Erika and Ray : Engagement

She extended her left index finger and pointed at a vacant group of red tables. That’s where I was sitting when I saw him first. As Erika walked through her high school campus, she recounted the instances she saw Ray from a distance. As a bold freshman, she approached one of Ray’s friends and asked him to give Ray her phone number. Ray was a senior and stud soccer player, so when Erika pursued him, she made her intentions known. A few months later, they walked through their high school as boyfriend and girlfriend.

It seems so weird walking through the quad, Erika said under her breath, The last time I was here my mother was un-enrolling me from school…pregnant girls weren’t allowed on campus. She blinked back tears. Tears of nostalgia, joy, hope. Erika and Ray’s lives boomeranged back to their point of origin together. After years of dating each other—and pushing through the good and bad times together—they’ll be committing their lives to each other this August.

It was a beautiful thing to witness Erika’s life come back full circle. The last time she walked through her high school campus, she was on her way out…with a baby in her belly. Last Saturday, Erika and Ray walked in together…with two sons as their shadows. They decided to have their engagement session at the first place they met, along the hallways and corridors where they fell in love.

I’m honored to be a part of their day and I’m excited to photograph their wedding at Coto De Caza and work along side Courtney Toney and Joyful Weddings and Events for Erika and Ray’s special day.

Here are a few of my favorites…




Erika and Ray's kids were SO well-behaved throughout the shoot...I decided the spend the last few minutes of our engagement session snaping a few pictures of the family