The first thing I would assume anyone would notice when meeting Zina and Mike is their infectious laughter and joyful smiles. They are an absolute joy to be around and the time we spent during their engagement session at Common Wealth Lake was nothing but swapping hilarious stories and non-stop laughter. 

Zina and Mike’s story of how they met is equally hilarious and also slightly inappropriate for me to put in this blog post but it led to the start of their relationship which has been going strong for 8 years now. Zina and Mike have created a beautiful life together which has included purchasing a home and welcoming into their lives a mini Dachshund named “Winston.” 

Since Zina and Mike have been together for so long, they have really gotten to know each other’s family quite intimately and Mike’s mom even refers to Zina as her daughter. 

When it came time for Mike to ask for Zina’s hand in marriage he must have felt quite confident as to ask her father for permission he set up an outing for just the two of them for target practice at a local shooting range. Mike held onto the ring that he was going to propose with for 6 months before finding the perfect opportunity. Zina’s engagement ring is absolutely stunning and is also a family heirloom that Mike’s grandfather acquired in China when he was doing business overseas years ago. 

For their engagement session Zina and Mike wanted to capture the gorgeous Autumn colors that come to the PNW in the later Fall. We were planning a trip to Hoyt Arboretum which is my go-to location when it comes to those Fall colors when I found about Common Wealth Lake park - a small but gorgeous little slice that feels like the East Coast in terms of gorgeous Fall foliage. 

When I met Zina and Mike for their engagement session we had a classically overcast Fall day with a bit of rain sprinkling down. Zina and Mike, however, were unconcerned by the rain and Zina even braved an adorable knee length dress that had a summer time feel to it which I loved!

Mike himself is a photographer so I was a little nervous going into this engagement session as you always want to impress others in the industry. Mike was nothing but gracious however and he and Zina were naturals in front of the camera and within tens minutes we were all laughing and having the time of our lives! 

Zina also brought along some really fun props that highlighted their personalities.Zina is an avid gamer and loves her Nintendo switch and Mike collects comic books and brought a long a special edition Spider-Man comic with a cover that was very appropriate for an engagement session! (To see what I mean scroll down to the photos below)

I am so excited for Zina and Mike’s wedding at the Troutdale House next year. 

Enjoy this little selection of images from their engagement session and leave a comment of congratulations in the comments below!