It's just kinda what we do…I think it could be really bad, then flashed a knowing smile. Erica tried explaining the love affair she and Brian share with life's sweet blessings, namely ice cream. Scoops, bowls, a pint. They share it and enjoy the delectable remnants of sugar that somehow remain in the small crevices lips are so prone to have. Erica ordered a cookies&cream milkshake and explained their penchant for sweets as a lifestyle, asking the boy behind the counter for two straws before settling in an ornate chair at Manhattan Beach Creamery.

Just one block away from the Creamery rests The Shellback, a local hangout for beach professionals and life-lovers, which proved to be a place where Erica and Brian's lives changed. They knew each other at UC Santa Barbara, both undergrads who shared friends in similar collegiate circles. They were friends from a slight distance, but not too long after graduation, their paths crossed again at The Shellback. There, one fine day in Manhattan Beach, they struck a conversation that changed their lives.

Erica and Brian shared the milkshake–the one with two straws–and relaxed as they watched the world float by on Manhattan Avenue. The cars, the flashing lights, the sounds of FM radio whizzing by. Inside the cool of the Creamery, they enjoyed the delectable remnants of the sugar that remained in the small crevices of their lips. Together.

I'm thrilled to be shooting their wedding next year at Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes…I suspect it'll be ultra fab and an epic party! Here are a few of my favorites from their engagement session in Manhattan Beach…

One thing I love about shooting at Los Angeles beaches is the abundance of random walls, urban fare, and uniqueness…Erica and Brian just make it extra fabulous!

Why, yes. Yes, I adored Erica's shoes.

There was a part of me that was nervous asking Erica and Brian if they wanted to, oh, HANG OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET, but they were total troopers and made things extra fun…

We caught the last bits of sunset and the light was simply amazing…

Erica, you're beautiful.

We hung out on Manhattan Beach Pier for a few more engagement photos and had a blast…

I was lucky enough to meet the third member of Erica and Brian's family…Marco. I completed loved him and thought it'd be so cool to have him play with my dog Polo. Because, you know, it'd be pretty epic to yell “Marco…Polo…Marco…Polo!”

To see more of their Manhattan Beach engagement photos, be sure to CLICK HERE for a slideshow!