Carolina & Daniel are one of those couples who booked me over email, so their engagement session was our first time meeting. They seemed super sweet in our email exchanges, but I was happy to find they are even more awesome in person! They hung out and enjoyed each other’s company and just totally trusted me to do what I do, which I appreciate to pieces.

We shot around one my favorite naturey spots and then finished up by the beach just as the sun was starting to set – I’m a sucker for those pastel skies and Carolina’s dreamy dress! So excited for their special day this month!

I was so excited when I found out that Pennie & Kenya were basically my neighbors in Long Beach, and even more excited when they chose to do their engagement photos in this little city we all call home :) I adored just strolling around with them and getting to capture their sweet interactions! It was December when we shot their session, but we somehow managed to scoop up pretty fall colors and sunny summery weather :) Their wedding will be just across the bay from these photos at the colorful Hotel Maya and I can’t wait!

When we first started brainstorming for their session, Sue & David told me about how they often refer to their relationship as one giant slumber party :) They were dating long distance for much of the beginning stages, and as they focused on staying in touch & getting to know each other, they often had lengthy Skype conversations that went late into the night. Even after they finally moved to the same city and lived together, they found they unintentionally kept up that tradition, just staying up & talking & laughing often into the wee hours of the morning. So for their engagement session they came up with the perfect theme to reflect that – a cozy homemade fort! Just like the kinds we all used to play in as kids, with sheets draped over furniture, housing a mish-mash collection of pillows, and books, and sweet sentimental objects :)

The weeks of brainstorming leading up to their session were so much fun – Sue sent me emails from Texas describing the pretty things she was collecting for the fort, as well as updates on their trial-run fort-building. They even sent me the cutest stop motion video of them putting together the final product! (These guys are total fort-building experts now btw, I totally think they should be releasing YouTube tutorials or something.) The final practice fort was of course was lovely, and I was so excited when we recreated it in my studio in LA!

And for the record? Sue & David really are as creative and fun and amazing as these photos suggest. They are the kind of warm, interesting, and laidback people that can talk to you about anything and everything (perhaps why they’re such the perfect fit, and explains their slumber party relationship! :) and I seriously have been counting all my lucky stars since our very first video chat that they chose me to be their photographer. Can’t wait until June when I get to hang out with them again at their wedding! :)