Engagement Photography: Mike & Gabby’s Story

Engagement photos are more than just pretty pictures; they’re a timeless reflection of a couple’s unique love story. That’s why I’m incredibly honored to be capturing Mike and Gabby’s journey as they prepare to embark on this exciting new chapter.

From the moment we started planning their engagement session, I knew this was going to be a special collaboration. We spent time discussing their vision, exploring their favorite spots, and brainstorming creative ways to incorporate their personalities into the shoot.

How They Met: A Love Story

Both transplants to the Bay Area – Mike from North Carolina and Gabby from Bucharest, Romania – they grew up in the same small community of Alameda, California. We spent much of middle school and high school simply being aware of one another. Gabby knew Mike as the short kid in the front row of our 8th grade Close-Up photo, and Mike knew Gabby as one of the Romanian twins. It wasn’t until senior year of high school that their paths finally crossed. With unwarranted help from their faithful matchmaker “Shley”, they began what they thought would be a senior year fling.

For their first date, they went to In-N-Out (of course) after their senior homecoming dance, where Mike used the little money he had as a high schooler to buy Gabby a strawberry milkshake. Fast forward a couple of weeks, they made plans to watch the annual Cal vs USC football game on Tightwad Hill. At the end of the night, as Mike was getting ready to take Gabby home, he decided to drive the opposite direction toward Shoreline Park, where in the rain, under an old tree, and with a beautiful view of the San Francisco city scape, he asked her to be his girlfriend.

The Last Decade

Even though they lived upward of 800 miles apart throughout their college years, their relationship stayed strong. They made countless memories visiting each other in Eugene and Los Angeles, and they truly “grew up together” despite being so far apart. When the time came to graduate from college and enter the real world, they moved in together to their first apartment in Los Angeles.

Over the following 6 years, they built a home together. They supported each other through the beginning of their careers, Mike enduring the long road to Gabby’s graduation from medical school, and Gabby supporting Mike’s entry into the competitive Los Angeles sales and finance market. They shared many wonderful moments getting to really know each others’ families, spending holidays together and taking several bucket-list trips. And in this wonderful, ever sunny place they came to call home, they decided to take the next step…

The Proposal

The day after their tenth dating anniversary, they had planned a trip to Catalina Island, a small island just off the shore of Long Beach in southern California, to celebrate the last decade together. Despite living in Los Angeles for so long together they had never been, and looked forward to a little getaway exploring the quaint Catalina community. It was a beautiful sunny day in LA (as always). They took a scenic ferry ride to the island and checked into the cutest little victorian hotel that was dubbed to have “the best rooftop view in Catalina”. They spent the day hiking to the Wrigley mansion, walking through a beautiful botanical garden, and enjoying each other’s company. When they got back to your hotel, Mike suggested they watch the sunset together – one of their favorite past-times. It was then, with the Pacific Ocean and the always amazing pink fall sunset sky in the background, that Mike got down on one knee and asked Gabby to marry him. She of course, through many happy tears, said yes!

They spent the remainder of their special weekend exploring Catalina, breaking the news to their families, and playing the best mini golf course they’ve ever seen (seriously, we recommend it!). And although many things have changed in their lives since this day (a graduation, a big move, and lots of wedding planning) they have spent every day excited to continue their lives together as husband and wife.

I’m thrilled to be documenting this exciting time in their lives and capturing the love they share. Keep scrolling to see a sneak peek of their engagement photos!