Engaged: Joseph & Shauna

The empty streets of Downtown Tacoma were the perfect backdrop for this urban engagement session! These two got to sneak in a date without the kids and capture some memories of this special time in their lives before they officially tie the knot this summer. The weather was miraculous too - the forecast predicted rain that would steadily increase throughout our session, when in reality it did the opposite and faded to dry skies as the afternoon progressed! We were all quite thankful for that!

We had a great time capturing several different looks in our short time together. The geometric steel of the bridge complimented Shauna's edgy style and the vibrant fall leaves went perfectly with the cozy plaid outfits they changed into! Shauna also brought lots of ideas to the session a la Pinterest and we did our best to recreate some of the shots she found! She and Joseph were so natural together that I know already they will be easy and enjoyable subjects to capture on their wedding day! I'm greatly looking forward to spending more time with them!

Engaged: Ilya & Natalie

There is nothing more fun to photograph than a couple completely comfortable with each other. Ilya and Natalie exude that comfort and ease, which gave a quiet joy to our time together. Their love for each other glows - not in a flashy, attention-seeking way - but in a gentle care for each other.

Not only that, but they have so much fun together! They could hardly stop laughing while we walked around downtown Tacoma and spent some time swing dancing to a distant violin serenading us in the city.

Can you believe that they thought they were awkward in front of the camera?! If this is the definition of awkward, they put the rest of us to shame! I can't wait to capture more of their joy and love on their wedding day in September!

Engaged: Curtis & Danielle

It's not every day when you invite a small herd of goats and a few chickens as guests to your engagement session!

Curtis and Danielle will be getting married this October at Black Diamond Gardens so we decided to take their engagement pictures there as well! The grounds have a fenced-off area for their furry and feathered friends, which was opened up for our time together. Little Gabriel enjoyed feeding bread to the goats and chickens and we all couldn't help but laugh at how forward the goats were!

Black Diamond Gardens is a beautiful venue and it was fun to get acquainted with it before capturing this wedding in the fall! I'm very excited to return here to capture the culmination of Curtis and Danielle's love story!