Intimate Santa Barbara, California Engagement Session

After meeting in French class a number of years ago, Bianca, a model, brand influencer and natural hair vlogger and Quique, a director and animator who specializes in stop motion have saved the date for a warm November 27, 2015 wedding.

Aiming for a very intimate and natural engagement shoot, something to set the tone for their upcoming nuptials, the couple made their way to the waters of Santa Barbara, one of the most peaceful and romantic places to visit along the California shoreline. Ooo la la!

Tell us about how you met and all about the proposal!

My fiancee and I met six years ago in a French class. We were living in Puerto Rico at the time and I was in college studying for my Bachelors degree in psychology. I had always wanted to learn French, so my mom signed me up for some classes at the Alliance Française. Quique on the other hand, had just won free French classes at the same place because of a short film he had directed. But he was gearing up for his first solo art exhibition and with so much on his plate, he was reluctant to take the classes. His mom insisted he try them out.

I still remember the first day I met him like it was yesterday. He was late to class so everyone else was already seated, but when I saw him I immediately felt butterflies which was so strange to me because I had never seen him before, and yet I had this weird feeling as if I knew him. We talked a lot during class, which is probably why I never learned any French, but we just hit it off really well. We found out that we frequented a lot of the same places but never met until now. He used to be on the swim team in the urbanization where I lived, and he went to the same University I was going to. Although he graduated before me, he would visit often and that was actually where his first solo exhibition was taking place. God’s timing is so perfect!

The proposal was a dream, one of the most magical weekends of my life. we were celebrating our 5th year anniversary and Quique suggested we spend it in San Diego, visiting friends. Quique had finished his Masters degree at CalArts so he had been living in California for a while but I had just recently moved here and still didn’t really know my way around – which Quique took full advantage of. We packed up the car for a weekend getaway, but Instead of going to San Diego, he drove me to Palm Springs Desert where he had booked a stay at the Riviera Palm Springs Resort. As we drove up to the lobby he yelled, “Surprise!” He had the whole weekend planned out to celebrate our anniversary.

He took me to dinner, a three course meal at Spencer’s, this lovely restaurant overlooking the mountains, and then headed back to the resort. He took me out to the pool area where mini bonfires were lit up and there was a man playing piano in the background, singing, It felt so surreal. Then, he told me he had another surprise for me and gave me a card for our anniversary. I was already so emotional at this point, I was crying my eyes out. Once I got through reading the whole card, I jokingly told him to stop making me cry, and with that he responded, “You sure?” He pulled out the engagement ring and asked me to marry him. Everything was just so perfect I felt like I was on cloud nine the whole weekend.

The engagement session…

I am so grateful to Katee Grace who was our lovely photographer for the engagement session. She was actually the one that suggested we go to Santa Barbara. I had never been before and I absolutely loved it. She had all these great spots picked out for us. Overall, we wanted a romantic and intimate vibe for the engagement session but something that still felt very much like us. I really love how Katee was able to capture both, our playful spirits and romantic sides so well. These pictures are truly reflective of our love story.

The first part of the session was like a casual date as we started at Casa de la Guerra and then made our way to Meridian Studios. Katee had us dancing to no music, it was so much fun. The second half of the engagement session is reminiscent of an intimate beach wedding. I wore a flower crown that was made for me by Erin James, the owner of BuffBabiesShop, and opted to pair it with a white crochet backless dress I had in my closet. I remember thinking I could see myself getting married in it when I bought it and it felt like the perfect attire for the beach theme. What I loved most about this part of the session was that Katee had us write each other love letters before hand, and then we exchanged them and read them to each other. It was such an emotional and sweet moment, and I’m so grateful that Katee was able to capture that for us.

What did you do on your first date?

We went out to eat and then stopped for some ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s. I remember Quique did a quick sketch of me on a napkin while we were waiting for our waffle cones. I still have it to this day.

What’s your favorite thing to do as a couple?

We love a good movie night! Whether it’s going out to the movies or just relaxing at home with a huge bowl of popcorn and binge watching our favorite TV shows, we love those quiet times when we can just relax in each others’ company.

How has wedding planning been so far?