Destination Engagement Session | Lauren + Andrew | Santa Barbara Wedding Photographer

We were all excited to meet up for Lauren and Andrew’s destination engagement session in sunny Santa Barbara along California’s golden coast. Our first location was Clairmont Farms and its gorgeous fields of lavender. As a Santa Barbara wedding photographer, I adore Clairmont Farms as a venue because it has great variety. I enjoyed the massive trees that overlook the lavender fields, as well as the unique shapes of all the branches. Oh, it gets me!

Our second location, Gaviota State Park, was also pretty amazing! We took our shoes off in the sand, climbed some rocks, and watched the sun set.

It’s always fun to get to know couples during a session, and Lauren & Andrew were no exception. In between the photos, we all spent time reflecting on our days at Indiana University. Andrew and Vincent were even pretty sure they had a class together!

It’s great to get to know Laura and Andrew through their love for one another. Her infectious laughter and his quiet nature balance each other and help create the tangible spark they have. It all made it a wonderful environment which helped us to capture some beautiful moments, and it all happened with the breathtaking backgrounds throughout the Santa Barbara area.

From Lauren

“Andrew and I met at a mutual friend’s home our freshman year of college at Indiana University. The moment I saw him, I was immediately drawn to him by looks alone. Once we started talking, I found myself with a permanent smile plastered on my face. He’s incredibly witty and shares my sense of humor. I felt comfortable, and confident around him, which wasn’t the norm for me. That night we parted ways; however I remember immediately texting a good friend of mine to tell her I met someone so exceptional and that I couldn’t keep my mind off of him.

The beginning was a whirlwind of so many emotions for me. As a new college student, I wanted to be independent and take time for myself; however, for some reason this guy was too good to not pursue more. I remember staying up far too late getting to know Andrew. He was never shy about introducing me to his closest friends and he always went out of his way to make me feel welcomed. I remember feeling giddy for months after first meeting him. I was, and still am, always so excited to see him because of how happy he makes me and how safe he makes me feel.

From the moment I met Andrew, I had a feeling he would be in my life one way or another for a very long time. He is my confidant, my best friend, the love of my life. I can’t recall if there was ever one moment where I knew I wanted to marry him, probably because I’ve felt so attached to him since our first night together.

I’ll never forget when, in the middle of the afternoon, Andrew started playing some new song that he was really into. He has the tendency to obsess over new music at times. Anyways, we were waiting to go home for a college break and while I was packing up my things, Andrew made me drop everything and slow dance with him around my dorm room. The best part was, the song was not even remotely close to a slow dance type of song. I love how he is able to take any moment and make it memorable for me by just being his fun loving, affectionate self.” -Lauren

From Andrew

“My first impression was how pretty she was but I was hooked by her infectious smile.

I knew I wanted to marry her almost right away. We “officially” started dating December 2, 2010 (our freshman year of college). While we were home for winter break a couple weeks later we were at my friend Nick’s dad’s house and we were talking about my “new girlfriend”, he asked me, “if she could be the one?” I said I didn’t know just because I didn’t want to come off too strong. But actually I remember thinking that I knew that she was and I was hers for as long as she wanted me around. Luckily she’s decided to keep me around for good.” -Andrew