I so loved everything about this session – the foresty location (the woods! I love shooting in the woods!), Jill & Jamar’s stylish outfit choices, the sweet lace parasol they brought along… and of course, the fact that they are so cute together & so very much in love. I was completely head over heels for the ethereal vibe of it all. After shooting around the woods(!) we headed on down to the beach where we traded in the parasol for Jamar’s trusty surfboard, for some more shots against the last golden bits of light.

Jill & Jamar are such a kind & laidback couple and spending the afternoon chatting and laughing with them made me even more excited for their wedding this fall! It’s going to be at a studio backlot which pretty much automatically gives it 10,000 points of awesome :)

After the fun with water balloons, we finished up Alwyn & Alvin’s shoot with an evening stroll around Chinatown. I know I don’t usually chat about the tech-y side of things on here, but these were all shot sans flash, just making use of the colorful twinkly goodness of Chinatown. I fell in love with all the bright colors & the dreaminess of the lights – it was my first time doing a night session and it was so much fun!

The cherry on top was the delish bakery I came across afterwards… flaky curry pies were the perfect way to end the evening!

When I first met with Angela & John {over mile-high pastrami sandwiches at Jerry’s Famous Deli, my kind of couple!}, they shared about their wedding, but also extensively about their families. I got such a strong sense of how important their families were to them and what a vital role they would be playing in the wedding.

But what I discovered on their wedding day was even more wonderful – that they were close with their families yes, but also that the two families seemed to be so close to each other. I spotted their mothers laughing together and walking arm in arm, I saw the sweet friendship between Angela’s brother and John’s son, observed the fun interaction between everyone on the dance floor. A wedding day, just as it joins people, most definitely joins families, but I seriously felt as if everyone there was already one big happy wonderful family – tears and hugs and laughs were shared freely among everyone and it was amazing to witness.

I know Angela poured her heart and soul into planning this wedding and it unfolded perfectly. It definitely couldn’t hurt that it all started off with the loveliest pair of shoes…

I think my heart skipped 2 beats when I saw her bouquet, pale pink peonies are one of my favorites…

For their first dance, John surprised Angela with a live song performed by their friends. Her reaction was perfect!

I love how John’s son came over and sat on Angela’s lap during the slideshow. So sweet: