San Simeon Engagement Photos

Erika and Kevin’s San Simeon engagement photos were incredible!

San Simeon is another one of my favorite locations for engagement photos – probably right behind Yosemite National Park and Santa Cruz. I spent several incredible day trips here through my early college years because it’s the perfect beach. It has the crisp, sandy shores and stunning cliffside views, complete with a brief hike along the gorgeous ocean vistas. It also had a real parking lot and a bathroom, which are two big pluses for me.

Erika and Kevin first met at the University of Oregon at a weekly bible study. They instantly connected! A few years later, Kevin proposed at a lovely picnic overlooking the San Diego skyline. They were absolutely elated, and soon began their wedding planning!

When it came time to decide on a location for their engagement photos, I could see how much Erika and Kevin loved being in nature. I suggested San Simeon, my favorite beach along the Central California coast, for it’s gorgeous cliff-sides vistas, and lovely sands along the coast. Erika’s family travels to Cambria at least once a year for family vacations, so she was pretty familiar with the area.

Remember their love of nature? Erika and Kevin decided to make their adventure engagement session a fun weekend camping trip!

I always recommend a casual outfit and a formal outfit for adventure engagement sessions, which include 2 locations, because you’ll get more variety in the photos and have more options to choose your favorites when it comes time for printing and decor. You’re essentially getting the value of two photoshoots for the price of one!

The casual outfit can be what you’d put on for a cute, low-key date night. The more formal outfit is the perfect excuse to dress up! Long, flowy dresses and skirts look absolutely incredible on camera.

It’s important to note that you should only wear what makes you feel comfortable.

If you’re a more casual couple and dread dressing up, go for the jeans and sweater! If you don’t feel comfortable in your outfits, you’re going to remember it every time you look at your photos afterward. Pick something that makes you feel your best.

As the sun started to creep behind the hills, we quickly trekked back to the parking lot for a quick outfit change.

Another bonus of choosing to do an adventure engagement session, is that my husband, Kyle, tends to join me! (He loves driving, while it’s not my favorite). This ended up working out because once they changed into their formal outfits, Kevin realized he had left his matching belt behind. Kyle realized they wore a similar size and offered to trade for the remainder of the session. Kevin took the offer, and they quickly made the trade.

Erika and Kevin, I had such an incredible time capturing your love and I cannot wait for your wedding day! You two are such a joy to work with, and your love is such a beautiful things to witness. Thank you for inviting me to be part of such an incredible day of your lives.

Want to book your California Central Coast engagement photos?

I’d love to hear from you! You can fill out your information in my contact form, and I’ll be in your inbox soon. In the meantime, you can see my favorite photos from this Santa Cruz engagement session.