Couple Takes Their Engagement Photos at Target: It’s a “Special Place In Our Hearts”

Michael Delvalle and Isabella Sablan are just as much creative spirits as they are kindred spirits, and it shows. The pair, who got engaged last September, waited until the actual day of their wedding to have a photo shoot for their nuptials, and they made the experience totally “them” by shooting at their favorite store: Target.

“We are not a traditional couple by any means, so the thought of an ordinary photoshoot on the beach or in a park just didn’t do it for us,” Delvalle, 27, tells The Knot. “We wanted to go somewhere that held a special place in our hearts that reflected our personalities and Target was the first thing that came to mind.”

The couple posed with a stack of boxed pizzas in the frozen aisle, tossing popcorn into each others’ mouths at the in-store cafe, and even pushing a shopping cart down the center of the store with Sablan, 27, clutching a bouquet of fake red roses.

After the shoot on January 26, the pair exchanged vows in front of a small group of family and friends at the Miami Beach Botanic Gardens. None of their loved ones were particularly surprised by the newlyweds’ secret photo shoot.

“Our friends were all shocked, but certainly not surprised,” Delvalle says. “They knew this was such an ‘us’ thing to do. … There isn’t much creativity when it comes to wedding photos since people traditionally take the opportunity to play it safe and keep it classic, but we had a ton of fun doing ours and it seems people are enjoying the quirkiness and originality.”

Delvalle tells us the couple first met in 2009, when they were both working at Hollister; they ended up attending the same college, and from there, their friendship blossomed into a romantic relationship.

“We both love that we are quite the opposites and yet, our personalities complement each other,” Delvalle, a marketing and creative director, tells us. “I’m more of the laid-back, down-to-earth person while she is more outgoing and extroverted. We also love that both of us have a great sense of humor, which you can probably tell from our photo location choices.”

When it came time for Delvalle to pop the question, he knew he wanted to make it extra special, he says.

“I surprised her with a trip to Colorado for her birthday because nothing says ‘take her breath away’ more than the views and altitude of the Rocky Mountains,” he says. “I had been planning it for months, and even hired a secret photographer to follow us around as we hiked on one of the most beautiful and popular tails around Dream Lake. She never noticed the photographer and she was totally surprised. I planted my knee in the mud, but it was definitely worth it.”

And now, the couple says, they’ll have many more trips to make to Target—as a married couple.

“I know we have our eyes on a panini press, we just haven’t gotten around to buying one,” Delvalle says. “Some other houseware and small appliances [are also on their wish list] I’m sure, but a must is the Vertuo Nespresso machine.”

Create your very own Target registry here.