Samantha + Zane’s Stanford Cactus Gardens engagement session in Palo Alto was not only gorgeous, but also an absolute blast! Their fun, sunny dispositions were truly a blessing to be around, not to mention their adorable style! Both of Samantha’s dresses paired perfectly with the cactus garden!

I always love meeting my couple’s fur babies and it was such a treat that Samantha and Zane brought along their sweet pug Finnegan to their engagement session. Plus it just so happens that Finnegan played a big part in Zane’s proposal, even if it didn’t initially go according to plan! Zane had originally planned to propose to Samantha during one of their favorite Sunday rituals. He knows how much Samantha loves to take Finnegan to the scenic off-leash dog park near Ocean Beach and had planned to stop at one of her favorite spots to propose. But it was a busy day and Samantha urged him to get going because they had a lot of errands and she had no idea about his plans! Oops!

The timing wasn’t right that day but when she arrived home from work the next day Zane had filled their entire apartment with heart shaped balloons, had streamers hanging from the ceiling, and had dressed Finnegan up in a dapper outfit with a handwritten “SAY YES, PLEASE!” sign hanging around his neck. Sounds like everything was perfect!

This couple clearly knows how to roll with the punches and I loved shooting their fun-filled Stanford Cactus Gardens engagement session! Their big day is coming up this fall in San Juan Bautista and I cannot wait to see these two love birds tie the knot!

If you love this Stanford Cactus Gardens engagement session and all the glowing golden hour romance, you’ll really love these San Francisco engagement photos too!