There are times couples book me through email and I don’t meet them until the engagement session. Or I meet with just the bride over coffee and don’t meet the groom until then. Or, as happened here, I met & got to know Allison over a fun meeting at the Culver Hotel, but since they had done an engagement session prior to even finding me online, I didn’t meet Elijah until the wedding day.

But I’d just like to say {as I hope these images below express} that just seeing them interact for the first time that day, maybe from just one or two seconds into their First Look(!), I could sense what an amazing relationship they have. In the way they both instantly relax in each other’s presence. Their constant smiles throughout the day. Joyful tears exchanged at the altar, their words exchanged in vows. An overwhelming excitement and support extended from their family and friends. It all comes together to say – this here? this is a special kind of love.

I am so happy they opted for a first look, as it allowed tons of time for portraits around the amazing Summit House. I love the cozy vibe of this venue and Allison & Elijah played that up with lots of warm and homey details, including amazing florals created by Kim of Art with Nature. I always love her soft & romantic arrangements!

Have I mentioned how blessed I feel to document days like this? :)

Love the bridesmaids’ bouquets (billy balls FTW!) and accessories. Those chunky necklaces were so perfect!

I don’t usually post too many silly pictures, but these seriously had me cracking up so hard I could barely sit still long enough to edit them. I adore this bridal party – SUCH DEDICATION.

While I was photographing the girls, Connie got this great shot of the groomsmen!

Aside from being fantastically in love, can we just take a moment to reflect on HOW RIDICULOUSLY GOOD LOOKING these two are??

Tulips are some of my favorite flowers… love when they make appearances in weddings! :)

The happiest place on earth? Most definitely. Even more so, now that I’ve recently discovered that Disneyland sells chimichangas. Because if there’s anything that could make such a happy place happier, it’s DEEP FRIED BURRITOS.

But this post is not about food, this post is about love. And Leah & Matt are filled to the brim with it! They are so sweet and laidback, and I adore their interactions together. The cherry on top? They love Disneyland just as much as I do :)

Sidenote of awesome: When I first met with them, Leah informed me that their wedding will have a woodsy fantasy theme, filled with bright colors, moss, mushrooms, and other whimsical details – “sort of like Avatar”, she described. LE SWOON.

It was an overcast day in November. I was sitting cross-legged on my bed in my San Francisco hotel room, laptop by my side, on the phone with the sweetest writer who was putting together an article for Professional Photographer magazine. When I hung up the phone I’m pretty sure a fervent pinching session ensued. Because seriously? Phone interview? Really? Me?

I absolutely love engagement sessions and it is an honor to be included in an article in the February issue, regarding ways to keep sessions fun and unique. I get asked from time to time regarding using props to personalize sessions – who brings them, how we decide what to use, etc. and I was excited to share a little about my experiences in this article. You can download the full story here. A very big thank you to to Rebecca Zoumberos for passing my name along initially, and to Stephanie Boozer for chatting with me, putting my rambly rambly thoughts into coherent sentences, and conveying what I meant to say so eloquently :)