When two software engineers who’ve worked together on movies like How to Train Your Dragon 2, Kung Fu Panda 2 and Puss in Boots decide to tie the knot, the e-sesh simply must have a nod of whimsy. They let Sunstone Winery and the beaches of Santa Barbara play backdrop as Rebecca Yale captured behind the camera, and you just might see a few Mickey & Minnie moments in THE VAULT!
From Rebecca Yale Photography… Bridgette and Alex are getting married next year in California and wanted their engagement session to feel distinctly California, but also a little unique. After talking about locations all over the state they decided to pick two perfectly “California” spots- the beach in Santa Barbara and Sunstone Winery tucked beautifully between the mountains in the Santa Ynez Valley. We started at sunrise with the beautiful pink light rising behind us in the East and stayed cozy on the beach with a warm blanket. As the sun and temperatures rose we headed over the mountains to Santa Ynez for a late morning walk through the vineyard and their gorgeous villa- and of course some wine. The bride works at Disney so we ended the session with her adorable Mickey and Minnie doppelgangers, dressed chicly in grey, matching their outfits perfectly!
From The Bride… Alex and I met in September 2011 while building custom animation software for the film industry. Our love of animation inspired us to work together on movies such as How to Train Your Dragon 2, Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots, and more.
What started as an office romance quickly flourished when I was invited by a colleague to join Alex’s weekly bar trivia team. This sparked a lot of hanging out together outside of work. Soon, we were inseparable– at work during the day, and either exploring our hometown of Los Angeles at night, or staying in while Alex serenaded me on the piano with improvised ballads and love songs.
A nod to serendipity, we discovered that we shared an alma mater of The College of Computing at Georgia Tech, and even had mutual friends there. Alex invited me to a Georgia Tech alumni event at a computer graphics conference on August 6, 2012, which we consider our first official date. There, we reminisced about school, talked about technology trends and our favorite amusement parks, and danced all night.
Since then, we’ve enjoyed many weekend excursions, fine dining, and ending the night with a glass of fine scotch in hand. To my wonderful surprise, Alex proposed in October 2015 during a romantic, candlelit evening at our favorite restaurant, Providence. We love the natural beauty of California, which led us to choose a sunrise engagement session at Butterfly Beach in Santa Barbara and Sunstone Winery in Santa Ynez Valley.
Photography: Rebecca Yale Photography | Bride's Shoes: Elin King For Marciano | Hair: Jeff Bruins | Groom's Attire: J.Crew | Venue: Sunstone Winery & Villa | Bride's Dress (Beach): Free People | Bride's Dress (Winery): Anthropologie | Groom's Shoes: Johnston & Murphy