I was so excited when Sarah & Derrek suggested renting a row boat on a lake for their engagement session! The workers there suggested we rent a motor boat as well, that I could operate to push/pull them along and make moving around for all of us easier. Now I’ve never operated a row boat before, much less while simultaneously trying to shoot, and the behind-the-scenes of this session would be a bit clumsier than the photos suggest – boats spinning around in circles, us trying to get our boats together, communication via hand gestures, struggling with muddy anchors, and all during quite a scorcher of a day.

But Sarah & Derrek? They are total troopers, and so chill and fun, and make it look like they run out and do this every morning. And with these images as the end result? I’d say it was most definitely worth it :)

Such a joy-filled day! Ayumi & Brian are those type of people who radiate positivity & warmth at all times, and their wedding was a perfect reflection of that – the bright pops of color everywhere, the cheerful table settings, the labor-of-love DIY goodness {check out those handpainted signs! the cool toolbox! the invites! the pocket squares!}. Even the retro print fabric that made appearances throughout the day exclaimed, “happy!” Even more cheer – as an alternative to petals or bubbles, they had guests blow up Japanese paper balloons (just like the ones that made appearances in their engagement session!) and toss those during the recessional. The Smog Shoppe, with its quirky backdrops & always intimate vibe, provided the perfect nook to house all this joy :)

As I always say, the most beautiful weddings to me are not necessarily the grandiose ones, with the ginormous budget, or the opulent decor – they are the ones that are by default unique & creative because they incorporate the pieces of who you are, that are naturally stylish because they celebrate your personalities, that can’t help but be meaningful & fun because they focus on your very own special type of love :)

I can’t thank Ayumi & Brian enough for giving me the chance to be a part of this day, and to All You Need is Love Events for coordinating everything perfectly behind the scenes (and designing all the amazing florals!)

{And thank you to Style Me Pretty as well for featuring this wedding! You can see the post & read more about the details straight from the bride here!}

I’m pretty sure it’s a universal rule that a session will be fun when including colorful confetti hearts. And if you bring something confetti-like I will most definitely make you throw it errwhere {as evidenced here, and here} The best part? Stacy & Brian are literally as fun as this session makes them look. I had such a blast running around PV with them – the very same place where they had spent a day way back when, when they were just friends, talking along the cliffs, and realizing that perhaps there was something more in the works than just friendship :)

So excited to work with them and the fabulous Ngoc of Skybox Event Productions this summer!