Kat and Randy first reached out to me in May asking if I was available to photograph their September Venture Retreat Center wedding. To be completely honest, I wasn’t intending on taking any more weddings for 2019, but Kat and Randy are friends with Jon and Christie, one of my favorite couples I’ve ever photographed and Kat and her sister went to the same high school I did! I actually met Kat and Randy briefly when I photographed Jon and Christie’s wedding and the brief interaction stuck in my head because of Kat’s infectious smile, which you will see in the photos! When we were chatting about locations for their engagement session, Kat and Randy knew pretty immediately that they wanted to have it at Coast Dairies State Park. They found this park by chance, but have been coming back for years and it has served as the backdrop for countless important moments for them. I’m so excited to share photos from Kat and Randy’s Coast Dairies State Park engagement session with you!

Even though it was crazy sunny in the South Bay, as I drove to Santa Cruz, I watched the clouds start rolling in as I got closer to the coast! Luckily, Kat and Randy’s love for each other basically lit up the entire park. They are so incredibly fun and so clearly in love with each other. We started the session up on the bluffs, where Kat and Randy often sit and write about their goals for the future. We then made our way down to the beach, where they have actually never been, despite having been to Coast Dairies many times!

When I saw the waves crashing against the rocks, I immediately knew I wanted to get a photo of Kat and Randy on the rocks right as a wave splashed against them. I love that my couples always trust me and are so adventurous, because Kat and Randy didn’t even hesitate before running off towards the rocks when I brought up the idea! Same for when I asked if they would be willing to get their feet wet in the ocean. I can’t wait for their Venture Retreat wedding!!