It was an especially sunny & warm day in February. Christina, accompanied by her mother & her two “BSF”s (that would be, Best Sisters Forever), prepped in a pink-walled room at the beautiful French Estate, a cozy venue that doubles as a bed & breakfast in the heart of Old Town Orange. The estate {which stole my heart the moment we stepped in} provided the perfect backdrop for their intimate yet lively affair, a day that effortlessly reflected who Christina & Rick are – warm, amiable, down-to-earth, & a little bookish :) They portrayed their love for books with a stack of a certain genre upon each table – philosophy, mystery, science fiction, children’s books – I loved the creativity & execution of the idea and the fact that it was so them! And of course the day went off without a hitch thanks to superwoman Uyen of Sassy Girl Weddings!

Christina & Rick – thank you so much for inviting us to document your wedding. From the moment we’ve met, I’ve been pinching myself silly to make sure we’re really lucky enough to meet & work with such a sweet & loving couple :) Thank you for your kindness & trust in us every step of the way. Hope you had an utterly amazing time in Scotland!

I LOVED the combo of her red nails with the bright blue palette:

Love this hug between Rick & Christina’s grandfather:

During the mother-son dance, Rick & his mother walked over to his father mid-song for an embrace. I love the joy on all their faces:

Venue: French Estate
Coordinator: Sassy Girl Weddings
Florals: Creative Force Floral

If you have not yet browsed a stunning issue of the new e-zine, Utterly Engaged, please do pour yourself a nice cup of tea, make a beeline for their website, and prepare for an utter feast for your eyes. The talented girls Eva of Red Velvet Occasions and Lucy & Henny of D*LSH Design teamed up to create a beautiful and practical e-zine for the budget-savvy, eco-friendly, style-loving bride (which is so many of the brides we work with :)

I fell in love with the magazine the moment I saw it and am so so honored to have been able to collaborate with these girls & other amazing vendors, and have some of my photography featured in the past couple issues!

I’m sure you all remember this amazing Mad Hatter-inspired tea party I blogged about awhile back, coordinated by the fabulous innovative Joanna Chong. See the article with Joanna’s behind-the-scenes info here.

(Also special thanks to Trendsetting Wedding and Vintage Glam (now Ruffled!) for featuring this shoot!)

Staying on the tea theme, for the last issue I photographed this exquisite tea room, nestled in the heart of Old Town Orange. I can’t believe I never knew about this place!

A few more of my favorites. Paris is currently #1 on my must-visit list and it was just heavenly browsing all these vintage French details!

And lastly, I got to work with the talented Angela Giang of Shop L’Atelier a couple months ago. We photographed her new line of lovely bridesmaid dresses which were then featured in UE! We actually set up the shoot right in my apartment – a blank wall and the warm afternoon sunlight worked perfectly :)

Be sure to browse through the issues as there are tons of other amazing articles, all offering lots of inspiration and laid out in the most beautiful spreads. And be sure to stay posted for Issue #5! :)

Engagement sessions are always tons of fun. They’re about laughter, about little kisses, about dancing in the street, laying in the grass, and getting comfortable with a camera (or two) following every moment. But most of all, engagement sessions are a way to celebrate who you are as a couple. A couple who likes to ride bikes. Or visit Farmer’s Markets. Watch sports. Cook. Read. Dance. Get overly competitive in video game or tennis matches (which is um, the single most defining factor of Scott and my relationship.. thanks to yours truly). You can incorporate any element of your relationship into the session and that’s what makes it so exciting and special!

Cathleen and Victor took the already-sweet idea of an e-sesh and raised it one bar higher! When she contacted me with her idea of a “story” theme for their shoot, I was so excited! We chose Old Towne Orange in Orange County for the shoot’s backdrop – a haven of cute cafes and shops, encased in the most wonderful old-timey sensation. As you stand by the fountain and watch the cars drive round and round the circle of antique stores, you cannot help but feel a “when did I accidentally step into a DeLorean and get transported to 1955” vibe.

Part II of the session will follow, but for now let’s dive right into the story! Cathleen’s main idea was to have the story unfold as a fun date that results in an unexpected little occurrence ;) The setting: a sunny day in Orange County. Victor sits on a wooden bench, waiting to meet up with Cathleen for a Saturday afternoon date. But this will not be just any ole date… *cue hopelessly romantic tunes*

Cathleen arrives in the cutest pink top known to mankind.

What is a date without some gelato? Laughter and kisses in between raspberry & expresso-flavored bites.

After strolling around for a bit, they stop at a small jewelry shop. They peek into the window and Cathleen secretly admires the rings…

The time is now! Victor nervously reaches into his pocket, his hands shaking and his heart beating up a storm…

She said YES! (A slight commercial break to say that I absolutely loved Cathleen’s reaction.. regardless of the slightly staged aspect of it all, you can still see the absolute love and joy that is reflected in her face. I can only imagine how exciting it was during the real thing! :)

What to do after getting engaged? Why, go hang out in an alley with AMAZING light of course!

Continued strolling around Old Towne Orange…

And so concludes Cathleen & Victor’s sweet date-turned-engagement story! For Part II we head to the hills for some romantic field shots and some more yummy light. Stay tuned! :)