Lisa & Derek's Montauk Adventure

When I mentioned Montauk to Lisa for her and her fiancé’s engagement session, she didn’t even ask how far it was from New York City. She just said YES! Ready for adventure!! 

We drove together from the city to Montauk, and honestly the 3 hour drive seemed less than an hour. We were so busy talking about their super cute love story. How they met, how they lived on separate coast, but still became close friends, and how Derek volunteered to road trip with Lisa to help her move back to NYC out of the kindness of his heart … or maybe he had ulterior motives ... 

Fast forward a few years and Derek executed a perfect proposal, she said yes and I got to be the lucky photographer capturing this milestone for them. And even though it was super windy in Montauk the day of their session, and it even rained a little, nothing could stop these two from having a blast and celebrating their love! 

And now that they are married, Lisa being the adventurous spirit that she is, is on a mission to wear her wedding dress all over the world and I can’t wait to capture some memories for her and her hubby in the city of love very soon!! Who else wants to take their wedding dress for a world tour? 

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Ayeh & Darren's Sunrise Elopement

Let me preface this with I am NOT a morning person, but I am a hardcore sunrise person. Makes sense, right? :)

So when Ayeh first reached out to me on Instagram and said she and Darren wanted to elope at Griffith Park at 8 am, to avoid the crowds, I was all for it. And after going back and forth and checking when the sun would rise, we ended up meeting even earlier than planned, to really make sure we avoided the crowds and to also get that beautiful sunrise light.

So yes I will wake up for any kind of sunrise shoot you have in mind because avoiding the crowds and getting that early morning light and fresher air is so worth it. I will admit it was quite nippy at 6 am, but Ayeh was a trooper. And Darren made sure to keep her warm with kisses and hugs and so much love during all the pictures.

I also loved that they drove together in their wedding attire. I remember Ayeh saying to me “I don’t believe in this whole bad luck thing” and I loved that about these two. They did their own thing, they didn’t care for an entrance.They were just SO EXCITED to say I DO and start their journey as husband and wife and hopefully you can feel that emotion through their photos.

Conclusion: when you elope, your day is really about you. No feeling guilty for making other people wake up early, no stressing about guest's arrival or anyone running late. No having to follow any rules. Just saying I do to your forever partner.

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Rona & Jose's South Dakota Engagement

When I flew to South Dakota for Rona and Jose’s elopement, these two basically became instant friends. We got some bagels after I landed and basically drove around all afternoon all around SpearFish Canyon, chatting about how much we loved nature and travel.

These two first met in high school. They were just friends. But if you ask Jose, his version is that Rona secretly was in love with him then and was waiting for her turn to be his girlfriend.

The reality (sorry Jose) was that Rona had grown up not being allowed to date and the older she got, the more she realized she wanted to just have just one boyfriend and that he would be the one.

Jose knew that, so he made sure to stay in the friend zone, “on purpose” and slowly waited for their friendship to evolve as a love story and let me tell you, these two are true love story and so sweet to each other. The whole session was a dream. From the location they picked to how free-spirited they were.

Even when it rained, and then hailed, they were still smiling. And the way Jose would always run back to the car to get the comforter in between shots, to make sure Rona wasn’t too cold, was adorable. And of course I had to take one shot of them cutely wrapped in the comforter.

Luckily the hail didn't last long and we ended the day on this beautiful bridge>

If you haven't been to South Dakota, you are missing out. I cannot wait to go back. It is just as beautiful as other famous states and much less crowded.

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