by all our fur babies. It was so overwhelming to see how many people contributed and in the end it was a special intimate moment we shared.

TELL US ABOUT THE ENGAGEMENT RING(S)
My ring is truly unique. She designed it with her family friends at Guzzetta Jewelers in Roseville, Calif. The design is a “Tois et Mois” setting so it’s not a full circle. At each end it has two emerald cut diamonds (my favorite vintage cut). It’s such a beautiful representation of our relationship, strong and independent individuals bound together forever (in platinum!) not to mention she had my father who works with wood create a spectacular custom ring box complete with the Celtic knots under the lid and a gold coin on top, with his brand burned into the bottom. Everything about it is one of a kind and not traditional in any way and I think that’s the perfect symbol for our partnership.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT PLANNING YOUR WEDDING?
I’m most excited about creating something that will hopefully not resemble any other normal wedding. Everything down to the ceremony will be unique to us. We will consider it a success if all the people in our lives show up and get to know one another. There is nothing traditional about us and we want our day to reflect that. We want it to invite people to be fluid and mingle rather than be stuck to a table all night. We are hoping to make it a weekend affair rather than one night because that’s not enough time to really celebrate our love with the people we love.