Their mutual friends had met on match.com and were throwing a Super Bowl party to celebrate. When Evan arrived, the first person he noticed was Talea. She was in a bathing suit, and he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her! He was shy though and didn’t approach her. Talea being fearless, decided to be the one to break the ice by offering him a chicken wing (that she secretly didn’t like). At that point, Evan was pretty much in love – a girl in a bikini, at a party had offered him food and was good conversation. And so began their amazing relationship…

Talea and Evan, thank you so much for sharing your story with us. It’s so obvious you two are best friends. The way you make each other laugh, and share secret smiles when you thought we weren’t looking. From chasing the golden light with us, piggy back rides and watching the sunset. We had so much fun adventuring Douglas Family Preserve and the Santa Barbara coastline with you two! We are already counting down the days until we get to celebrate with you in Santa Barbara for your wedding.

Their Santa Barbara engagement session began in their mid-century modern home. We’re not gonna lie, the interior was to die for and the exact vision we have for our own future home. They popped open a custom bottle of champagne their friends had given them…

Then, we headed to the Douglas Family Preserve to explore the grounds and hang out in nature together…

The lighting was just amazing every which way you turned. Talea and Evan were in their own little world…

We just loved how affectionate they were with each other…

…and pretty much of for doing anything as long as they were having fun.

This entanglement of tree branches were so magical with the light shining through them. We just had to stop to grab a photo for their save the dates…

Then decided to stay a while…

So we could photographer Talea’s gorgeous ring…

Before heading to the beach, we grabbed one more shot amongst the blooming flowers. It reminded us of a wedding we photographed in Austin, Texas a few years ago…

There’s just something about destination weddings and engagement sessions that make us feel alive. We feel more creative, and see the world differently. The Arroyo Burro Beach was the perfect place to end the day…

Talea and Evan walked hand in hand along the sand into the sunset…

Have a great weekend!