Santa Barbara Engagement : Sarah + Chris

She stood out for so many reasons. At that UC Santa Barbara party, on that one night her junior year, in that one sweater. Many singular elements leading to a collective moment of sheer gravity. Sarah was invited to a Lingerie Party, so she and a friend decided to attend, not having a clear idea of what people might wear. She threw on a pair of jeans, a lace-ish top, and sweater. When she arrived to the party, she was blinded by the amount of skin, cleavage, and silk lingerie. So much for the sweater.

Chris and a group of his friends walked into the party and caused a shirtless stir, as shirtless college boys can only ever do. Sarah turned and saw him, their eyes met, and she turned away. Throughout the course of the evening, despite the scantily clad girls around him, Chris only saw Sarah. They gravitated to each other and by the end of the night, he snagged her phone and programmed his number into it…and he stole her number in the process. This was just the beginning because Sarah was about to also steal his heart.

After their first date at Goleta Beach Cafe, they were smitten. They've been together ever since and are now planning a wedding in San Diego at the Coronado Hotel. I'm honored to work with such a special couple and I'm incredibly excited for what's in store this July! We spent the day in Santa Barbara for their engagement photos and started at the place where it all began…college…

One thing about Sarah and Chris is that they pretty much look good anywhere…on a bench…

…and even in a delivery port!

This bike path is usually filled with students, but with many thanks to Cesar Chavez (and his holiday!) the campus was empty…

I mean, com'on…these shoes? Yes, please!

Not only is Chris very kind, thoughtful, and funny, his demeanor is much like JD's. I met him for the first time last week and I liked him instantly…

When Chris first met Sarah, she happened to stand next to a fan and he mentioned she looked like a model. Like that, with her hair waving around. Chris, I kinda know what you mean…

Many, many thanks to Tracey Taylor for doing Sarah's makeup and Sheila Stone for a fantastic job with hair. I've worked with Sheila before and I jokingly call her the “Hair Whisperer” because she's SO good at what she does! 🙂

After hanging out around the UCSB for engagement pictures, we headed to Goleta Beach (where they had their first date) to end the engagement session…

I'll end with one of my favs from the session! 😉

To see more of Sarah and Chris' Santa Barbara engagement pictures, CLICK HERE for a slideshow!