Trisha Shelley Blog: Jordan + Mike || Desert Botanical Garden Engagement Session || Arizona Wedding Photographer

Jordan and Mike's engagement session was one dreams are made of! Dreams of a cactus loving photographer that loves photographing darling couples that is! I never thought I'd say this...especially after accidentally sitting on a cactus last year, but after this session, really... bring me all the cacti! It was so pretty! You'll see!

Jordan and Mike are the sweetest! When Jordan told me her wedding plans, showed me her dress, and talked about how she's growing her own garden of succulents for her wedding decor, my heart went all a flutter and my jaw dropped. Suddenly November seemed liked an eternity away! And with the vision she has for her wedding, of course we had to choose a location for their engagement session stuffed full of cacti! Enter the magic of the Desert Botanical Gardens!

Jordan and Mike have the sweetest love story and coolest proposal story! I was lucky enough to include it in their words! (Plus they shared a picture of the proposal that was on the official NFL's snapchat story and Seahawk's fan page!! So crazy!)

Our Story:

"Our story began back in Santa Barbara during the summer of 2009. Mike returned to Isla Vista after a spending most of the vacation in Europe. Jordan spent the summer taking classes, working and enjoying the best time of year at UCSB. Mutual friends from our respective Greek houses first introduced us. From the minute we met there was an instant connection. Within the first few days we would stay up late into the night talking and laughing. Jordan was drawn to Mike’s height (he was one of the few taller boys at AEPI), affectionate demeanor and love of hosting a party. Mike instantly loved Jordan’s long legs, and her witty but genuine personality.

What started as a fling quickly developed into something much more. Countless fraternity parties, Thai dinners at Zen Yai and episodes of Jersey shore later we were madly in love. After 2 years together we went against what most college kids do; we moved in together. Our adorable Isla Vista cottage led to adopting our first two babies, Jackson and Russell. That home will always have a special place in our heart.

After graduation Jordan was accepted into the 2013 Teach For America Corps. Despite banking on a Los Angeles placement, we got the shock of our lives and were asked to move to Phoenix. We were sad to leave our beloved friends but excited for new adventures and the affordability Arizona had to offer. Besides, we kept telling ourselves we would just move back to southern California once the 2-year commitment with TFA was over.

Well here we are 4 years after moving to Phoenix. Time sure does fly. Mikes career took off when he got the opportunity to manage for Sushi Roku. Jordan finished her masters and is in love with her high school district. In 2015 we bought our first home and adopted our third fur baby, Lola. Our favorite things to do include going to the movies, eating at one of our favorite restaurants, and decorating our house. We see ourselves in Phoenix for the near future but dream of raising babies in Charleston, South Carolina. We are so blessed to have you in our lives and to apart of our wedding. We can’t wait to show you why we love to call Arizona home."

The Proposal

"As big Seattle Seahawks fans we attend the rival matchup at the University of Phoenix Stadium every year. October 27th 2016 was game day. Some of our closest friends had flown into town to enjoy to game with us. We bought tickets well in advance so we could get all 10 seats together. In a nail biter game there wasn’t too much excitement. By the 4th quarter neither team had scored a touchdown. I thought Mike had been acting a little weird and was on his phone a lot. But he assured me it “was just work.” Then with only seven minutes left in the 4th quarter Mike wanted to go down and get a picture closer to the field. At this time the Seahawks were backed up to a 3rd and 20 on our own 2 yard line and I was pissed. I told Mike ‘”no.” He insisted so I gave in.

As we walked down the stairs I managed to look behind myself for a brief second. A handful of our friends were following close behind us and they all had their phones out. My stomach immediately sank. I had an inclination of what Mike was up to. I thought to myself “Oh my god. He is going to propose right here… In front of thousands of people.” Sure enough when we got set up to take a picture Mike got down on one knee and asked, “Jordan Elise Young will you marry me?” He opened the jewelry box to expose the ring of my dreams. The ring we had envisioned and talked about together. In this section of the stadium we were surrounded by fellow Seahawk fans who were cheering and rooting for us.

Then, right as I said “yes” my parents jumped out and surprised me. I immediately started bawling. I rushed over to hug them and at this point forgot to put on the ring! My parents live on the east coast and I don’t get to see them very often. Not only did Mike fly them out for the proposal but he also got them box seats for the game as well. This was by far the best part of the proposal. I had always told him I wanted my family to be present for this special occasion. However, with them living on the other side of the country I kind of let this wish go complacent.

As it turns out everyone was in on the proposal. My girlfriend who insisted we get our nails done earlier in the weekend, my best friend who had her camera ready for pictures and even Mike’s best friend who smuggled the ring through stadium security without me noticing. Mike had hoped to propose earlier in the game. His plan was to do it immediately after the first touchdown. Who would have thought there wouldn’t be a single touchdown for the entire game, and it would end in a tie! This had not happened in the NFL since 1972. Now I understand why he was on his phone so much. My parents were dying to see me and they couldn’t wait any longer!

The tie ended up working in our favor. We posted on social media “The Seahawks tied the game and we decided to tie the knot.” Our proposal was featured on the official NFL snapchat story and was also re-posted by the Seahawks 12th man fan page. It was perfect in every way. Meticulously planned by the sweetest and most caring guy I know! "

See! Aren't they the cutest!! I hope you enjoy the pictures from their beautiful Desert Botanical Garden engagement session!