He spoke a little too loudly to Mark and in a tone that made his 90-year-old lips crease with authority. That Janey, the elderly man boomed from the living room, she’s a real keeper…if I was just a little younger…. His voice trailed off, but the truth of his words lingered in the air.

It was Thanksgiving. Janey and Mark were invited to spend the holiday with friends from church, both hoping to get to know the other better. Janey had seen Mark from a distance—his good looks and charming personality made him a popular topic of female gatherings at church—but it wasn’t until the semi-awkward geriatric announcement opened the doors for them to get to know it each other.

On their first date, they hiked some of the toughest hills in Santa Barbara, picnicked next to a beautiful waterfall, and played Scrabble…all the things they realized made them perfect for each other.

Apparently, there is wisdom with age. Because Janey, she’s a real keeper.

I am SO incredibly excited to photograph Janey and Mark’s wedding!! In addition to celebrating their special day at The Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara, I was particularly honored to document their wedding because Janey is a good friend and amazing wedding photographer of Mary Jane Photography. When she called and told me she was engaged to Mark, I literally started screaming…but when she asked me to be her photographer, I started crying. I am so honored to document the most important day of her life.

Mark and Janey…I love you.

I was super amped because this was the first engagement session with my 50mm, 1.2. The following image was literally the first shot out of the lens! 🙂

Janey is going to be such a beautiful bride…

I think this collage shows their personalities perfectly! 🙂

Dear Santa Monica Sun…I love you. The end.

After some time shooting their engagement session in Santa Monica, we headed to Marina Del Rey to finish the session on a gorgeous yacht! All of the following photos were shot at f/1.2…there was almost NO light. I might have worried, but with the 1.2, we were well taken care of! 🙂

This was one of the last frames from the engagement session photos…it was literally black out, but the 50mm, 1.2 was able to capture light from the boat's headlight!

I want to especially thank Gary Fong–wedding photographer Godfather extraordinaire–for allowing us to shoot on his fabulous yacht. It was such an amazing night and I can't fully explain how happy I was floating along the Pacific Ocean, gazing at the Santa Monica Pier from a distance, and thanking God for allowing me to do what I LOVE. Thanks, Gary!! 🙂

To see more of their engagement session, CLICK HERE for a slideshow!