Phoebe and Min will be getting married in China, but wanted to do some bridal portraits in LA beforehand. I was so happy they mentioned shooting at the Pasadena City Hall as its one of my very favorite places for photos – it always promises beautiful soft light, dreamy pastel colors, and during this time of year, opulent pink roses wherever you look :) Min and Phoebe both have such sweet and warm personalities and arrived with so much enthusiasm for the session – I feel so lucky to have been able to document a snippet of their story together! :)

The forecast called for a 40% chance of rain for the upcoming Saturday. The next day it had increased to 60%. The following day, 80. And two days before their wedding, I received a call from Toshi. Because Toshi & Hana are genius, awesome, and held their wedding photos in high esteem, they came up with the idea of perhaps meeting up the day before their wedding, before the storms set in, to do portraits. I wanted to do a bit of a happy dance when I realized I was free, and thus we met up for an impromptu “day-before” session at their venue, the Neighborhood Church in PV.

I LOVE photographing in Palos Verdes, but it was my first time visiting the sweet Neighborhood Church. To sum it up, it would have been utter blasphemy if we had not been able to get photos around its grounds – the church is beautiful with stunning views of the sea, lush greenery, & lovely architecture. I loved hanging out with Toshi & Hana and exploring the grounds without the time constraints of a wedding day. I highly recommend similar day-after sessions to any couples looking for a way to get fun & relaxed photos in your wedding threads; if anyone is interested, I’d love to chat with you more! :)

It did end up raining the following day, but thanks to their quick thinking & the stars aligning, Hana & Toshi have more than a few portraits around their stunning venue. Stay tuned for their beautiful wedding next!

Love this the dreaminess of this one despite (or because of?) it being out of focus…