Laguna Beach, California

Thousand Steps Beach is such a gorgeous location to shoot engagement photos. Christi knew she wanted their photos at the beach as she is a little mermaid at heart. Tucked away in Laguna Beach, Thousand Steps Beach doesn’t actually have a thousand steps down to it but on the way back up my legs certainly thought so!

When Irving moved to California a couple of years ago it was not long until he met the frankly adorable Christi. I kept trying to make her laugh as she has such an infectious giggle! It is no surprise that she is a school teacher – all the children must adore her.

One of my absolute favourite parts of being a wedding photographer is the people I meet and the connections we make. Since our initial meeting at Golden Road Brewery we have spent quite a bit of time together and I’m happy to call them friends.

The engagement session

Sometimes I will start an engagement session by just popping on some music to relax the couple before I get my camera out. When they started to salsa on a rock I had to grab the camera – being from Bolivia Irving clearly has the dancing in his blood but Christi is no slouch either. What started as a warm-up for them turned into a full on dance session. I cannot wait to see what they have planned for their first dance!

The beaches in Southern California are so special to me. I am forever finding new and hidden spots with each engagement session that I photograph. A few of my favourite beaches can definitely be found in Orange County. I am just drawn to the rugged shoreline that the region has to offer.

This was not my first adventure to Thousand Steps Beach in Laguna and it did not disappoint. After the dancing most of the session was spent getting wet! I was surprised but very happy when Irving casually asked if we could go in the water now. How could I say no?

Can you seen what I mean about Christi being a little mermaid? They even share the same gorgeous red hair. I have to mention the dress as well. Christi looked absolutely stunning and the red dress should definitely make an appearance again. It is from Lulu’s, if you are interested. Beautiful dress and it dried out relatively fast!

The engagement session moves to the ocean

If you look closely at the above photo on the right, you can see Irving’s reaction when the cold water hit him. When they received their gallery Christi joked she wanted to make a collage out of his shocked faces. Fabulous idea, and I hope to see the photos displayed at the wedding!

These two were just a dream to photograph. We were blessed with some pretty beautiful natural light, and they were happy to goof around and occasionally kiss or smile for the camera.

As you can see, we got soaked. It was such a fun engagement session though, and I think the wet hair really suits them. By the time the sun set they were still joking around. I think this has to be the first time I’ve had a couple shake hands for an engagement photo!

Please join me in congratulating Christi and Irving on their engagement and upcoming wedding at Falkner Winery in Temecula. I hope you enjoyed these images from their gorgeous Thousand Steps Beach engagement photos session.

Kate xo