Balboa Park + Sunset Cliffs Engagement Session | San Diego Engagement Photographer

Let’s talk about the most classic spots in San Diego to have your engagement session.

Spoiler: It’s these two places.

Balboa Park was first established in 1868 – less than 100 years after America was born. It’s wild to think about the same ground we walk around on has been established for so long, and it really puts into perspective how short of a time we get in certain places. Ground broke pretty quickly within the park’s 1200 acres, and these magnificent buildings you see today were all built over the span of the park’s lifetime.

So knowing all of this, when Kelli and Tyler asked me if I could come to San Diego for their engagement photos, I said (well, screamed) heck yes!!! Kelli is an architect, so she really loved all of the incredible architecture around the park, and she picked out her favorite spots around the park for us to photograph in, like Alcazar Garden, Casa del Prado, and the Botanical Building. As an extra special reason to hold their engagement session at Balboa Park, these two actually had their first date there when they moved to San Diego!

These two were born and raised in Las Vegas, so while they’re having their wedding in their hometown, they still wanted to commemorate the time they spent living in California. I could tell from the start that these two were really sentimental people who appreciated experiences together. Kelli told me, “We started dating in high school, did 5 years of long distance in college, and are now living in San Diego. We have been together for 7 years now and got engaged on our favorite walk area in our neighborhood.”

FIVE years of long distance in college?? That’s how you know it’s real.

So after we skipped around Balboa Park for a while, we jetted over to Sunset Cliffs to catch the last few rays of light for the day. The way Tyler lifted Kelli as the waves crashed behind them was straight out of a Disney movie. I really love this area of the coastline because it has it all. Wanna just sit and watch the waves hit the coast? You can safely do that from the cliffs, all while staying dry. Wanna get into the ocean from a sandy beach? Good news, there’s one just a short walk down from the cliffs! Wanna watch surfers ride the waves while you grab a bite to eat? Plenty of restaurants nearby that offer that! There really is no shortage of magic around this area, and with cuties like Kelli and Tyler doing their thing in front of my camera, I really couldn’t ask for more!

Are you obsessing and wanting your own San Diego engagement session? Get in touch and let’s party!