Judie & Z // San Diego Engagement Session by Kristen Booth Photography

Judie & Z's engagement session was simple yet elegant and I just love it so much! Photographed by the talented Kristen Booth, these three went down to San Diego to take their lovely engagement portraits.

Judie had this to say about their engagement session: Our engagement session was probably one of the best times I've had in a long time. After entering the crazy world of wedding planning, I stumbled upon an amazing Fantasy Series feature on a wedding blog and was just awed by the beautiful photos. After doing a little research on Kristen, I found that she was located in Southern California and I thought to myself, I have to book her for our engagement shoot! So after a lot of correspondence and planning, Z. and I booked a trip from Chicago to San Diego to do some wedding planning (marathon-style) and to have our engagement session shot by Kristen. The day was hectic - running around meeting wedding vendors, having my hair and makeup done, driving through traffic to meet with Kristen to carpool to our locations. I couldn't have imagined the photos turning out the way they did. Kristen was wonderful to work with. She immediately made us feel so comfortable and we were all laughing and having so much fun. I was dying to see how the photos were turning out because Kristen and her assistant were getting so excited about it all. Not to toot my own horn, but I had no idea we would look so good! The locations were definitely last minute decisions, but turned out to be so perfect for our outfits! Being a graphic designer, I definitely wanted something with a strong visual statement. After doing some research, I came across a research institute in Torrey Pines and thought this place was perfect! The concrete structure and textures worked wonderfully with my flowy red dress and Z.'s suit. It definitely made us pop. Our outfits were very conscientious decisions. We wanted something a little more classic and timeless and not too trendy. The beach was a no-brainer for shooting in San Diego. We actually shot at the beach the next morning since I was running late from hair and makeup, but it totally worked out and Kristen was so flexible. You can't tell from the beach photos, but there was a homeless man playing the recorder while Z. and I were posing, and he seemed to be just as amused as we were. Definitely made the whole experience that much more interesting and memorable!

Their love story: Z. and I used to work together. I was the receptionist and he was a project manager at an interactive agency in San Diego. I didn't like him. Not one bit. But through a mutual friend and colleague, Kate, (who is also my bridesmaid), I finally hung out with Z. outside of work and slowly realized that I totally misjudged him. He was actually funny, charming and cute, traits I had never associated with him before. Kate was moving, so naturally I was hanging out with her and Z. quite a bit more before she packed her things to move to Los Angeles. Z. and I would flirt randomly and that's when I realized that something was happening... It only took 8 months and a moving friend. It turns out Kate had been trying to figure out a way to get us together for quite some time. Knowing what I thought of Z. initially, she knew it proved to be a difficult challenge. She also knew that if I had the opportunity to get to know him just a little bit more, I would see what a great guy he was and that behind his no-nonsense façade at work, we were very kindred spirits and shared very similar values. That was almost 5 years ago. Since then, we've moved in together, we have a dog together, we also moved to Chicago in 2010 together. And soon, we will be starting our life as husband and wife together. What can I say? Life's good.

The proposal: Z picked me up from class around 10pm, wearing clothes that were much nicer than his "10pm-sitting-at-home-doing-nothing" clothes. Aside from me asking about it, there was no indication (ever) about what was to come. We get home and after much effort in convincing me to go to the living room, I made my way over and sitting there was a bottle of Veuve Cliquot Rosé, roses and candles. Me: Z, what's going on? Z: We're celebrating. Me: What are we celebrating? Z: This. I turn around, and he proposes to me. Z: Judie, will you marry me? Me: Is this real? I'm so sleepy... (hands on my head) After having a very difficult time processing everything, I eventually said "Yes!" And now, we're getting married.