Proposal Caught on Camera: CJ & Ross' Inspirational Story

Ross has cystic fibrosis and wasn't supposed to live past 16 — he just ran a marathon at 29. The Proposal Ross proposed to his girlfriend, CJ, as they crossed the finish line together at the Wenatchee Marathon. I happened to be in the area and saw him on bended knee — as a wedding photographer, I had to capture the moment. It took a while to track them down — his race number helped!

1° of Separation We've learned that CJ had worked alongside Emily at Kadlec Hospital, AND she takes Emily's aerobics classes. Then we learned that CJ took dance classes with my sister! (By now you should have "It's a Small World" running through your head.)

Go-Forward What strikes me about them is their unflinching go-forward attitude. He may have Cystic Fibrosis (CF), but that doesn't keep them from living now. CF causes breathing difficulties, yet he's finished a marathon. (CJ says Ross "kicks ass at life.") And these best of friends will be married soon.

We hope they are an inspiration to you, too.

Brianne & Justin | Engagement Photos | Vineyard

We are so excited to be shooting the wedding of the sister of one of our former brides. Brianne and Justin were such a great couple with great smiles, we got super lucky with the weather in early March and had a wonderful time during their engagement session at a vineyard near Benton City!

Colleen & Ivan | Engagement Photos | Secret Vineyard and Train | Richland, WA

We're excited to be shooting this cute couple's wedding along the Columbia river next year! We made time for an engagement shoot with them at a secret winery in Benton City, then raced to an old train and a cornfield in Richland to take advantage of sunset.

Shelby & Chris | Engagement Photos | Howard Amon Park, Richland, WA

We were lucky to get the last of the fall color with Shelby & Chris. We'd scouted Howard Amon Park in Richland, which seemed to hold the best colors on and off the trees. Shelby & Chris were great sports and were up for pretty much trying anything. Shelby had made lots of signs to use, which gave us flexibility and some fun shots! ...we told her we'd buy them from her when she's done! We're looking forward to shooting their wedding in Zillah next September!

Kalah & Levi | Engagement Photos | Secret Winery, Benton City, WA

Kalah & Levi met in the middle — between his work in Idaho and hers in Oregon, we're thankful they found the middle ground of the Tri-Cities. He's an electrical lineman, and he'd brought his tools — so naturally they made use of them! What a charming, unassuming couple. Just a minute with them and you can tell that they're well-suited together. We wish them well for their wedding in Boise next June!

Amy & Colt's Engagement | Richland Engagement | Richland Parks and Horse Heaven Hills

What a stunning couple they make! Amy and Colt were so fun to work with. We visited a less-used park in Richland, and then made a mad dash out to Horse Heaven Hills to take advantage of the light. We even took some video along the way to incorporate into their wedding movie. They have us all-day for their wedding this September at Anthony's in Richland. We'll be shooting both photos and video, and we can't wait for it!

Kaycie & Sergio's Engagement | Benton City | Secret Vineyard

We had a relaxed shoot with Kaycie and Sergio at our secret vineyard — they were so photogenic! They brought along a chalk board to for various ideas (like save-the-date cards). Worked out well! We love it when people bring their own props. We're excited to be shooting their wedding this September at the Moore Mansion.

Lizeth & Ricardo | Richland Engagement | Howard Amon Park

It may not look like it, but this was a very cold day in November! We'd just some snow the day before, so parts of tri-cities still had snow on the ground. But there was still plenty of  fall color — this was perfect since it allowed for several different looks to their engagement photos.  Since it was so cold, we picked up some hot chocolate for Lizeth and Ricardo to help keep them warm.  We started at Howard Amon park where it still had awesome fall colors and leaves on the ground. Lizeth and Ricardo were great sports as they posed for photos while freezing! We then visited the WSU campus in Richland since it had the most snow.  Finally, we made use of the Christmas lights at the Parkway in Richland since it was dusk. It was definitely a fun photo shoot and we are glad the Lizeth and Ricardo are such a fun couple to work with.

Ruth & Chris | Benton City Engagement | Vineyards

We took Ruth and Chris to a secret winery in Benton City.  It was a really cold day, so we were glad that everyone dressed warm!  The vineyard offered some great looks for autumn.  Taking photos amid the elaborate wineries and the vineyards definitely shows off the best of the tri-cities.  We had great time and they looked looked great together.  We very excited to being doing their wedding next summer at Terra Blanca!

Julie & Paul | Benton City Engagement | Vineyards

We took Julie and Paul to one of our favorite (secret!) wineries in Benton City. Julie was wearing dress that looked similar to Sari, it was beautiful. Not to be out done, Paul was dressed in a handsome suit. Together they looked great!  We took advantage of several different locations around the winery like the vineyards, a pond, and the beautiful winery itself.  Near the end of the shoot, the sun began to set and we were able to get some amazing shots as the sun lit them from behind. They are a happy couple and we were grateful we could capture them!