Anna & Stetson // Malibu Engagement Session

Anna and Stetson have such a fun forbidden love story so I MUST share it with you….

Two years ago, Stetson moved to Thousand Oaks to take a position as a minister at a church. Anna had just moved home from college, and she was looking to join a new church. Anna’s cousin Sophia told her she HAD to come to her church, as there was a “super cute new pastor,” but Anna insisted she would never date a pastor, and continued to look into other church options. At the same time, Sophia told Stetson how she “had a cousin that would be great for him.” Stetson was not looking for a relationship and wanted to focus on his career, so he brushed the suggestion aside and didn’t give it a second thought.

One weekend, Anna decided to give the church a try while Stetson was scheduled to be away on vacation. That Sunday, Stetson decided to cut his trip short in order to make it back in time for church..

After the service, Anna & Stetson met for the first time. They both quickly decided they may want to reconsider Sophia’s attempt to play cupid and set them up!

Stetson invited Anna to their young adult gathering that week, secretly hoping that she would come so that he could get to know her better. Later that week, Anna excitedly attended one of the gatherings, secretly hoping that it would give her the opportunity to spent more time with Stetson.

Soon, the couple found every “church-related” excuse to spend time together. In the spirit of honesty, Stetson nervously confessed that he had feelings for Anna and was interested in pursuing something more than a platonic church friendship. Luckily, Anna had feelings for him as well and the pair began dating soon after.

Their first two years as a couple were filled with adventures, hikes, sushi dates & cooking together, beach days, quality time with family, and further exploration of their shared passion for their faith. Through job changes, good times & hard times, the two grew as a couple and developed a growing excitement for their life together as a couple.

In February, Stetson proposed to Anna and she enthusiastically said yes. They began planning their wedding shortly after (as covid slowly entered the scene) and have gracefully accepted the challenges that come along with planning a wedding in such an unpredictable time. Growing stronger with every obstacle they face, these two are incredibly lovely together and I know (even after spending a mere 2 hours with them) they will live a joy-filled, laughter-filled life with one another, and work through every hiccup that comes their way.

Spending a few hours at Malibu Creek State Park & down at El Matador in Malibu with these two was so. much. fun. We low-key trespassed to access some beautiful walkways lined with trees at the state park, and then went down to Malibu to catch the sunset.

I really feel that Anna + Stetson’s playful love for one another shines through in these photos, and I am so excited to be a part of their wedding this September—no matter what it looks like, how many guests they are able to host, & where it takes place—I know it’ll be absolutely beautiful and perfect.