santa monica – Paper Ban Photography

Ashley and Dylan’s Santa Monica Pier Engagement Portraits

SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA

On a busy weekend, I met up with Ashley and Dylan on the Santa Monica Pier to photograph their engagement portraits.As far as beaches go, there’s none more iconic than the Santa Monica pier. The colors, the carnival games, the street entertainers, and of course, the ferris wheel.

Dylan actually works in Sacramento and comes down to Los Angeles as often as he can to reunite with his fiance Ashley. How romantic! After swooning enough with these images, I can’t wait to photograph their wedding!

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Jeni’s Baby Shower at The Huntley Hotel

SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA

Days after we took Jeni’s maternity portraits, she and her husband Dave held their baby shower at the chic The Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica beach. They had such a cute theme for their party – yellow ducks! Jeni’s sister told me they made all the decorations and party favors themselves, to which I give mad props because the ‘Baby’ chocolate sticks look and taste so professionally done!

The event was simple and elegant. It was a pleasure photographing Jeni and Dave with their friends and family, and to witness all the polaroids that Jeni’s brother took of the guests!

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Jen and Jim’s Beach Engagement

SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA

When I met Jen and Jim for their engagement session, they had just landed in Los Angeles a mere few hours prior. You see, they’re from Sacramento, and the day after their engagement session is actually their wedding day! This is an unusual circumstance to have an engagement session so close to the wedding day, mainly because many couples use these images for their ‘save the date’ or announcement of their wedding.

However, I am so happy we were still able to do Jim and Jen’s engagement session irregardless of dates. One of the reasons is because during this session, it allows the clients and I to get familiarized with each other so that, on the day of the wedding, they are comfortable and relaxed enough with me to let me in their personal space.

Photographing Jen and Jim for this session was a blast. They were so cute together! Because their wedding would be a beach wedding, they wanted their engagement photos to be on the beach as well. In one of the photos, you can see Shutters on the Beach in the background, which is where they’ll be having their reception on their wedding day. You can see Santa Monica Pier in the distance in some of these images as well, and I absolutely love them!

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Marissa and Nathan

SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA

I love small and intimate weddings.. have I mentioned that before? And as Nathan and Marissa described their plans for their wedding – ceremony and reception taking place in a restaurant in Santa Monica – I had googley eyes! As we met over their engagement session, it became clear that a backyard type of wedding is just the perfect type for this couple.

Their wedding day arrived. Marissa looked beautiful with her hair neatly curled and her imported-from-Australia lace wedding dress while Nathan was ever-so-snappy in his navy colored suit and slicked hair. What’s more, they opted to get ready together in the same hotel room, irregardless what superstition and tradition has been place. Rebels, I say!

And as their beautiful day goes on, the merry celebration of their union continues on to the late night under the dark L.A sky.

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Marissa and Nathan

SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA

In less than a month, Marissa and Nathan will be getting married. Though they are currently residing in San Francisco, their wedding will be taking place in Los Angeles as most of their friends and family are here, and, well, they used to live in Los Angeles for … a long time.

On a weekend when they came in to town to do a taste testing at the reception location and run the Los Angeles Marathon, Marissa and Nathan opted for an engagement photography session as well!

Marissa, wearing a spring coral dress and adorably curled hair, looked so cute in Nathan’s arms. Both confessed that having a couples photography session seemed a bit silly and didn’t fit their personality, but they did so well!! They charmed the camera, and magic happened, haha. I had so much fun as we toured a Santa Monica park and photographed their engagement session, and cannot wait to do the same for their wedding!

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