Jessica + Jonathan’s Engagement Session – It was SO GOOD to finally meet J + J yesterday! They had contacted me towards the end December 2010 inquiring about photography for their wedding at the end of this year. After a few e-mails and a quick phone call, we made everything official and set the date for their e-session. It’s always humbling and certainly rewarding to book wonderful clients just over the web/phone. Thanks Jessica and Jonathan for trusting me!

These two lovebirds have been together for quite a few years, I believe around 10 or so, dating back to their high school days. Although some long distance college days made it a bit difficult for Jessica and Jonathan, they stuck with one another through everything. And alas, last October, Jonathan proposed to Jessica in Boston (where they went to school and currently work at).

They’re big day is in less than seven months, right before the Winter holidays. I couldn’t be more thrilled and honored to have met Jessica and Jonathan, and be the one to capture their wedding! Thanks again J + J…for paying my fuel (that drive from LBC to Calabasas/Malibu took a few minutes :P). I hope your “meeting” today with the in-laws went well ;). Enjoy the sneak peek!

Christine + Richard’s Engagement Session – They were the very first couple to book me for 2011, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to see Christine and Richard again yesterday for their e-session shoot. It’s been over a year since I last saw them, which I think is a record with any couple! Christine and Richard had met at work several years ago and will be tying the knot toward the end of this year.

To say Christine and Richard are easy-going and totally down to earth would be a huge understatement. They made the 3-hour shoot seem like a walk in the park (or in our case, a walk through a garden and on the beach :P) for me, as we walked around Descanso Gardens and El Matador Beach. Thanks guys for spending Sunday afternoon with me. Hope you like the preview!

Melissa + Sam’s Engagement Session – When Mel and I worked together at a wedding back in October of 2010, she asked me what my schedule was like in the Fall of 2011. You see, Mel and her business partner, whose Sam’s cousin, Elsa, form the dynamic duo of ME Events & Design. Thinking it was one of their clients, I thanked Mel for the referral and told her I’ll check my calendar. Turns out she was talking about her own wedding!

Mel and Sam got engaged literally days right before that October wedding and it took me forever to put 2 and 2 together :). After chatting with them for a bit, I found out Mel and Sam first started dating during their college days at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, a school about 4 hours north of LA. So it made perfect sense to do their e-session right in the city and school of where they met.

We drove up separately this past Friday morning and met in Downtown SLO. Afterward, we shot around the campus, and finished the shoot at Laguna Lake, a gorgeous place with tall grasses, power lines, and of course, a lake :). It was wonderful to just get away from the city for a few hours, and more so to spend the day with Mel and Sam. They’re super easy-going and down to earth, which made the entire shoot feel more like a hang out than anything else.

It’s already a pleasure and honor getting to know and work with Mel the wedding planner. Now it’ll be 100x more working with her as the bride! Thanks again Sam and Mel for inviting me into your lives and sharing with me the story of how you met one another!

Sherry + Lance’s Engagement Session – How inspirational it has been getting to know Sherry and Lance! They met on Valentine’s Day at a singles party back during the undergrad school days and now they have a business together working out of Southeast Asia. It’s been nothing but a joy and dare I say super duper easy working with Sherry and Lance from the very first e-mail.

Thanks to Melissa of ME Events & Design, I met Sherry and Lance last September, just less than a year from their wedding date of 9-10-11. Yes folks, they’re getting married on the most awesome 2011 wedding date and I couldn’t be more thrilled to work with them! From the few hours I’ve spent with Sherry and Lance, I already got a sense of how much of a perfect match they are for one another.

I know I’m going to be a bit girly saying this :P, but it was super sweet seeing the way Sherry and Lance made each other laugh, how physically close they were to one another, how they would spontaneously kiss and hug each other (major brownie points in my books), and how they were actually having fun being photographed by me (hard to imagine folks, but yes they were!).

Lance is someone I would love to have as a personal friend as he’s just way too cool, easy-going, and awesome! And Sherry is beautiful both inside and out, and it feels like you can do anything with her and she’ll going along with it, plus she’s super sweet! And you bet I’m beyond stoked for September 10th to roll around. Congrats guys!