With engagement sessions, I love when it’s as if I’m just accompanying the couple on a date… natural laughs, quiet intimate moments, an organic unfolding. This is definitely how this one felt – just an afternoon in downtown, a couple cups of coffee, a walk around the neighborhood, a spontaneous stop here and there. I do give some direction during sessions but the ultimate goal is this right here; Dina & Mark interacting in the fun sweet way they do and me accompanying with camera in tow.

Wedding photos are lovely and joyous and so precious, but I love engagement sessions in that they can really show a bit more of who you are together on an everyday level. A snapshot of this.particular.moment in your life.

Ridiculous light, a super fun couple, and a pair of red shoes… what more could you ask for? Once again I have the interwebs to thank for connecting me to an amazing couple – our first meeting was via video chat, but I swear it felt like talking to old friends. Christina & Mark are the kinds of people who bring the happy with them wherever they go {my favorite kind!} and I was so excited to finally meet them in person & explore Laguna together. If this session is any indication of what their wedding might be like? It’s going to be awesome.

I feel like this wedding was such a perfect blend of elegant + casual, with a brilliant dash of east coast charm thrown in {carried over by Dana & Brandon from NYC}. And the Hartley Botanica? With its lush gardens, sun-dappled lawns, quiet tucked-away location, it has officially been added to my list of super-duper-swoonworthy venues. I seriously fell in love with the location just from the ceremony area alone!

And while pretty green willows, cute jam favors, and whimsical bouquets all can add to the loveliness of a day, none of it quite compares to the emotion. The laughter, the tears, the love in this wedding was what really made the photos :)

A relaxed session around Griffith Park. Urban landscapes can really be fun, but there’s something about the quiet of a backdrop like this – just the couple and my camera, taking our time without the worry of crowds or noise or distractions. The recent showers also created the prettiest green landscape.. I seriously could have shot here all day!

I love that Cynthia & Tim let their personalities show and interacted in ways that were both silly & sweet. Also adoring the pops of color from her super cute shirt & the simple bouquet of daisies…

Iva is the friend of many past brides I’ve worked with, so I was beyond excited when she emailed me to tell me it was her turn next! I was even more excited when I met with her and her fiance Aaron, and they informed me that they wanted to do their engagement photos at Umami. As in the mindblowingly awesome burger place. The one where I always order the Manly Burger, and if my dining companion happens to be a dude, the server always tries to give it to him and I’m all, NO EXCUSE ME THAT MANLY BURGER BELONGS TO ME. That place.

There are a few Umami Burgers in LA (I’m working on the next one being built in my living room), but we ended up doing it at the super cute spacious location in Los Feliz. I loved the upbeat Japanese writing on the walls, and the kokeshi dolls, and the pretty light (first blog post of the year and I’m already talking about pretty light! it’s happening!), and most of all that Iva and Aaron chose a location that was unique and full of memories for them.

Afterwards we headed up to the Griffith Observatory which is always a lovely backdrop for photos. Excited for their wedding later this month, which will be my first one for 2012!

This session was like a little tour of the south bay (aka my home! Torrance FTW! I got a shirt for Xmas that validates all of this!) We visited some of PV’s prettiest spots and finished up along the Redondo shoreline. I love the movement, the wind, the light in the last few at the beach – these types of organicky (oh yes, I totally did that, I just made up a word) photos always speak to me the most :) I’m so excited to work with Wendy and Jon again next year!

This wedding makes my heart happy! I felt it was such a perfect extension of Candice & James’ engagement session – warm, genuine, laidback, and full of down-to-earth love. The LA River & Garden Center, a little surprise oasis hiding in the outskirts of downtown, was an ideal backdrop for their day, providing tons of spots for photos and an intimate gathering for guests. Some things to note – the flowers, which were a beautiful labor of love by Candice’s mom; the cool cameras donned by the {impeccably well-dressed} guests (a Pentax here, an 8mm there!); and the croquembouche! I have always hoped to photograph a wedding that had one of these pretty cakes, and it was lovely, not to mention delicious :)

Another day beautifully coordinated by Sassy Girl Weddings and shot with the help of William Kim!

I had been to some of these cities (and a few others) in Europe as a kid. I remembered very little, so I had conjured up these fantastical images of what these places and this trip would be like. To be honest, I was a little scared that it wouldn’t be as beautiful and awe-inspiring and romantic and breathtaking (and delicious) as I had painted in my mind.

But oh, I was so so wrong.

We begin in Italy…

A vibrant wedding with a whimsical “In the Clouds” theme!

Anita and Eric had an intimate church ceremony in Pasadena, with portraits at the stunning city hall, followed by a lively reception on the rooftop of the minimalist Pasadena Museum of California Art. Billy balls, clouds, bright yellow lanterns perfectly complemented their heavenly theme. This wedding just felt so playful and laidback from beginning to end and I had SO much fun shooting it – which makes sense when you’re working with such a sweet creative couple like Anita & Eric and a killer team of vendors led by none other than Uyen from Sassy Girl Weddings!

And the fun doesn’t end there! Thank you to Wedding Chicks for featuring this wedding on their blog today! The full post here…

Thanks to William Kim for getting these awesome portraits of the guys!