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Spend ten minutes with this couple and you'll hear about all the wild adventures they go on. Line dancing. Hiking all over these hills. Ever heard of Hash House Harriers? Yeah, I hadn't either until I heard about it from Hilary and Tim. These two are totally made for each other, totally in love, and totally getting married in a few months.
These two joyful lovebirds lit up an otherwise rainy and overcast October afternoon with the thousand-watt glow of Kelsey's smile and the dinosaur-themed, candy-strewn party they threw.
Location: Malibu West Beach Club
Junya and Yuki eloped in Los Angeles, but they wanted some photos to commemorate the start of their married life together. They picked El Matador—smart choice—as the backdrop to these sweet sunset portraits, which they will treasure for years to come.
Location: El Matador State Beach
Aaron and Anna picked Pasadena City Hall as the location for their engagement session. Initially when I read the words "city hall" in their email, I was like..... really? A government building? But ten seconds later after I googled Pasadena City Hall, I wasn't confused anymore. This is one of the most gorgeous buildings I've ever seen. With winding stairwells, gardens, walkways, and arches, the 1920s architectures provides the perfect backdrop for Aaron and Anna's timeless style. And the icing on the cake? Across the street from Pasadena City Hall, the corner is occupied by All Saints Church, a stunning example of gothic architecture that serves as another setting for Aaron and Anna's beautiful selves. (Check out Aaron's slick dance moves in one of the outdoor passageways of All Saints Church.)
Brayden and Alicia planned an intimate, family-only gathering at the base of the iconic Point Dume in Malibu, California, to say their vows. They wanted a few snaps of family and friends, but mostly just wanted to get some epic photos of just the two of them at sunset on the day they pledged to spend the rest of their lives together.... so that's what we did!
On a lazy Sunday afternoon in the fall, Michael and Jenn drove up PCH to grab lunch at Malibu Seafood, one of their favorite early date spots. Unbeknownst to Jenn, I was hanging out on the sand with a book and my zoom lens, waiting for the moment they would walk over.
After the moment Michael asked, we spent a few minutes shooting engagement photos right on the beach where it all happened.
Hoo boy it's a good thing we had some low-hanging clouds during Katie and Brad's engagement session because these two are sizzling! They're getting married about a year from now but they wanted to snap some engagement photos on a visit to the LA area and we headed over to Charmlee Park for some trail smooches and clifftop-canoodling.
Jessica and Kyle's sweet ceremony and reception in her parents' backyard was full of tenderness, laughter, tears, and SHOES. (Get a load of Jessica's legendary Badgley Mischkas.) Jessica's dad is a set designer, so the backyard was transformed with a bridge over the pool leading to a sweet barn built for two where the happy couple said their vows under a late summer sunset sky.
Kaley and Trevor are twin flames. They finish each others' sentences and make each other laugh so hard they can hardly breathe. When they look at each other, there is an unmistakable connection between them.
They picked Point Dume at sunset, under a full moon to commemorate their engagement, because of all the memories they have of sitting here watching the night sky when they were Pepperdine students, before love chased them across the country and back again.
This ocean-loving couple is getting married in October (at the beach) and they wanted to commemorate their love story with sunrise photos at one of their favorite haunts: Leo Carrillo. Kelsey grew up swimming at this beach where the strong waves helped her build her confidence as a swimmer and eventually become a lifeguard. Now she is a competitive obstacle course racer. So basically I'm surprised she and James didn't wind up ditching me on the sand to dive under the waves together. But I'm glad they didn't because these shots are just the greatest.
It doesn't get any better than this. Grant and Sarah really just wanted to do a paper elopement—courthouse and that's it. But their parents begged them to do a wedding, so they compromised: just the immediate family, she got a dress of Etsy, he threw on a suit and bought a cake from the grocery store, they tapped the closest minister (who happened to be my husband) on the shoulder, and their immediate families flew in from out of state. Oh yeah, and they also rented this badass 1965 Mustang, because if you're going to the trouble of having pictures made, they might as well be fit for a full-page magazine spread.
Lindsay and Jeff’s wedding will go down in history as the most tattooed wedding I think I’ve ever experienced. Everywhere I looked, it seemed, there was someone covered with beautiful ink. And all the rest of the guests who weren’t tattooed looked like they stepped out of an LA fashion mag. I was all heart-eyes all day long.
Steven and Ruth love their friends and family a whole bunch. Their relationship blossomed in the context of their close friend circle. Right from the start, they knew a few hours' long party wouldn't be enough time, so they decided to reserve a weekend retreat center and invite all their guests to enjoy Friday through Sunday in the mountains outside Yosemite, hiking, playing board games, sipping wine, and watching movies by a crackling fire until late in the night.
Jake and Tawni are college friends turned card-game rivals turned travel buddies turned sweethearts. Spend five minutes with them and it's obvious they're best friends and love every second together, whether it's a surf sesh, a grocery shopping date, or a car ride to work (yes, they work at the same place!). Their May wedding at Jake's family ranch in Bakersfield was complete with alllllllll the long-time family friends who have known Jake since he was in diapers, lots of homemade, down-on-the-ranch touches, and a live band that brought the house down and kept the guests dancing long into the starlit night. Oh, and don't miss the drool-worthy getaway car, a contribution from "Pappy," Jake's life-of-the-party grandfather.
Arpi and Edward's May wedding was all about family and shared experience together. From the big party bus that all the family arrived in, to the infinite number of hugs and kisses exchanged, to the extended group dancing at reception, it's obvious these are families who love one another hard and love to celebrate and be together.
Kolby and Liz became friends, and then best friends, and then fell in love over their shared love of adventure, the ocean, and putting their playful hearts and souls into everything they do. It was only natural then that their wedding would be an extension of their earthy and easy-going style. From the paperless e-invitation to the friend's backyard venue to the barefoot wedding party to the sustainable reception (no disposables!), this ocean-loving couple celebrated their Earth Day wedding with intention and creativity.
I always wondered what it would be like to photograph photographers. Now I can say—it's amazing!! Grant and Sarah are both mega-talented photographers in their own right. Like me, they shoot weddings and events in Southern California. Not only was it a huge honor for them to ask me to document their engagement and wedding (no doubt they have a long list of other photographers they know), but it was SO much fun to spot backgrounds and imagine the shot together with them. This shoot felt like a collaboration of minds, rather than me running around bossing my subjects around. Thank you so much, Grant and Sarah, for being so lovely and creative and so gosh darn cute together. STOKED to shoot your wedding (spoiler alert: beach elopement) this summer!
