Have you heard?! Karen D Photography has been selected as one of Los Angeles’ best wedding photographers. Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way, and to all the couples who have entrusted me with telling their love story. Cheers to you!
“Goleta beach is our favorite spot because so many dates were just us getting Freebirds nachos or Anna’s donuts and picnicking, walking, and sunset watching on that peaceful beach.”
UCSB Gauchos after my own heart! Sarah+David’s engagement session took place at the Ellwood Butterfly Preserve and at Goleta Beach–can’t get any more UCSB-outdoorsy than that! The duo’s early relationship “revolved around not just being UCSB Gauchos, but exploring beaches and restaurants (let’s be honest, mostly donut shops and Mexican food) in Goleta and Santa Barbara.” Take note–the Mexican food and donuts are recurring themes! 😉
We used David+Sarah’s favorite Santa Barbara attributes to pick the locations for their Santa Barbara engagement photos…
“We love spending time in the beautiful nature and sunny weather that Santa Barbara has to offer so where else would we choose to have our engagement photos taken besides Goleta, surrounded by beaches and trees?”
With spring in full bloom during their engagement photos, we used some of the vibrant greenery as a backdrop for their engagement ring photos.
The tall grass was so much fun to play with!
So how did David propose?
“After 10 years together, on Memorial Day weekend we got up early, a gorgeous sunny morning, and took our dog Zoe to Goleta beach. We found a quiet spot to sit while she played and that’s when David popped the question (finally!). We celebrated at Anna’s with donuts and coffee.” 
The two sported their matching Dodger gear for some of the engagement photos!
While the two now live in the Bay Area, they come back to Santa Barbara as often as possible, and for their wedding, they “can’t wait to share a weekend of celebrations, dancing, and of course a tiered donut cake with our friends and family at Circle Bar B”–neither can I! 😉
James+Tiffany brought together their closest family and friends and celebrated their love in an intimate wedding ceremony at the Santa Barbara Courthouse. The two wanted a small wedding, but also a beautiful location–needless to say, they succeeded with both!
The two had their wedding ceremony at the Santa Barbara Courthouse Mural Room.
The two really liked the architecture of the Courthouse, and wanted their wedding photos to highlight the beauty of the Courthouse.
Tiffany’s wedding details perfectly matched the elegant mood and feel of the two’s intimate wedding. One extra special detail was her belt. From Tiffany…
“My godmother from Taiwan made me a belt matching my wedding dress. I made sure to wear it even though she couldn’t attend.”
The duo’s wedding rings and wedding bouquet.
Congratulations, Tiffany+James!
Wedding Professionals–
Photographer: Karen D Photography
Hair: LunaBella Makeup & Hair
Florals: Cerritos Florist
Officiant: Patrice Handley of Santa Barbara Classic Weddings
Guitarist: Jeffrey Peters
“…I headed over to where he was and as I approached he knelt down like he was holding the octopus in the water. When I got there, he turned around, opened his hands and where I expected to see an octopus, was a ring! He asked me to marry him, I said yes, and the rest is history.”
Talk about an eye-catching opener! This adventurous two-some introduced me to Arroyo Hondo Preserve, where we took their engagement photographs. We had fun walking around, discovered flowing water (!), and I learned a thing or two from Sam about the preserve. Everything was luscious and green, the sun came out at the right time, and there were even wildflowers beginning to bloom. Scroll below to see more of their engagement photos and to read more about the two (including their unique proposal!).
From Sara: “Sam, who is two years older, lived in Isla Vista, so his sister and I would go over to his house to party on the weekends. I lived with his sister throughout college, so Sam and I saw each other frequently, but it wasn’t until after he graduated from UCSB that we began dating. When I graduated two years later, we decided to move to Kauai in search of adventure. We spent about five months in Kauai before heading back to Santa Barbara. For the next 6 years, we lived, worked and played in the beautiful city of Santa Barbara, exploring the beaches, mountains, nightlife and adventure that Santa Barbara had to offer.”
“In July of 2015, Sam took me to one of our favorite places, the tide pools off of Sands Beach near UCSB. Sam first brought me there 9 years ago to look for octopuses and other sea creatures. Since then, it has been one of our favorite places to explore. That morning in July, the low tide was at sunrise so we were on the beach early. As usual, Sam was off ahead of me in search of an octopus. After not too long, he called “Sara,” and held up his closed hands indicating that he had caught an octopus. I headed over to where he was and as I approached he knelt down like he was holding the octopus in the water. When I got there, he turned around, opened his hands and where I expected to see an octopus, was a ring! He asked me to marry him, I said yes, and the rest is history. Sam did find a big octopus that day and it posed nicely on my hand to help me show off my ring in a photo. “
“There was never a dull moment during that afternoon and I felt relaxed just being with him. Since then, I knew that it was him. 🙂 ”
George and Donna’s engagement and maternity photoshoot at the Ellwood Butterfly Preserve may have fell on a gloomy day, but these two brought their own sunshine and spunk to brighten the day. With spring in full bloom, the preserve was alive with flowers and wild grass, and the clouds created a magical backdrop, just in time for sunset photos. Enjoy browsing through their photos!
While the two knew each other in high-school when they both lived in the Philippines, it wasn’t until they both individually moved to California that they started hanging out…
From Donna,
“When I moved to LA six years ago, I started to hang out with George and other friends from high-school. We usually went out as a group, going for weekend hikes and trying out restaurants in LA. It was then I realized that George was not who I thought he was – he was actually a funny guy with a sense of humor and the type of friend that really listens to your stories.
It wasn’t too long after that the two got engaged…
The two also found out shortly thereafter they would be adding another member to their family…
“George and I are very active and we love to be outdoors and enjoy nature. We go to the gym and bike a lot, and I am the type that doesn’t get tired easily or takes naps. One Sunday, just hours after waking up, I found myself napping for 3 hours! George found it odd too, and suggested we buy a pregnancy kit just to check. I didn’t really think much of it, until the kit came back positive! We both were very happy and I kept on crying as we have been thinking of starting a family soon.
Considering the two’s love of nature, hiking and their engagement story, the Ellwood Butterfly Preserve and Ellwood Bluffs were the perfect location for their engagement and maternity photos.
The two will be celebrating their union shortly with an intimate wedding ceremony at the Santa Barbara Courthouse. So what’s Donna most excited about?
Looking forward to being a part of your special day, George & Donna!
Donna’s hair & makeup was done by Page of Absolutely Fabulous Glamour Studio.
“When we did the couples boudoir shoot, I must admit I was very nervous and insecure about it…The environment was beautiful and seeing my wife in all those awesome poses and outfits, all of a sudden we felt like exploring our wild sides. Doing something “outside the box” was actually reconnecting for us.”
Boudoir photos are an opportunity to feel comfortable in one’s skin, and to see oneself from other people’s perspective, without any possible negative inner-voices. It’s also a great way for couples to try something novel, and to reconnect.
Guillermo shared with me his thoughts about the experience…
“First of all, I don’t like taking pictures. It’s an ongoing struggle between my wife and I when it comes to taking pictures of us. My wife is all about taking pictures, literally anything we do she likes to take pictures of it. I’m not used to that and most of the time I find it really annoying. When we did the boudoir shoot, I must admit I was very nervous and insecure about it. However, Karen, you made it very easy and casual for us. When we got to the waterfall, it was magical and fun! The environment was beautiful and seeing my wife in all those awesome poses and outfits, all of a sudden we felt like exploring our wild sides. Doing something “outside the box”, was actually reconnecting for us. Will totally recommend it for other couples. It will spark a fire between the both of you again 🙂 ”
Can’t forget to have fun when taking sexy photos!
Maile shared her insight into how important the little details of romance, sexiness and fun are to maintaining a healthy and long-lasting relationship…
“10 years of marriage sure makes for a solid foundation in building the concrete grid that it takes to make something last ’til death do you part. But often times, thru the thick of getting to the root of what really matters and ironing out all of the “fluff” that doesn’t matter, it’s easy to lose sight of how much of that “fluff” can make a difference.
What started with silly kisses and sexy unmentionables, grows into more than just a “hook-up”, more than just a friend, and eventually someone you make a vow to commit to. But just because that vow bonds you closer than silly kisses and sexy lacey lala evenings- doesn’t mean your marriage should ever have to say goodbye to any of that.
My husband and I have danced thru the flower fields just as much as we’ve stumbled thru our share of thorns; and have gained much marital muscle thru both. In doing this couples shoot, we got a very friendly reminder of how significant it is to of course never abandon the steel, iron, and muscle that you’ve put into your relationship. But just because your relationship has grown so much from where you started with silly make-out sessions and sexy lingerie, doesn’t mean you should EVER put those “first base” moves on the back burner.
Making out with my husband, barely clothed, in front of a camera- 10 years, and 2 kids later after vowing “I’m no longer going to be just a silly hook-up”, was and always will be one of the non-silliest things we could have done for our relationship… that all began with just a silly kiss.”
Don’t forget to have fun and try new things with your sweetheart! Variety is the spice of life!
“Everything we do becomes a memory and as we plan this wedding I just keep thinking about how amazing it will be to get to look back on those memories and know that Ashley will be in all of them.”
The light. The romance. The FUN! Taylor and Ashley’s Coronado Butterfly Preserve engagement session couldn’t have been more perfect. The weather cooperated, spring came early and everything was starting to bloom (including the yellow mustard flowers!), and the two had the perfect combination of lovey-doviness and light-heartedness. Scroll below to read more about the two and check out the engagement photos!
The two met through Taylor’s sister. More from Ashley…
“Taylor and I both moved away from home to Northern California for school. His sister and I had classes together in college. I like to say the only reason Taylor and I even met is because of his sister’s hair. She used to have this bright red, spikey hair that was hard to miss! I recognized her in a few different classes we shared and decided we should be study buddies.
She was hosting a BBQ one weekend and invited me over. Tay was down visiting her from San Francisco so we met there. We spent the whole night sneaking glances at each other from across the room. At some point he saved me from this overly-drunken guy who wouldn’t leave me alone, he has been my knight in shining armor ever since!”
I had to use the mustard flowers, which were just beginning to bloom, for a few engagement ring photos.
How did Taylor pop the question? From Taylor…
“We went down to Santa Barbara for my birthday which was on a Friday. Ashley’s dad’s birthday is a couple days apart from mine so we planned a big BBQ with all the family and friends on Saturday. I told Ashley that for my birthday I wanted to go on a hike, go see the sunset on the beach, and then get a great dinner, just the two of us. She made it all happen. After the hike, Ashley’s friend called and said she had gotten a new camera lens and wondered if we wanted some sunset pictures, perhaps on the beach? (Oh yeah, it was all planned.) We went down to the beach that Ashley grew up on, took some pictures, and, as the sun was setting, I proposed. After a great dinner, we went home where her family was waiting for us with a candle lit path to the house and a bottle of champagne. The next day we got to share the news with all the family and friends, one by one as they came to the party. Best birthday I’ve ever had.”
What a great way to keep your fiancé from figuring out ahead of time you’re going to propose–have her plan the day with your birthday as a cover up! 😉
The Butterfly Preserve fell perfectly in line with what the two were looking for as a backdrop for their photos…
“Taylor grew up in Maryland around a lot of greenery and trees. He used to run through the woods with his friends all the time as a kid. He feels really happy and at home surrounded by nature. Since we had the actual proposal on the beach, which meant a lot to me, we thought it would be a really nice balance to have the engagement session in a green foresty area. The Butterfly Preserve was exactly what we were looking for: lush greenery and beautiful trees.”
The two are way ahead of their planning and can’t wait for the big day!
Ashley: “There are so many things I am excited about. I feel like I am getting to marry not only the love of my life but my best friend. We have so much fun together and I know that whole day is going to be amazing. It will be one big party with everyone we love, celebrating us! What’s not to look forward to?!?!”
Taylor: “Everything we do becomes a memory and as we plan this wedding I just keep thinking about how amazing it will be to get to look back on those memories and know that Ashley will be in all of them. The other thing I’m excited for is our friends and extended families getting to meet each other. Being from opposite sides of the country, we are so used to either seeing one family or the other. It’s going to be surreal to have all of the most important people in our lives together in one place.”
Taylor and Ashley’s wedding day at Glen Annie Golf Club is going to be magical!
Looking for inspiration for your wedding bouquet? Large, flowy, colorful and wild Victorian-esque bouquets with long ribbons are currently trending, like these bouquets. They’re fun, add elements of wilderness and creativity, are unique, and, of course, photograph well!
From Camille, owner of Camellia Floral Design, who created this masterpiece:
“Since Evelyn, the bride, is a gardener and passionate about specific flowers and plants, I was on a quest to find a few of her favorite varieties: the dusky brown-mauve ‘koko loco’ and ‘distant drum’ garden roses, as well as a beautiful spray garden rose called ‘florence de lattre,’ all from a local farm. She had just planted some ‘koko locos’ in her own garden. These subtly-hued neutrals, especially ‘brown’ and caramel colored flowers, are all the rage right now for the less traditional bride who wants an unusual take on muted tones. Needless to say there aren’t many flowers that fall in this range and sourcing them is part of the fun for floral designers.
From Carla, over at Hogue & Co., who designed this bouquet: “We were inspired by the natural, native gardens in Ojai and wanted everything to have a freshly picked, wildflower look. The flowers were chosen for their organic forms and colors – Iceland poppies on curving stems, big ruffly garden roses, locally grown willow eucalyptus.”
Happy planning! Have any questions or comments? Let me know either by commenting below or shooting me an e-mail at info@karendphoto.com.
