Some funny stories leading up to this Carlsbad Lagoon engagement session.

I first “met” Valerie + Adam while I was on vacation in Guatemala! We Skyped over bowls of breakfast cereal (way before Zoom was even a thing) and joked about my lack of coffee. The adorable factor is strong with these two! I could tell by the way Valerie playfully ruffled Adam’s hair, and the resulting smile on his face, just how madly and passionately in love they are.  

After our call I couldn’t wait for their wedding day so when their booking never came in I was kind of bummed. I had even been taking the time to send them cute pics whilst on my vacation!

Oh well, I thought…I was originally planning to visit my best friend out of state that weekend anyways. So I started browsing flights. And although I had the flights chosen and in my cart, for some reason, I never followed through with the purchase.  And it’s a good thing because few days later I finally received the booking confirmation email! Turns out a couple of Valerie’s responses had gotten lost in my Junk Box – even though we had been communicating just fine prior!  (I blame the foreign IP address I was using, being in Guatemala and all).

So I learned two valuable lessons that day: 1). Trust your gut! …There was a reason I never booked that flight out of town for their wedding date. And, 2). Check your darn Junk Mail more often! Haha!

Fast forward a few weeks to their Engagement Session and I could not be more excited! We chose a beautiful lagoon in Carlsbad, CA. With the giant eucalyptus trees and little wildflowers blooming everywhere, it was the perfect spot. The weather could not have been more perfect – warm but with a slight breeze.

It actually brought out tons of visitors jogging and/or walking their dogs! I had honestly never seen so many people at my little photo spot before! I thought it might be distracting for my cute couple, but I was silly to worry. Valerie + Adam were just so wrapped up in each other it was like everyone else in the world just disappeared.

They were amazing to photograph! I would guide them into general positions and give some minimal direction for engagement, and they gladly obliged. They hung on to their moments, held their kisses, and gazed so longingly into each others’ eyes. They were happy to cuddle and kiss and just be close to each other. To just enjoy the opportunity to be a bit romantic. This, to me, is a sign of good things to come.

It is very easy to get wrapped up in the details of planning your wedding. The lists, the dress, and the flowers, and the seating chart and the inevitable family drama. Just sooo many little details. But when you can shake off everything around you and allow yourselves to get lost in the moments celebrating your love, that’s when you can forget about the wedding, and focus on the marriage.  If you can focus on the love that is binding you, if you can make the choice to let it, that love will sustain you through a wonderful wedding day and a lifetime of happiness after.