Emily & Kyle // Irvine Engagement Session

Emily & Kyle go together like chips and salsa. Like peanut butter and jelly. Like pineapples and umbrella hats. You'll understand what I mean about that last one once you finish scrolling through their sweet, hilarious, one-of-a-kind engagement session…

These two, aka the cutest humans of all time, met in college during their freshman year when they lived in the same dorm building. Kyle—the outgoing, rambunctious wild child, & Emily—the more shy, calculated & cautious one, didn't quite experience love at first sight. It took a while for Emily to warm up to Kyle's big personality, but she soon realized how fun it was to see the world through his eyes & live life out loud alongside him. Once they realized how much they had in common—from their values, to their senses of humor, to their Orange County roots—the two hit it off and have pretty much been together ever since.

Before a particular sorority dance, Kyle went to the store to get Emily a bouquet of flowers. When the store was out of flowers, Kyle instead bought a pineapple, and presented it to Emily before the dance. Perks: you can eat a pineapple, and ya just can’t snack on a bouquet! Thus, a tradition of pre-party-pineapples began. (And these silly geese, of course, HAD to bring one to their engagement session.) Starting as college sweethearts and beginning their lives together after graduation, K & E’s relationship only grew stronger.

Next is where I come in!!!

Three years ago, Emily & I met at good ol’ LAX when she was a participant on a trip I staffed abroad. Funny enough, the first day of the trip was her birthday. When I noticed the date on our roster, and realized she wouldn’t know a soul on the trip... & no one would know it was her birthday, I wanted to make sure she felt welcomed & celebrated. I wrote her a STRANGELY personal birthday card (without ever having met her.. and knowing nothing about her) and got her.. I think.. some skittles? Within 5 minutes of meeting Emily, I presented her with her card & gift, & off we went! Along with 40 other participants around her age, we headed overseas for a 10-day adventure. Between flights, layovers, bus rides, touring sites, *unnecessary team building activities*, down time, meals, and everything in between, I was lucky enough to get to know Emily quite well. I found her to be magnificent company, and we kept in touch following the trip, texting here and there and occasionally meeting up when we were in the same ZIP code.

OK, enough about MY love story with Emily. Back to her & Kyle.

A few years after they graduated, Kyle made the incredibly smart decision to ask Emily to be his wife. He proposed, she said yes, and because they got engaged during a full-blown pandemic and couldn’t properly celebrate with loved ones, Kyle had an additional surprise for Emily. Leading up to the big proposal, he reached out to their family & friends, and secretly compiled a video montage of everyone congratulating them on their engagement. After he popped the question, Kyle showed the video to Emily, and she cried like a leaky faucet. :’)

When Emily reached out about wedding photography, I was as excited as a rogue mouse in the Trader Joe’s cheese section. I am ridiculously lucky that so often, my work is an avenue for me to keep in touch with & see dear friends I may not otherwise stay as connected to (because, ya know, life). I’m so grateful for all the time I’ve had to catch up with my sweet Em, and that I’ve gotten the chance to get to know her so much better through the hangouts, slumber parties, & text convos that come along with being her wedding photographer and pal!

Kyle & Emily’s engagement session was absolutely top tier. The weather was frickin’ perfect for them; when we got to the trail where we planned to shoot, we were greeted with a warm breeze and a glowing golden sunset. When we got started, I fired up my speaker, blasted “Kyle’s Slappers” on Spotify (WHAT a playlist), and the three of us honestly had the best hour ever takin’ pix. And dancing to high school / middle school bops. And watching teenagers take prom photos. Aaaand cradling pineapples. AAAND wearing full-blown umbrella hats in the wild. Yeah, all three of us. In umbrella hats. Like a clown brigade. Kyle is a BIG costume guy, so the hats were the cherry on top of making sure their session was as *THEM* as could be.

Their photos speak for themselves, so I will promptly STFU, though I could wax poetic about my love for Emily for hours on end. I cannot wait to celebrate these two next summer at their ocean side wedding. I just love them to outer space & back.