I don’t normally stress over writing blog entries. Especially when it’s a blog entry about a gorgeous engagement session. But this one is different, because my best friend Candice is getting married in April, and I went out to LA last week to shoot their engagement photos! We had a marathon engagement session that lasted about 8 hours, 5 outfits and oodles of cool locations!

How do you put in to words how much your best friend means to you? I keep trying to think of something clever to say, but instead, I’m reminded of just how fantastic a person she is.

I met Candice while working at Handel’s Ice Cream back in 1998. I was a junior in high school, she was a sophomore. When we realized we were basically the exact same person, we were inseparable. That summer, and my senior year, you could always find us together – at work, at school, lunch hours, weekends, dances…. she just got me (and that’s not easy for anyone!). She was creative, funny and so down-to-earth. She was also super shy (until you got to know her) and loved all the same things that I did. She was a talented artist and driven to greatness, I was sure of it.

After graduating, Candice attended the Fashion Institute in New York City, and her career as a fashion designer began. Now, looking to start her own couture bridal line, Candice has met the man of her dreams, bought a cute little house in Pasadena together, and is planning the most amazing vintage wedding event at the famous Wayfarers Chapel and historic Viceroy Hotel in April.

Kevin is a fantastic match for Candice, and I knew he was perfect for her when I heard he proposed in her favorite city at the Flatiron Building in New York. Not only did he get the location right, but her one-of-a-kind vintage diamond engagement ring was the perfect fit for her flawless fashion style.

I can’t wait to shoot their wedding in April, and share their amazing plans with everyone! And keep a lookout for Candice’s first collection of custom bridal designs that I’ll be shooting

Candice has always been one of the most beautiful people I’ve known. But seriously – look at those big green eyes!

Kevin’s not so bad either No joke, I see beautiful babies in their future

After shooting in Pasadena, we stopped over at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA for a few quick shots.

On the way out to Manhattan beach, we stopped over at this amazing restoration shop.

Here’s a shot of her gorgeous vintage diamond ring…

We were so lucky to find these 2 posters of the very place where Kevin proposed! On the right is the Flatiron Building!

We went over to Manhattan Beach and grabbed a Starbucks on the very bench where they first met each other…

This is the bench on the pier where they sat and talked on that first date…

And to finish off the day, we *cautiously* incorporated Kevin’s surfing background by hanging out at some tide pools in the Pacific!

It was no easy task for Candice and I to get out to these rocks – but I’m pretty proud of ourselves for getting there without falling
(with Kevin’s help, thankfully)! The waves were amazing as they crashed around us….

Just before we left, I wanted to get a quick shot of the shoreline. I love the west coast! You just don’t get these views in Florida!

I love going to new places! Not that Gainesville is necessarily new – but I’ve never been there (I know, I know) so I was really stoked to schedule Amanda and Keith’s engagement session there!

Until… I found out that I was going up the weekend of UF graduation! Ha, only *I* would schedule an engagement session at UF during spring graduation (in my defense, we had to shoot on Sunday because Keith was heading back to Oklahoma early Monday morning). To boot, I would wager it was the hottest weekend in a looooong time! According to my trusty car thermometer, temps were reading anywhere from 99-100 degrees and we. were. cooking. We originally planned to shoot at the stadium, but graduation and crowds made that impossible. Luckily, we found some shade in the adorable Lake Alice park right on campus.

But what I absolutely loved about my time in Gainesville, was getting to meet Amanda and Keith! Amanda just graduated from UF this weekend, and Keith was in town to cheer her on! He actually came down from Oklahoma City, where he’s serving in the United States Air Force.

Wait! I smell a second location coming on!

So when Amanda told me about his career, I knew I HAD to find an airfield to shoot the second part of their engagement session! I was so excited when I talked to the great folks over at the University Air Center at Gainesville Regional Airport, and they graciously offered their amazing facilities for our session!

I had such a great time shooting their session and running around the airplane hangar – I couldn’t wait to get these up! Insane heat aside, I’m sooo looking forward to their Gainesville wedding in June!

Better in than out, I always say!

Ok, so that probably has absolutely nothing to do with my engagement session with Stacie and John…. except that we shot at the super fun Universal Studios Citywalk in Orlando, Fl! So if you didn’t recognize my quote, it’s from Shrek – one of my favorite movies (the original, not the sequel)!

I met Stacie when I worked back at Engle as a Marketing Director. She was our go-to sales pro, and taught me everything I know about getting my way Anthony and I ended up moving right around the corner from her for awhile, and then just down the road when we bought our own house in July. She has saved my sanity on several occasions with her sure-fire shopping-mani/pedi-lunch “medicine”. Ah, finally someone who shares my affinity for spending money and being catered to! We were destined to be friends.

So back to their engagement session! After a few close calls on location, we kind of chose Citywalk at the last minute. Since I’ve only been there a few times, and usually at night, it was really fun to see how different everything looks during the day. It’s perfect for engagement photos! All the great colors, and it was actually really quiet (except for a few badly tuned middle-school orchestras that were performing).

Stacie and John showed me around, changed some of my terminology (no more nuzzle… now, we schmooze… er, something like that?), and even got in a quick drink before we left. Overall – a successful shoot!

I’ll be heading down to West Palm Beach for their wedding weekend extravaganza in just a few weeks, and I’m super pumped to see her and John tie the knot! For now, you’ll have to survive on their gorgeous engagement photos until I get back from the wedding and share all of that awesomeness!

A huge thanks to my girl, Jillian Caro, for doing Stacie’s hair and makeup for their session! She looked stunning!

Sounds like an ideal engagement session, right?!

We just ran around Winter Park and snuck in to a few back alleys, nooks and crannies for some cute little moments! It didn’t seem terribly hot when we started, but oh man – the sun in Florida is brutal! Deb and John stuck it out with me, though. We ended the session with a delicious lunch from Briarpatch and Ice Cream! It’s always really cool to just hang out and grab some lunch with my clients after their session so we can talk a little more about their plans for their wedding. Deb and John are having a small intimate ceremony at Leu Gardens in late November, surrounded by their close family and friends and a private reception at a fabulous Winter Park restaurant! I’m so looking forward to their wedding, which will surely be beautiful and romantic

I wanted to thank the incredibly talented Luisa V for her amazing skills making Deb look gorgeous for her session!

For most shoots, I’ll jam to my iPod in the car on the way there… generally trying to match my selection of music with the mood of the shoot. So this morning, I found myself in a pickle.

I knew Josh was a country music singer and songwriter (and quite talented, I may add!), but the only country music on my very large, and nearly full, iPod was Garth Brooks (commence laughing… but I really love Garth!).

So I busted out some old “Live” favorites and sang all the way to Fort Christmas. Which, PS – I think everyone should have to shoot an engagement session dodging 1,000 elementary school children and random cannon-fire. Yes, cannon-fire. Holy steady hand. I wish I was exaggerating… alas, I’m not.

I was really excited about today’s shoot – not just to meet Mindy and Josh, but because I’ve just fallen in love with engagement sessions! (pun intended). I nearly always shoot way longer than I’m supposed to – but that’s ok, right? I’m just so inspired by love! Weddings can sometimes get a bit hectic, super schedule-oriented, and it’s a rare occasion when the stars align and you have as much time as you want to capture pictures of the bride and groom alone.

Eee! Ok, so anyways – let’s talk about Mindy and Josh!

I was “told” that Mindy was the goofball, and Josh was the serious one. What I found out, was that they both have an incredible sense of self,  impeccable style, devotion, faith and love for each other. Josh is also an accomplished musician and overall super sweet guy. I actually edited all the teasers today after their session to Josh’s CD (which has now been permanently saved on my ipod, so I officially have more country music than Garth Brooks)! I think I know every song by heart. Mindy is just an incredible person – beyond being absolutely beautiful, she is sincere and gracious – and I couldn’t imagine him ever finding anyone else more amazing.

Who saw the video from our session when he sang a song he wrote to Mindy for me and all my Twitter followers? Well, I guess he sang it for Mindy, but I’m going to pretend it was for us, and you can’t tell me not to.

I’m going to go ahead and post the photos under the slideshow, because I used one of Josh’s amazing songs for it – and it really adds the inspiration to the entire session. Music and photography go hand-in-hand for me, so I really wanted to share them together. He’s a beautiful singer, and writer – and I hope you enjoy his music as much as I do!

Josh’s Website |  Josh’s Facebook Fan Page

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