Sara Gray Photography Portland, Oregon

Meet Angela and Luke, two of the nicest people you might ever meet. I know I go on and on about how nice my clients are a lot — thing is, I’m not making it up. So many of my clients are amazing, sweet people. These guys are no exception.

Angela and I went to high school together, so I was so excited when she wanted me to photograph her wedding this summer. I can’t wait for August to get here (and I know these two can’t either).

Luke proposed to Angela on a mountaintop in Europe — harsh, right? To incorporate that amazing story, their wedding will have a travel theme. I totally can’t wait.

Congratulations Angela and Luke! I can’t wait to celebrate with you this summer.

I love engagement sessions where the couple lets go and just acts like themselves, like there is no camera at all. Fallon and Alex did just that, during their adventure of an engagement session. We piled into the car and went exploring in the sunshine, and found some fun places along the way to take some romantic photos.

I love how in love these two are. They just radiate happiness (and they look pretty good while they do it, too).

Congrats, Alex and Fallon! I wish you guys all the happiness in the world as you begin your married life together.

I love springtime engagement sessions. Even though we shot this on an otherwise rainy day, we got a peek of sun from behind the clouds just in time for the session. Lesley and Trevor are some of my very sweetest clients. They’re kind, patient and understanding people and I am so excited for them! We hit up the opening morning of the Portland Farmer’s Market and sunny Riverplace for this session, and had loads of fun.

Congratulations, Lesley and Trevor! I’m so excited for your wedding in July.

My 2011 is shaping up great — you would not believe the amazing couples I get to spend my summer with. This is one of those great couples, Sarah and Trevor. They’re getting married this summer at King Estate Winery, which is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, and we took their engagement photos there too. I love how snuggly and sweet these two are — the whole time they were relaxed and easygoing, and they’re so clearly deeply in love.

There is really nothing that beats fall colors in Oregon, but these colors at King Estate this day were absolutely wonderful. I especially love these red leaves, which are growing over the side of the main building there.

Thank you so much for being such a fun couple to photograph, Sarah and Trevor! I cannot wait for your big day this summer — I’m sure it will be amazing!

I’m pretty sure there’s a rule in medicine where you aren’t allowed to operate on a family member. I’m not arguing that my work is quite as intense or life-changing as surgery, but I think the sentiment of being really close to the situation applies here. These photos are of my little sister and her fiance, Jeff. And I have discovered that it is actually incredibly difficult to photograph your own sister.

With every photograph, you feel like you need to communicate so many things — what she was like when she was a kid, the laugh that you only see if you really coax it out of her and the happiness that she’s found since she found the guy. It was a tougher job than I realized until I had the camera in my hands, and then suddenly I felt nervous. Luckily, Emily is pretty hilarious and has always been able to disarm me pretty well, and before you know it the three of us were laughing and smiling, and I felt like maybe that Emily that I’ve known and loved for 25 years would show through.

Jeff and Emily are getting married this summer in Maui, and our whole family is going. It’s going to be a great trip, and a great celebration of these two.

Em and Jeff, I’m so happy for you both. You’ve found your match, and the journey is just getting started.

Stephanie and Peter are my people. Even though I’ve only known them for a few months, I feel like they’re lifelong friends. In an e-mail to me recently, Stephanie said, “I feel like I want to call you Sara-Bear.” I love that. If that little illustration wasn’t enough to prove how loving, warm and totally hilarious these two are, then I think the photos will take you the rest of the way there.

This shoot happened in Portland’s Pearl District, which is the vibrant, colorful district where they’ll be married in April. I cannot wait for their big day.

Stephanie and Peter, you guys are a total blast. Thanks so much for being great friends already, and I can hardly wait for the big day in April.

Maybe you remember them. I do because they made an impression from the beginning. Holly and Andrew entered the contest I held together with Erin from Foosie Design late last year — we were giving away an engagement session and a set of save-the-dates. Holly and Andrew entered with a sweet story about how Andrew took Holly for a helicopter ride before proposing to her. Because Andrew loves to fly, we took their engagement photos at a tiny little airport out in the country in Hillsboro. How fun are these planes?

Holly and Andrew are these wonderfully warm people who just radiate their happiness. We had so much fun in December doing these photos, even though it was cold outside and there was an important football game on that Andrew didn’t want to miss.

Congratulations, Holly and Andrew! It was a joy to photograph you both and I can’t wait to see what adventures life throws your way.

Allison thinks she’s lucky. In one year, she was proposed to by the man of her dreams, won a seat on Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure and has had myriad incredible things happen to her. What I think she’s downplaying is that amazing things tend to happen to amazing people. And Allison is an amazing person. So is Matt. And they’re getting married in just a few short months.

All that happiness and radiance is what drew me to Allison years ago, when we were both working on our college newspaper, The Daily Evergreen. Ever since we’ve had a bond that’s led to now. Allison is the brilliant designer behind all my Sara Gray Photography brand, and she’s going to be working with me on a new project I’ll be launching later this year. It’s an amazing feeling to know that your friend is so happy, and look at her with Matt– there’s really no doubt, is there?

Allison and Matt, I absolutely cannot wait for your wedding. Your love and your enthusiasm and happiness are infectious and they make me want to use an inappropriate number of exclamation points. See you in March!!!!

Corrinn and Nathan are getting married in May, and we had so much fun shooting their engagement session. They are such a fun couple, and they have known each other almost all their lives.

Definitely my favorite from the session: This chalkboard “Save the Date” sequence. So clever of them!

Nothing quite like the swings to bring out the kid in you.

Congratulations, Corrinn and Nathan! You guys were a blast to work with!

I’m so excited to share that another of my shoots has been published on a fabulous wedding blog. Brooklyn Bride ran this feature on Rachel & Neal’s vintage train-themed engagement shoot last Thursday — thought I’d share!

Thanks, Rachel and Neal, for being so fun to photograph and so creative in coming up with this shoot concept! I can’t wait to share your wedding on the blog next week.