boardwalk to the beach | santa cruz engagement session

This has to be one of my all time favorite engagement sessions. I knew I’d love spending time with these two from the moment I met Marilyn and Jason and detected Marilyn’s Aussie accent, but when they described their style as modern, eclectic and quirky, I was in heaven…and I remained there for the entire engagement session when I got to witness the beautiful connection between these two. What really made this photo shoot so special was all of the thought and effort that they both poured into it, from the ‘save the date’ sign they crafted, to mom’s homemade cookies, to their stylin’ outfits, to their willingness to fit three locations into one session, to the fact that they even bought me a ferris wheel ride! Despite the crazy, corn-dog eating crowds, we managed to have the perfect and swift Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk adventure, (which would have been even swifter if I could have resisted the temptation that every brightly colored back drop posed to me and my camera.) We headed straight for the ferris wheel and requested a yellow chair (since yellow is one of the main colors of their wedding) and got on. Once the wheel started turning I suddenly remembered how terrifying a ride as innocent looking as the ferris wheel really is. As we headed to the top of the ride they laughed and kissed and looked beautifully in love while I screamed…loud, giddy, laughy sounding screams…as I tried to hold onto my camera for dear life and not ruin the potentially great shots of these two on top of the world. I survived, and I think we remained on top of the world for the rest of the day, having way too much fun while we had a champagne picnic, wandered through fields and ended up at the beach at sunset. Marilyn and Jason, you guys truly know how to bring the awesome and I’m beyond excited for your Clos La Chance wedding later this summer.