Big Sur Engagement | Kirsten & Carsten

As a Big Sur photographer, I have to say that there is nothing more romantic than a Big Sur engagement! I am honored to have photographed Kirsten and Carsten’s engagement photoshoot in Big Sur. This whole photoshoot made me so excited for their upcoming wedding at Tehama! These two lovebirds were so sweet and so fun to photograph. You can just feel the love between them and you’re seriously going to have to read on to see more!

Big Sur Engagement Photographer

I love having the chance to photograph a couple’s engagement photos prior to their wedding day. This allows us to get to know each other better beforehand, allowing for an even more seamless experience on the wedding day. These two were already so comfortable and natural in front of the camera!

How did you meet?

We met in early 2017 at Santa Clara University, where we were both athletes. Kirsten played volleyball, and Carsten was on the rowing team. After spending quite a bit of time studying together when we ended up in the same math finance class, we eventually started dating a few weeks before Carsten graduated and moved back to the Seattle area. We dated long distance for 2 years, with Carsten moving from Washington to Nashville to New York and Kirsten moving from the Bay Area to North Carolina for grad school.

We finally ended up in the same place for 3 months when Kirsten had a summer internship in New York in 2019. After another 6 months of long distance, we came back to California for Kirsten’s spring break, right as everything started to shut down at the start of Covid. We ended up staying in the Bay Area and working remotely, and a year later we got engaged.

What do you love most about your partner?

I love that Carsten always makes me laugh and smile, and I admire his work ethic, intelligence, and passion for what he does. He’s really active and pushes me to go outside of my comfort zone. I also love that gets along well with my family.

– Kristen

I love how Kirsten interacts with others. I love her intelligence, both EQ and IQ. She’s constantly growing and encouraging me to grow as well. We can always be fun with one another, even in serious settings.

– Carsten

Tell me ALL about the proposal!

Carsten proposed in March on a 50 mile bike ride, right outside of the Taco Bell on the beach in Pacifica. The proposal was really quick and not at all a surprise since Carsten told Kirsten all the details of his plan well in advance (Carsten can’t keep a secret). Kirsten’s dad insisted that we had to be engaged before we moved in together, so Carsten proposed the weekend before we moved to our apartment in San Francisco. Our only proposal pictures are selfies with our bike helmets on.

Tell us about the ring!!

I have a round lab created diamond. The band has two thin sections of little diamonds that come together with slightly larger diamonds on each side of the main diamond. The metal has delicate swirls around the main diamond. It’s called the “Aphrodite” ring 🙂

Planning a proposal? Have you just gotten engaged? Planning a wedding? I have all the photography services you need to capture your most precious moments in life! Contact me here for a custom quote!