“I walked out onto the porch, overlooking the ocean, and David was standing there. We spoke about how grateful we were to attend school in such a beautiful place, and we also ended up chatting about literature. That was when I knew there was something special about him.”
David+Zoe consider UCSB to be such an important part of their history together as a couple that it only made sense for us to take their engagement photos at UCSB, from the library, to Storke Tower and Storke Plaza, to the lagoon, the beach and then the house at which the two met. As Zoe states, “We have decided to stay true to our UCSB Gaucho heritage by incorporating special pieces of UCSB and Santa Barbara into our wedding story.”
We started off at Pardall Tunnel for the couple’s UCSB engagement photoshoot.
The two brought along their Goldendoodle dog for their engagement photos (and he may or may not have gotten a lot of attention from students)…
“We wanted to include Ozzy since he is the newest, furry addition to our family. Note to fellow dog owners on photo shoots: if you get near a body of water, better be safe and keep your dog on the leash – Ozzy saw a duck in the lagoon and dove right in! No more pictures for the wet rascal after that.”
Luckily silhouette photos on the beach were perfect for masking Ozzy’s now brown fur 😉 Scroll down to see them!
So how did David propose?
“This past summer, David and I, along with his parents and two other friends of ours (a couple, one of whom was the person who introduced us), went on a trip to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. David arranged a nice dinner for all of us, and when we reached the doors of the beach resort, we exited the cab only to enter another vehicle. The private car took us all through these hidden resort areas, draped with tree branches and peppered with animals. Once we arrived, we were led back to the beach area, where there was virtually no other guests. After we ordered drinks and soaked in the splendor of it all, David asked me to go to the beach to get pictures of us. Once we were out on the beach, he turned to me and got on one knee to propose. It was an indescribable experience. Afterwards, we had dinner at a table in the garden right in front of the beach, complete with champagne and fancy silver plate covers. The day could not have been more perfect.”
These patterns right by Storke Plaza and the lagoon served as cool backdrops to the couple’s romantic and fun photos.
After we took photos on the beach we walked on over to Del Playa…
“We wanted to take photos at the very place we met at UCSB – on that porch on Del Playa. Luckily UCSB students are so cool, they were totally OK with us coming into their backyard!”
So what’s the story behind how the two met?
“We actually met a party on Del Playa in Isla Vista through mutual friends (there is hope yet for IV parties!). I walked out onto the porch, overlooking the ocean, and David was standing there. We spoke about how grateful we were to attend school in such a beautiful place, and we also ended up chatting about literature. That was when I knew there was something special about him. Our relationship activities were anything but usual from that point on – including “tupperware fights”, driving across the country, and moving to China together to teach English.”
What are the two most looking forward to on their Santa Barbara wedding day?
“We are looking forward to being surrounded by family and friends on our special day. I am personally excited to wear my dress (yay!), dance, talk with loved ones, and to be finished with wedding planning! :)”
Cheers to all the Isla Vista lovers! Here’s to a fun wedding to come!
