Where do I even START with these two! Kristen & Christian started out as clients & quickly turned into friends. Kristen & I don’t go more than 2 days without texting each other hahaha. They’re just the type of people who are so welcoming & kind to everybody around them.

Christian reached out to me in August saying that he was looking for a videographer to be there to film his proposal to Kristen. So I made plans to travel to Laguna Beach to document this special day & I brought my boyfriend along with me! Immediately after the proposal they were already inviting us to come to their engagement party afterwards, making us feel like we had been friends for years. It wasn’t too long after their proposal that Kristen had messaged me on Instagram asking me to take their engagements & also to be their wedding videographer! :,) Between all of the planning for their engagement session, Kristen & I became besties quickly lol. Christian had no idea that he unintentionally created a new forever friendship for her & I when he inquired with me. Love that for us! :,)

On the day of their engagements we drove around Irvine looking for the perfect spot (since plan A didn’t work out hahah) and decided on Quail hill trailhead! We shot these photos at the beginning of December so the greenery was dead but it made for a warm & glowy neutral field! The sun hit this field and made for the warmest tones in the photos! For the first half of the session we stayed in the field & for the second half / their next outfit we headed up the trailhead to catch the last bit of light! If you’re considering shooting here, I’d suggest starting earlier than you usually would for a sunset session because of the hills that block the sun for the last bit of daylight!

On the way back down to the car we took advantage of blue hour & the pretty colors showing off in the sky! I overshot a lot more than usual during this session because I just couldn’t help myself. But I didn’t regret it one bit because I think they ended up with like 300 images in their final gallery hahah whoops.

We shot until there wasn’t a single bit of light left! Afterwards, we went to Sol Cocina for dinner in Newport Beach. This restaurant was a 10/10 & I highly suggest eating here if you find yourself in / near Newport! Especially if you’re a sucker for a good Mexican restaurant (AKA the chips & salsa) like me.

Also, Kristen used their engagement session as the perfect opportunity to do a trial run for her bridal makeup! Which is genius for many reasons but it’s a great way to see how your makeup will look in photos for your wedding, & to also see how well your desired look will hold throughout the day! I would definitely reach out to your makeup artist to see if this is something they’d offer! If you’re looking for a makeup artist local to Orange County, Kristen’s was Natalie Payne & she did amazing! 

I sound like a broken record but I’m SO thankful for these two & I can’t wait to party with them in October!! If you’re looking for an engagement photographer who will take your dream photos literally anywhere & without a doubt deliver more photos than promised, I’m ya girl!!! Click here to fill out my contact form so we can take some print worthy photos of you & your lover! For more blog posts, click here!