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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
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.
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.
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!
Jake and Tawni are college friends turned card-game rivals 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 together. They're getting married in May at Jake's family's ranch, and they wanted to commemorate their Malibu love story with this engagement session at the iconic El Matador State Beach.
Spent a sun-drenched afternoon chasing sun and shade and everything in between with the classy and beachy Danielle and Jacob. With such an easy breezy connection these two have and the fact they'll be saying their wedding vows in Danielle's childhood backyard at her mother's Manhattan Beach estate, their September wedding can't come soon enough!
Whoa these two.... they need to just get married already because their connection is so grounded, so natural. Sunlight in the fall in Malibu can be hit or miss, so when day-of arrived and the marine layer hung low, I thought for sure Cassidy would ask for a reschedule, but I'm SO glad she didn't. The colors from this shoot are just luscious.
Any couple from Minnesota who plans a wedding on the beach in Southern California is risking a lot. What will the weather be like? Will our friends and family really all buy plane tickets to fly across the country for this? How will we plan the logistics? Where can we find an officiant? A florist? A photographer? But Lauren and Bjorn didn't let the fear of the unknown stop them. They decided to go for it. This incredible couple wanted to say their vows and celebrate their commitment to one another in a location where they had vacationed and made lots of memories—Malibu, California.
And you know what happened?
It was perfect.
