Garden Engagement : Elise + Chris

Their chance meeting was due in large part to a slice of pizza. A slice of free pizza, but Elise and Chris know the events surrounding that bribe may also have been enticing. Chris and his USC fraternity brothers hosted a mid-afternoon party at their frat house and invited Elise's sorority for a day in the sun and on the slip-n-slide.

Studying in her Delta Delta Delta sorority house, Elise looked up from her books at the clock and realized she could probably sneak over for a slice of pizza and get back to studying without being detected. She no doubt enjoyed the extracurricular activities of Greek life, but Elise simply wanted to focus on school at the moment. She slipped into a red bikini top and shorts, and made her way to Sigma Phi Epsilon.

It was there she met Chris, a charming, vivacious, humorous guy who easily persuaded her to spend the afternoon studying the art of Fun. Seven years later, they've traveled the world, created memories, and are set of embarking on their most exciting adventure yet: marriage. I'm extraordinarily excited to document their wedding at Pelican Hill Resort later this fall and I know great things are in store based on our time together last week!

One of the reasons I was particularly excited for Elise and Chris' engagement session was because of the personal attention they paid to choosing the right location. Wanting something unique, Elise suggested meeting at her grandparents' house in Orange County, surrounded by 10 acres of gardens, foliage, and sun-dripped backgrounds. It was the perfect location for engagement photos!

I'm very thankful for Jeannie Savage of Details, Details sending such amazing clients my way…from the moment we met, it felt like a perfect fit! Just look at how much these two adore each other…

Elise, you are something FIERCE…love it!

Elise spent her childhood roaming the gardens of her grandparents' home and their gardeners use their cherry-picker truck for most the harvesting, a detail Chris always seemed impressed with! 😉

There's this thing I think to myself sometimes behind the lens. Hairology. You know, the study of just how awesome someone's hair can be? As I photographed Elise, it took everything in me not to reach out and touch it. She's like a real life Pantene ProV commercial…

…SEE WHAT I MEAN?!

Chris told me at the beginning of the engagement session that the garden attracted the most amazing sunset light and he hoped I'd capture a bit of it…Chris, I hope I didn't let you down! 😉

To see more of Chris and Elise's garden engagement photos, feel free to CLICK HERE for a slideshow or simply watch it here with music provided by The Music Bed