Whitney+Noel - San Francisco, CA - SoMa, Yerba Buena Gardens Engagement

Noel proposed to Whitney shortly after embarking on a cruise through the Caribbean with some of their closest friends demonstrating a spontaneity and verve that we've come to know as distinctly them.  We first met them at our favorite San Francisco Design District happy hour at Skool, and unbeknownst to us, we were already just adjacent to their reception venue at the SF Design Center.  Upon hearing of their choice of venue, it made a lot of sense; these are a couple of Bay Area kids with impeccable style, so it only made sense that their wedding venue would reflect the same.  

When it came time for their engagement session, we were into their stylish outfits that struck us as both distinct but complementary to the other in an undeniably cool way.  Noel’s ensemble from Express and Whitney’s BCBGeneration fall colored tea party length print dress and killer ankle strap heels marked their slick style.  They wanted modern and clean with a unique city vibe so they decided to explore Yerba Buena Gardens and its surrounding SoMa neighborhood with us.  Shooting them was a breeze because they were able to channel their inner Beyoncés (hey, guys can learn from Queen Bey, too!) but also pivot to being just about the sweetest couple ever.  They were electric on camera contrary to their warnings when we met them at Skool, only giving us more reasons to never believe our clients they say they’re awkward/weird together. 

More than anything, we just loved being with them; they made us feel like old friends and collaborators taking our ideas and adding their own edge.  We really appreciated their trust in our ideas; one example would be the title image to this blog, when we had to get Noel to snuggle tight into Whitney’s neck and kiss her.  No problem at home, but you know, in the middle of San Francisco and some leery eyes, it was a bit of a performance they had to concentrate and tap into some sort of mental fortitude to pull off for us.  Newflash, it totally worked.

We loved our evening with Whitney and Noel, and are looking forward to their special day soon.  We can’t thank them enough for bringing us into their fold and gracing us with their spirit and style.  Congrats guys!

Elsie+Prince - San Jose, CA - San Jose City Hall, Downtown San Jose Engagement

Thinking back to the first day of middle school as a nerdy 6th grader/budding saxophonist/avid Magic: The Gathering tournament goer, we remember upperclassmen, especially of 8th grade and popular variety, being equal parts cool and terrifying.  You wanted to be like them, but you dare not attract their gaze unless you were really into feeling uncool.  You could spot the cool kids from a mile away, impeccably dressed with a cooly disconnected air of knowing they were rad but didn’t care they were.

Spotting Elsie and Prince from across the courtyard in front of San Jose City Hall brought about those same cool-kid feelings.  There was something in their strut, their manner, that signaled a powerful confidence that might have terrified my younger self.  The parallels to middle school life ended there though, because these were just about as gracious and genuinely grateful as you could hope; huge bonus points that they were incredible on camera (especially because, you know, engagement session ;-) ).

Elsie said that she imagined clean, modern,  and dramatic for the shoot and was appropriately dressed the part in a great black full length gown.  Prince matched her perfectly and provided a nice punch of color in a smartly fitted maroon button down.  Their outfits looked great against the stone, metal and glass of San Jose City Hall, striking the exact notes Elsie was going for.  As great as it was for them to play cool, it was really fun to see them let loose a little and show their sweeter sides.  They were incredibly well rounded, and it was obvious how they were meant to be together by the way they so naturally fell into each other in any scenario I asked them.  The connection between them was powerful \ even in photos where they weren’t next to each other; somehow they managed to put on a subtle expression or turn of their body to connect with the other across the frame.

After a quick wardrobe change, Elsie stunned in red number that matched perfectly with Prince’s shoes (so we obviously had to do something with that ;-) ).  Their more casual look was great againstDowntown San Jose where we ended the night.  Hanging out with them that evening was like hanging with old friends, and we have to thank them for being the most down to earth, wonderful, considerate people for which you could ever hope.  We got them for the evening, and hope to have them again!  Big thanks to Elsie and Prince for helping us avoid middle school PTSD for being an example of cool that is also kind!

Janelle+Danny - San Francisco, CA - SoMa, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Pre-Wedding

If Janelle and Danny seem familiar, your déja vu is warranted; we previously featured them in their full engagement session a few months ago.  While we were planning that misty session on beach session in Marin, the idea of doing something with a city feel came up in discussion.  We assume they never really let go of that wish, and they approached us for a short session in San Francisco.  We were only too happy to oblige them!  The Yerba Buena Center and the adjacent glass, concrete, and steel structures endemic to it and adjacent SoMa areas served as the backdrop for this shoot.  We traded sweeping vistas into the ocean and the craggy dioramas of their engagement session for clean lines metal and pure planes of glass.

They were equally great in this setting as they were on the beach, which was no surprise; at their core, Janelle and Danny are a great balance of a great love, the ease that only comes with knowing each other so well, and the passion from understanding what the other needs.  All told, we’re only more excited to cover their wedding soon!

Her Outfit Fashion Nova || His Wardrobe Express, Aldo Shoes