Iao Valley, Maui Engagement Session: Priscilla + Sebastian

After traveling to Maui for a wedding, I knew I had to shoot more while I was there. The beaches, the mountains, and the greenery are so gorgeous, and it was a crazy change of pace from the temperate forests of the Pacific Northwest. The tropical valleys were full of fog, and at 7 pm after St. Patrick’s Day, Sebastian, Priscilla, and I dragged our butts up a mountain to celebrate their engagement.

The story of how I met Priscilla and Sebastian is wild. I was searching far and wide for a couple the work with in Maui, and I ended up DMing everyone on Insta in a 30-mile radius who looked semi-in a relationship. (Hint: tag your location in your Insta posts! You just may find yourself getting a message from me) Priscilla jumped at the chance when I messaged her, and we planned on meeting at the entrance to Iao Valley, not far from their house in Maui.

The next day was St Patrick’s Day, and I decided I was going to eat as many appetizers in Kihei as I could since I was traveling solo. By my second or third bar, I found myself chatting with the bartender because we discovered he grew up about 5 blocks from where I live now in Seattle. He asked what brought me to Hawaii, and I mentioned that I had shot a wedding the day before. I also mentioned that I would be shooting an engagement session with a couple the next day in Iao Valley State Park. He looked and me funny and said “wait, is Priscilla the name of the bride?” I said yes… and he said “are you my photographer???” Turns out, he was Priscilla’s fiancé! He goes “oh she has this wicker peacock chair she wants in the photos” I was like “oh. we’re bringing that. I’ll carry it up the mountain myself if I have to” and I’m so glad we brought it! Doesn’t it fit perfectly with their styling? I’ve got a total 1950’s Cuba vibe from these two.