Thunder and lightning struck on this crazy San Francisco summer day - it couldn’t have been more fateful as the day J chose to propose to his girlfriend. Though rain can sometimes spell worry for couples, it made for one of the most romantic proposals I had ever witnessed. It had just started pouring rain, but with a little persuasion, he led her to the spot where they had been to many times to have many long talks. Rain and tears mixed together for the sweetest “I do” followed by their families popping out from their hiding spot to celebrate with them. You don’t always need an epic landscape for special moments like these, sometimes it’s just all about the heart!
Six months later later, we escaped the rain and captured a beautiful engagement session at Montalvo Arts Center! I had been eying this place for a while - this 1912 Mediterranean style villa hidden in the Saratoga hills was the perfect backdrop to get them excited about their fall wedding in Napa. Check out their proposal and engagement sessions below!
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Need Napa proposal ideas? You can't go wrong with a 13th century Tuscan castle winery tucked in Napa Valley. When someone accidentally said “Congratulations” too early - before the proposal had even happened - A thought it was a little odd but continued on their tour. After their tour was over, they walked back over to the drawbridge for some quick photos where T surprised her with a proposal. Even the 105 degree heat wave couldn’t stop them from rocking their engagement photos. Check out the rest of T + A's Castello di Amorosa proposal below!
When R told me that he was surprising his girlfriend with a trip to California, I was so excited to show them around some of my favorite hidden gems in Big Sur! He had proposed to her privately the day before with no one else around, and followed that surprise with an engagement session to celebrate. We had perfect weather - far better than the humid weather they were used to - and climbed up all the epicsides for the most epic views. Check out the rest of their engagement session below!
In a year when everything was shut down and the outdoors were the only respite, J + K wanted to do something special for their anniversary. They hadn't taken professional photos in a long time, so they reached out for a couples session. I took them to one of my favorite local spots and hidden gems and we got to watch the most perfect sunset over the hills. Check out the rest of their San Jose couples session!
As a Bay Area local, Santa Cruz has always been one of my favorite getaways to coast. With the coastal vibe, small shops, and artisan community, it was the perfect place to adventure with A + A for their engagement session. We started their session in the redwoods, where I took them on a short hike to one of my favorite hidden gems, then headed out to the coast to catch the sunset. Though we ran into a few issues - including the whole rocky area of the beach being covered by kelp and a wardrobe malfunction (luckily right at the end of the session) - it didn't stop these two from just laughing with each other and having fun!
Having just moved to San Jose, S + D wanted to capture their engagement session in the Bay Area to document their new home. The redwood trees perfectly fit their vibe, so I recommended to them one of my favorite local gems. And how cool are their all-black outfits?! Check out their redwood engagement and family session below!
Who's ready to move to the Santa Cruz Mountains with me? C + Z adventured with me to one of my favorite hidden gems - you wouldn't know it from searching for redwood locations in Santa Cruz, but just down this little known path are towering redwoods everywhere you look. Check out the rest of their engagement session below!
Sometimes life gets in the way, and instead of getting to adventuring to the coast on your birthday weekend like you planned, things go awry. J + A had booked a cute getaway on the March weekend we planned to capture their engagement session, and of course it ended up raining on us. We planned to reschedule a few weeks later, and then the COVID shutdown hit. Months later, the stars finally aligned and J was able to get her hair, makeup, and nails done (and of course right before everything shut down again, good timing!) Despite the slightly larger crowds than we expected, they didn't let it faze them and we even made it back up to the coast in time for a few quick moments before sunset. Check out the rest of their session below!
Anyone else ever find their couple twin? When V + M first reached out, I immediately fell in love with their vision of a whimsical, magical forest wedding. The moment they mentioned that they were thinking about walking down the aisle to Lord of the Rings, I was in - one of the special touches we had chosen for our own wedding was walking down the aisle to Concerning Hobbits. As we chatted over ideas and got to know each other through the months, we couldn't have shared more similarities, from travelling to the same places, down to even coincidentally cooking the same exact Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup recipe during quarantine (here it is in case you're curious, 10/10 would recommend). So I had no doubt that we would have the best time when we finally got to meet and capture their engagement session in the Santa Cruz redwoods! Check out the rest of their engagement session below.
Who said you couldn’t have two engagement sessions? We first met a year ago and captured their engagement session overlooking the hills. When these two had their Mexico wedding postponed to 2021, they reached out to do another session, this time by the coast. What a perfect way to document love stories even in these crazy times! Check out the rest of their coastal engagement session below!
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