Could you tell I was just a little obsessed with Silvia’s perfect flowy dress? I feel like college campuses always make such great backdrops for sessions (so many options in one place, not too crowded) and Cal Tech in Pasadena was no exception. I especially loved the dreamy staircase we found which complimented the romantic feel of it all perfectly! Can’t wait for their wedding this summer!

I always love when a couple chooses a meaningful spot for their engagement photos. Like perhaps, the pretty courtyard of a Thai restaurant where they had their very first date? These kinds of memory-filled locations just instantly seem to have a certain magic to them – you’re transported back to those moments where you had your first quiet conversations, shared your first laughs, where you felt that excited pitter-patter and that glow in your heart, and secretly hoped and wished with all your might that they felt it too. Because a pretty backdrop is pretty backdrop, but it becomes all that more beautiful when it’s a paramount piece in the story of your relationship :)

I had so much fun exploring Pasadena and visiting the gorgeous Saladang Song for this shoot! MaiKhanh and Jeff are so awesome – I remember at our first meeting it felt like we had a million things to talk about, and I loved getting to continue our conversations over delish Thai food at the end of the session. (And on that note, I realized the past couple sessions I’ve posted here have concluded with a delicious meal. I suppose it’s a cold hard fact – if you like food, we’re going to get along just swell :)

I always love photographing at the Pasadena City Hall and this time of year was especially perfect, with pretty flowers in bloom around every corner! Frances and Andrew are super laidback and happily went along with my every whim (“can you hold this flower?” “LET’S THROW PETALS!”) and I adore how soft and romantic this session came out. They also have the sweetest and most fun chemistry together, which just added to all the wonderful romanticky-ness of this session :)

Their wedding at the Walt Disney Concert Hall next month {coordinated by my dear dear friend Jenn Yamauchi} is sure to be amazing!

P.S. Frances’s beautiful make-up is by Kelly Zhang, whose studio is right down the street in Pasadena! :)