Malibu Creek State Park Engagement Session (+ El Matador Beach)

This is amazing Malibu Creek State Park engagement session was definitely a highlight for me. Rachel and Alan’s love story began when they first met back in 2016 during a job interview. Fun fact: Alan was the one conducting the interview. Spoiler alert: she got the job! ;)

In Rachel’s words: “We grew close while working together; we couldn’t stop laughing while he was training me. During those first couple of weeks, we didn’t get too much work done, needless to say. Eventually, we both kind of realized something else was going on (we both lost our appetites for a few weeks), and we started texting and would stay late and talk after work.” They had their first date at BJs just a couple months later and have been inseparable ever since; quite literally as Rachel says: “We literally spend 24 hours a day together and have yet to get sick of each other! We’ve always felt like we’ve known each other for a really long time, and we kept joking early on about how quickly things were moving. Before we knew it, a year and a half had passed by and we were engaged!”

After our session, had you told me these two had only met a little over 2 years ago, I wouldn’t have believed you. Their level of comfort around each other and their overflowing adoration for each other was incredible. Just being in their presence for a matter of minutes, you could instantly see that they felt at home with one another. Their connection is so strong and it was incredibly special to witness.

Their Favorite Things

Alan: “My favorite thing about Rachel… there are many… her persistence (she spent four hours each day driving to and from San Francisco for school back in the day). She is hard-working, even when the work is repetitive or when she is tired. Her intelligence. She is very, VERY, funny. She is caring, has great taste, is always trying/willing to learn new things. And she has a beautiful smile.”

Rachel: “My favorite thing about Alan… this is a tough one. He has so many great qualities! I really love that he always stays cool and collected and is really proactive when problems arise. He also always seems to know the ‘right thing to do’. He is intelligent, hard-working, and has a great sense of humor!”

Are these two not just the cutest!? Okay… now on to the best part… the proposal story!!

The Proposal

From her: “Alan totally nailed the proposal! He did a lot of event planning in college, so he was a pro at this.”

From him: “I bought the ring a few months before the proposal and had it shipped to my parent’s house so that Rachel wouldn’t find out. I constantly teased her about the proposal during those few months (to throw off the scent). Since we’re together all the time, Rachel knew my personality and preferences well. We are both introverted, so she figured that I wouldn’t propose too publicly, such as at a restaurant. But besides that, she had no idea about how I would propose.

The problem was that, at the time, I had no idea how I would do it either. It wasn’t until a few weeks before the proposal did I finally settle on what to do; a 30-minute helicopter tour followed by a rooftop proposal in LA, and then a dinner afterward.

On the day of, in the afternoon, I told Rachel to get dressed up for dinner. She knew that 2 pm was too early to go to dinner, but she had no idea where I was driving. She was asking the whole way “whereee are we going?!” To her surprise, we eventually stopped at Burbank Airport and stepped into our helicopter. (Rachel: “Neither of us had ever been on a helicopter before, so it was great to experience it together for the first time! We had a blast!”) Rachel was again surprised when we landed atop a building overlooking LA. There is where I got down on one knee and proposed at sunset. She said yes!

We spent half an hour following the proposal on the rooftop, enjoying the view with champagne and strawberries. The pilot captured some great photos of the proposal and then we drove to the Patina Restaurant at the Walt Disney Concert Hall for dinner.”

From her: “We had a five or six-course dinner with a wine pairing! The whole day felt like a fairytale or something out of a movie. Needless to say, I was floored! :)”

El Matador + Malibu Creek State Park Engagement Session

I am so sad that I won’t be the one capturing your wedding, Rachel and Alan. I know it’s going to be the most incredible day! But spending the afternoon with you and capturing this special time in your lives, was an absolute honor! I had a blast and completely adore the both of you. I wish you an amazing wedding out in Hawaii and a beautiful marriage!!

And now, I will stop rambling so you can enjoy some of my favorite moments from their gorgeous El Matador + Malibu Creek State Park engagement session! From the beautiful golden light to the rolling hills covered in trees. And the gorgeous rock structures on the beach at sunset paired with immense amounts of laughter and love. I couldn’t have hoped for a better session for these two. I hope you enjoy!