I’m a wee bit envious of Mai & John who live in the heart of downtown LA. Everytime I pass through downtown there is a new amazing restaurant, collection of lofts for sale, wine bar, line of shops – it would be quite dreamy to live in an airy loft near Little Tokyo, being just a few steps away from ramen, or fancy schmancy hot dogs, & tons of perfect cafes. The next best thing though, of course, is to shoot there :)

I love the arts district and Mai & John worked it so well! We found lots of great spots before heading to Union Station to finish up. Such a fun afternoon – so excited for their wedding come July!

P.S. This has never happened before, but we randomly bumped into 3 (3!) photographers that we knew during this session – Serena, Dave, & my sister. We bumped into the last one first, and as I was chatting with Mai & John, explaining, “yeah, the arts district is really popular for photoshoots”, Scott goes “um, I think that’s your sister.” Crazy!

The first photographer-client meeting is sort of like a blind date. You come in not quite knowing what to expect, get to know each other, find your common ground, and all the while, search for that special “click”. After meeting with Liz – as has happened in many wonderful initial meetings – I left totally smitten. She was laidback yet obviously so giddy-excited about her special day, full of great ideas, passionate about her wedding photos, and all in all a perfect Adrienne Gunde Photography fit. She explained that I was the first of a few photographers she planned to meet, so I encouraged her keep in mind that as important as it is to find a photographer whose style you love, it is equally as important to love their personality, as your photographer is with you all.day.long on your wedding day!

So you can imagine my excitement when I came across a sweet email in my inbox a couple weeks later, confirming she felt the “click” as well! We had a second meeting at a cozy Starbucks to finalize everything, and when we both ordered green tea lattes it most clearly was meant to be :)

I had tons of fun brainstorming this engagement shoot with Liz & Adam. We conjured up a batch of colorful balloons, a bouquet of the prettiest pink roses, and Save the Dates they handrew with love (and with admirable speed, right along Pacific Coast Highway!) We shot at my most favorite “secret” location, then chased the light to the beach to finish up. As evidenced below, Liz & Adam are so beyond sweet, wonderful as individuals, and absolutely perfect as a couple. I cannot wait for their wedding next July at the La Venta Inn!