Courtney is a friend of mine from UCLA, and Maz I met shortly afterwards. I knew them separately, and I knew them together, and they are seriously so the perfect match. Courtney is down to earth and real in every situation, she radiantly lights up any room she walks into, and has by far the biggest & best laugh I have ever seen. And Maz? He understands & embraces (and perhaps even teases her for? :) her unique attributes, and brings that laugh out of her time and time again. Every single time we hang out, I can see how their relationship is founded on a deep friendship, on the ability to always have fun together, and really, isn’t that the way it should always be? I won’t be photographing their wedding as I get to be a bridesmaid (woo hoo!) but I’m so happy they asked me to take these photos, in the very place where Maz proposed :)

I refer to Natalie as my “ice skating friend.” From something like ages 6-13, we spent almost every Saturday morning driving up to the rink in Palos Verdes and taking lessons together. We practiced for performances and little competitions, and forged a friendship based not just on salchows and loop jumps, but on playing ridiculous amounts of video games, making our own stationery & then trying to sell it, coming up with dance routines, taking pictures of our cats & creating calendars out of them – you know, the usual childhood shennanigans :)

We lost touch a bit over the years, but I was so so overjoyed when she contacted me recently with the news that she was engaged! Equally exciting was that we both happen to now be living in Long Beach and are practically neighbors. I was so happy when she chose her amazing little Long Beach neighborhood for the photos, these kind of relaxed cozy lifestyle-y sessions are always some of my favorites. Natalie has always been one of the most kind-hearted & beautiful people I know, and I’m so so excited for her and Jeff, they are such the perfect match! I hope you get a sense of their sweet relationship through these photos :)

Confession: I sort of became smitten with MacKenzie and Phil just through our email exchanges, before even meeting them in person. Because a couple who is just so excited about their session, so overjoyed to brainstorm locations or props or outfits, whose happy personalities shine through just from their typed words are just my favorite kind of couple! :) Of course they were even sweeter in person and we had so much fun exploring Griffith Park and the observatory, with the three of us and one giant white balloon packed into their car :)

Also, how amazing is MacKenzie’s hair? Props to Theresa Huang for beautiful hair & make-up as always!