I was so excited when Jerry and Sam invited me along to Hawaii for their engagement session! They knew they wanted to do a destination session from the start, and were considering NYC {where they had lived for a few years & had many fond memories}, but after a bit of brainstorming, decided on someplace that would totally contrast that busy urban city vibe – Moloka’i! They had a friend (hi Boki!) who lives on the small island and had been encouraging them to visit, so it turned out to be a perfect collection of reasons to fly over (in the tiniest little plane you could think of)!

I would imagine most anywhere in Hawaii would be amazing for photos, but there was something extra special about the serene quiet and remoteness of Moloka’i. We drove from one end of the island to the other, just pulling over whenever we saw a pretty spot for photos – a coconut grove, a smattering of bougainvillea, a wide sandy beach – and at every location, we were essentially the only people there! It was so perfectly relaxing and wonderful, and this session fit Jerry and Sam and their relationship to a T – they are the type of amazing people who love to explore, who thoroughly enjoy life, who adore new experiences but find beauty in the simple and everyday.

I was so happy to document a piece of their continuous adventure together, in such a beautiful place :)

Four friends. Ten days. Rome, Venice, Paris, Amsterdam, London.

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…

Meenah & Shaobo’s wedding was my very last one of 2010, and I could not imagine a more beautiful ending to the wedding season!

I was beyond ecstatic to make my way up to nor Cal to document their day at Thomas Fogarty Winery, tucked up, up, and away in the hills of Woodside. {Have I mentioned how much I love shooting in the bay area? If you’re getting married there, do drop me a hello :)} The drive up the mountain itself was so mystical & breathtaking, and Megan & I were in utter awe – thick forests of evergreens, trees with bright yellow & red leaves, canopies that spread across the entire roadway, and just when you think it COULD NOT POSSIBLY get any more gorgeous, you see the winery. Now green vineyards are amazing, but the rows of golden vines literally took my breath away. It was my first time seeing the vines aglow in fall colors and all I could think about was shooting Meenah & Shaobo in that amazing spectacle. And that we did :)

The weather reports kept announcing a horrific 90% chance of showers, but as always always (always!) happens, the skies cleared for all the important parts of the day. As an added bonus, not one, not two, but FIVE rainbows made appearances at different points during the day, including a perfect one during the ceremony (WHAT DOES THIS MEAN??) But say, even if the weather hadn’t cleared, even if it had been pouring/snowing/hailing during every moment, the thing is you would never be able to tell with Meenah & Shaobo. They are seriously one of the sweetest couples I’ve met, full of smiles, and patience, and love. And, happily willing to trek out into muddy fields of grapes, in 50 degree weather, all for the sake of photos. My kind of couple :)

Meenah & Shaobo – thank you so much for allowing me to document this exciting time in your lives! I knew from our very first Skype meeting that it would be a complete joy & honor to work with you, and I’m so so happy the interwebs allowed us to connect! :) Wishing you so so many more years of love and happiness to come!