Sometimes, things just have a way of magically falling into place. This couple seems to have that mantra following them at all times. Between meeting across the globe, a first kiss amongst thousands of people, to following their dreams, they seem to have a guardian angel helping make sure everything just works out. Their engagement session was no exception! A crowded beach with a lack of parking didn’t stop them from finally finding their spot, with gorgeous backdrops that allowed Becca Rillo to capture perfection with this gorgeous couple.
Their love story: Zane and I met 6 years about in Madrid, Spain while studying abroad in college. Spain is a magical place, full of history, festivity and beauty. Our first official date was at a cute little restaurant called La Gloria de Montera off of the street Gran Villa for Zane's birthday. And our first kiss took place amidst a crowd of 30,000 celebrating Spaniards in Plaza Colon as Spain defeated Germany in the 2008 Euro Cup.
Our summer Spanish romance evolved into a long-lasting LA love when we both returned home. Over the past six years not only has our love for each other grown but so have we. Through an immense amount of self-motivation and dedication Zane has found his dream job, working as a copywriter for the social media advertising agency, Fanscape. I have also poured myself into my career and am graduating from Keck School of Medicine of USC two weeks before our wedding and will be starting a residency in pediatrics at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles in June.
How he proposed: It was the weekend after I had finished two long and exhausting months on my surgery rotation so we decided to go to Orange County to visit my parents. Zane made plans for us to hang out in Laguna Beach that Saturday and said that he wanted to take me to a park that his mom used to bring him to when he was little. That morning we leisurely got up and made breakfast and Zane even let me take a post-breakfast nap (I told you I was exhausted haha). I had thought that Zane would probably be proposing sometime soon but he was so nonchalant about the morning that there was no way I thought it would be that day. After I woke up again and got ready, we headed to the park with The Lumineers "Ho Hey" playing on the radio. When we got there Zane had to do some convincing to get me to walk down the trail with him because for some reason I had decided to wear a skirt and sandals that day but when we came around the bend and I saw our nicknames inside of a heart drawn among other engravings on the rocks, that's when I knew. Zane said this incredibly thoughtful and romantic speech but through my surprise and emotion all of it I heard was "I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?". But that was all I needed to hear and my answer was yes.
The rest of the day was planned with surprises that I never would have thought Zane could pull off :). After the proposal, we headed to lunch over looking the ocean where I was surprised to find both of our parents waiting for us. The rest of the afternoon was filled with messages and calls to friends and family who were all so good at acting surprised even though they knew all along! That evening we headed back up to my apartment in LA where I was once again surprised to find it filled with our amazing friends and a proposal party put on by my incredible roommate Becca. The night ended with the surprise arrival of my maid of honor Winnie from San Francisco and dancing the night away in celebration at a concert by one of my favorite DJs.
The rest of the day was planned with surprises that I never would have thought Zane could pull off :). After the proposal, we headed to lunch over looking the ocean where I was surprised to find both of our parents waiting for us. The rest of the afternoon was filled with messages and calls to friends and family who were all so good at acting surprised even though they knew all along! That evening we headed back up to my apartment in LA where I was once again surprised to find it filled with our amazing friends and a proposal party put on by my incredible roommate Becca. The night ended with the surprise arrival of my maid of honor Winnie from San Francisco and dancing the night away in celebration at a concert by one of my favorite DJs.
About their engagement session: For our shoot we wanted it to represent us as a couple, simple and easy going. We really wanted it to feel just like a normal weekend day for us (but with a camera following us around haha). I kept it casual by doing my own hair and make-up and just wearing clothes that I already had in my closet. We go to Venice Beach often and knew that it would be a great location to find a variety of backdrops and different textures for the pictures. Little did we know that it would be one of the nicest days in March and that literally all of LA county would also be in the 10 block radius of Venice Beach as well. We drove around for what felt like forever trying to find a parking spot and I was almost in tears because I thought the sun would set before we got any pictures. But luck was on our side and we found a perfect spot and once Becca got her camera out the rest of the evening was filled with laughter and kisses. Becca is a family friend so we felt so comfortable with her. She's so great at what she does and really made us feel natural in front of the camera. The pictures turned out better than I could have ever imagined and I can't wait to see our wedding through her lens!
Photographer: Becca Rillo Photography | Dress: Free People
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