Oh man, if you are looking for an engagement session that has all the fall feels look no closer than this gorgeous autumn shoot with Hannah and Jalen!

Honestly, the week leading up to this session I was a bit nervous as with all the craziness that 2020 has brought it also decided to add on one of the strangest and shortest fall seasons I’ve ever seen in Portland. It’s like it skipped right from 80+ degree summer weather to freezing, leaf-dropping temperatures overnight! Hannah and Jalen had scheduled their engagement session right at the end of that glorious summer weather we were still enjoying in October and due to this warmth during the week prior a lot of the leaves around the city hadn’t turned from their lush summer greens yet. Hannah and Jalen must have good karma however, because on the Thursday before their shoot the temperatures dropped and the leaves up at Hoyt Arboretum started to display their gorgeous fall colors!

Hannah found me via Facebook and we had been chatting back and forth quite a bit, me getting to know a little of her and Jalen’s love story and Hannah asking me various questions about location, fall in the PNW and outfit choices.

Hannah and Jalen are new to the Pacific Northwest and had recently driven cross-country to Portland last May. Adding a little spice to their drive, they not only had all of their belongings packed into one tiny sedan, but they also were transporting their two cats who were not as excited about a road trip as Hannah and Jalen were. One of their cats in particular is quite a large breed and was a bit of a handful at various points along the way!

Despite most of the national parks and attractions being closed along the way, Hannah and Jalen made the most of their trip across the US and arrived in Portland where Jalen started a job with Amazon and Hannah began her training as a financial advisor.

Now that Hannah and Jalen are settled in Portland, one of their favorite things to do is to try out new Vegan Restaurants. During their engagement session Dom and I picked their brains a bit on great ones to go to as last fall we’d stumbled across a Vegan Breakfast Diner that we fell in love with so the prospect of learning about other unexpected gems like that was quite attractive to us!

While we strolled around the hills of Hoyt Arboretum we also spoke a lot about family. To Dom and I, family is one of the most important aspects of our lives, so often times when we find the type of people who we love and who become Kate Holt Photography Couples we find that they too have tight bonds with their family and it is an big and very important aspect of their lives.

Jalen is one of 4 siblings which includes a set of twins. They are all extremely close, despite now living geographically quite far apart from each other. Hannah is an only child but has been adopted into Jalen’s family as one of their own, and Hannah considers Jalen’s brothers and sister to be the siblings she never had. It was amazing to listen to them talk lovingly about their families and how excited everyone was for Jalen and Hannah’s union!

After making it down to the bottom of the hill, Hannah and Jalen changed into more comfy, snuggly fall outfits and Hannah was bubbling with excitement at how stunning Jalen looked in the sweater she’d picked out. Hannah also looked amazing with a pop of salmon pink and a comfy sweater wrap that fit the autumn evening perfectly.

After playing around amid the changing leaves of the vines that decorate the architecture of the MAX station by the zoo we drove back up to the top of Hoyt for some fun!

Hannah and Jalen brought along some Champaign to toast their engagement and with no one around and ample wide open space surrounding them, Jalen popped the cork of the first bottle with an epic explosion!

I’d admitted to Hannah while we were chatting on Facebook that I hadn’t taken any epic Champaign-spraying engagement photos, so I encouraged her to bring two bottles just in case the first pop wasn’t quite as spectacular as we hoped. Bringing along my secret weapon (my husband, who has watched enough Formula One Champion Celebrations to know how to make a Champaign bottle really spray) however we had a blast making the most of both bottles and celebrating in style the love that these two have chosen for a lifetime!

As the sun began to sink below the horizon Hannah and Jalen cuddled up in a blanket, sipped champaign and enjoyed a few quiet moments before we packed up and headed back to Jalen’s truck.

I couldn’t be happier for this incredible couple! Hannah and Jalen, thank you for bringing Dom and I along on this part of your engagement, you two are so wonderful together and a true joy to be around. Here’s to you! <3