Los Angeles Engagement : Marie+Charlie

He was the one shaking hands and saying hello on the first day of class. His smiled beamed and he walked with a confident stride. And if there were babies to be held or cats to be saved from trees, he would likely do it. He was on a mission to be class president. Or at least Marie thought so. Gunner. That's the first thing she thought when she saw him and his beaming smile.

On the first day of medical school, Marie and a couple friends reviewed the incoming students on a list posted to a wall. Her eyes fell upon a singular name, followed by the letters PhD. Her fingers gingerly pointed to his name and said, This guy already has a PhD! In a stroke of fate, he stood next to her and said, That's me…hi, I'm Charlie… Of course. Of course Charlie would already have a PhD. He was handsome, his smile beamed, and he'd save a cat from a tree. Charlie stuck out his hand and they shook. As much as she wanted to deny it, Gunner was cute.

They remained friends, dated other people, and enjoyed BBQ's throughout the school year. Charlie was a master party planner and event coordinator, but one night turned the reigns over to Marie to plan bowling night. In the midst of a snow storm, no one RSVP'd. Except Charlie. They bowled together, Marie won (which she notes whenever possible), and they watched a movie at her place. That's how their love story began. And the best part? Marie voted for Charlie for class president.

I'm thrilled to be shooting their wedding next May in Pennsylvania…everything tells me their wedding is going to be just as fabulous as them…they flew to Los Angeles for their engagement session last week and I'm completely smitten with everything they are…

I love shooting in Los Angeles…I'm a total city girl. There's something about the grit, the imperfection, the rawness of it all…Marie and Charlie have a way of making it look gorgeous…

I love this photo. I don't know what it is…I just do.

My favorite photo. Hands down. Marie looks like she can grace the pages of any fashion magazine…and for those who asked, her dress is by French Connection

This photo isn't really my style, but I decided to try something new and use light differently…I still have a lot to learn to make it better, but I like the feeling…

Now for some soft, dewey light…my fav…

For a few months I've had this urge to take an aerial photo. I've been waiting. And waiting. And previsualizing. When I arrived in LA for their engagement session, I roamed the streets to find shooting locations. I found this driveway (with a walkway overhead) and I knew I could make it work…I just had to convince Marie and Charlie. Lucky for me, it took very little convincing (I loooooove them!) and I hope they like the photo…and didn't think I was too crazy for asking such a random request…

Marie, you're divine.

Okay, so I'll end this post with the following photos. The backstory…
Marie teaches Zumba. And she's a great teacher. So good people write on her Facebook page to ask about her music, and moves. Not gonna lie, I'm a little jealous. Anyway, I told her via email I'd likely request her to show her moves during the engagement session. At the end, I was all, Okay, Marie…show me what you got! Then she just stood there. Feet solidly placed on the pavement. Apparently, Marie had performance anxiety. Now, I probably should have let it go…but I didn't. I call this subtle technique PEER PRESSURE. Finally, after much cajoling, Charlie turned to Marie and told her they didn't fly 3,000 miles for engagement photos to not be her silly self. So he offered to dance with her. This.Is.Love.

To see more photos from Marie and Charlie's engagement session, CLICK HERE for a slideshow!