She was invited to a minor league baseball game in her hometown, so Samantha decided a night with friends was what she needed to unwind. The girls sat close to the field and cheered for the cutest players (because, really, the Home or Visiting team mattered less than seeing men in uniform take the field). The girls cheered loudly and when a player noted they were cheering for the visiting team, they shrugged and kept at it.
The girls took turns picking the best looking players to cheer for, but when Samantha saw player number 12, her stomach fluttered. Taylor was warming up in the bullpen when Samantha started to cheer for him. Apparently his warm up skills were impressive enough for her to smile and wave.
At the end of the game, Taylor's friend pushed him to approach the stands and talk to Samantha. They exchanged numbers and later that night Taylor asked her to go line-dancing the next night with friends. The couple took the dance floor and spent the night in a smitten haze.
Taylor hit the road the following day, but for the next year, they casually texted and emailed. They remained friends until his team traveled to her home town 12 months later and she showed up–again–to cheer for the pitcher for whom her heart exploded.
Shortly thereafter, they decided to date as Taylor traveled with his team…and Samantha cheered from the stands. Within a year and a half, Taylor retired from baseball and moved to Redondo Beach to settle with his love.
This amazing couple was nominated as The Knot Dream Wedding couple and I'm honored to be their photographer for this beautiful event next month. Getting to know them during their engagement session allowed me to truly understand what makes their love so perfect.
Taylor and Samantha chosen a location close to their hearts, Abalone Cove in Rancho Palos Verdes…they often hike the trails together and enjoy moments at the beach…
Within the first half hour of the engagement session, Samantha asked for my astrological sign. When I replied Aries, she clapped her hands and said, “I KNEW it! I'm an Aries too!” She went on to explain that we were destined to get along…and I'm hard pressed to disagree! 😉
As a photographer, I need little more than amazing light, a beautiful couple, and a stunning engagement ring…
Samantha and Taylor are just as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside. They have committed themselves to being the primary caretakers of Samantha's mom, who's battling cancer. Taylor works full time to ensure Samantha can take care of her mom and has made sacrifices to she's their top priority. They've postponed their wedding twice before due to Samantha's mom's health, so they are completely ecstatic to have the wedding of their dreams coming up…
Oh, Sam, you just slay me…go onnnnnnnnn…
One of my favorite things about Taylor is his immediate deflection to all things Samantha…throughout the course of the engagement session, he mentioned the day was beautiful because Sam was happy. He said he admired how hard Samantha worked to keep their relationship strong. And he said he was a lucky man to hold her in his arms.
I'm extremely excited to be working with Jeannie Savage of Details, Details as she plans this wedding as The Knot Dream Wedding Planner…
Stunners…
The sun quickly disappeared behind the coastal fog and clouds, but it didn't matter because they were too busy being in love…
In a matter of seconds, they could make each other laugh…
A cuddle to warm up…
This is a relationship on the rocks… 😉
One of my favorites from the session…
I'll end this shoot on this photo because there are few things as pretty as a kiss at sunset…
I'm excited to also share that the film crew from creativeLIVE joined us on this shoot, so if you're interested in seeing how these photos came to life and what an engagement session looks like for me, be sure to join me later this month as I teach a FREE 30-day photography bootcamp. You can register for the course HERE!
