I had an absolute blast visiting Kodie and Payton for their Arizona engagement session. I love when couples who are getting married near where I live don’t live in my state because it gives me an opportunity to travel for their engagement session. It allows me to be a part of their story both at their hometown wedding and where they are building their life together currently.

When we first started discussing Kodie and Payton’s wedding, we talked about the idea of me coming to do an Arizona engagement session and I thought it was a dope idea! They were so gracious to host me at their home for the weekend and were the best hosts! Not to mention, I got to meet their cute German Shepherd pup, Rogue. I had a ton of fun hanging with Rogue for the weekend.

Arizona is incredible. I haven’t been to the desert in a long time and I was completely in awe of the scenery. All the shops, restaurants, and other places we went were outdoors which was perfect in the 60-70 degree weather we had for the weekend. 

As soon as I arrived in Arizona, Payton let me know that all he cared about was getting photos with a massive cactus, so we made sure to put that on the “to-do” list as we chatted over dinner. We decided to drive four hours that Saturday morning to Horseshoe Bend to hike through some of the trails and find great locations for their photos. Kodie and Payton met at Crossfit and play on a competitive kickball team (which is amazing, am I right?), so hiking through Horseshoe Bend was a no-brainer for such an active couple.

It was a gorgeous, partly cloudy day in Horseshoe Bend which made for the most stunning photos. We were able to sneak away from the main trail to find beautiful backdrops that make it look like we had Horseshoe Bend all to ourselves!

On Sunday, we slept in (vacation for me!) and went to brunch. After brunch we wandered to a place near their house that looked like a desert scene. We were able to get some great photos including Payton’s cactus photos!

All in all, it was such an awesome weekend getting to know Kodie and Payton better, getting to see their life in Arizona, and of course, meeting their dog Rogue. I am so excited for Kodie and Payton’s wedding next November!