Chris and Matt's Backyard Wedding

A Doctor + A Scientist = A really smart Love.These two met on the water ski team their first year in college, and have been by each others side through their many many (many) years of school since! They live in Minnesota but came out to California to get married at Chris's parent's house (where her dad built an entire deck so guests could sit on top of the pool!)

Ariel and Jonathan, Engaged

I know I said it before, but these two are so cute! (I get all giddy over snugly couples!) We started their session at the Land's End hiking trail, and were just going to go straight from there to The Matrix Fillmore (since that's where they went on their second date and ended up making-out on a Tuesday night :)) but Ariel was telling me about her furry feline stepchild who she refuses to accept as her own- Jonathan's cat, Issac, so I convinced them to go by their place for a few pics of the happy combined family :) and then we headed over to the Matrix. 

Jonathan, along with his grandfather, own Cable Car Clothiers, one of the city's oldest and finest haberdasheries downtown, and as such Jonathan loves to get dressed up. And Ariel doesn't do such a bad job either! In fact, she kinda makes me sick- she works for Dryers and taste-tests ice cream for a living! How you can eat ice cream for a living, and look like her I don't understand, but so it goes. I just looked on enviously and took pictures.

Rich and Trisha's Engagement Session

Maria and I tend to shy away from more stylized shoots, just cause it's so easy to get so into all the pretty stuff, and focus less on the connection between couples, but these two managed to knock 'em both outta the park; they worked in some beautiful vintage elements (which will be a big part of their wedding day coming up in just a few weeks!) yet still managed to make the afternoon very them. From their Harley, to their love of the outdoors, to their smitten hearts for each other, I think we managed to get it all!