Last summer, I had the pleasure of photographing one of the sweetest & silliest couples I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting! We waited a while before sharing their beautiful Santa Margarita & San Luis Obispo wedding for various reasons, but now, we are SO excited to be sharing their love story & their sweet meeting!

I know Kyle & Leilani through John, actually! John, for those of you who are new to my work, is my boyfriend and also my main second shooter that I work with! Leilani’s brother is actually John’s sister’s husband! In other words, they’re all family! So it was so special to be able to take part in their wedding as documenters of this milestone in their love!

Leilani met Kyle during her sophomore year of college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo!

“It was a blustery November evening and the shuttles that were supposed to pick us up from the party venue never came. I met Kyle because I had to hug him for warmth (with another girl). Needless to say, Kyle was having a good time, and ended up going on a date with the OTHER girl. My first impression of Kyle was that he was goofy, a little weird and had a lot of curls.” – Leilani

They originally shared with me this story of their first meet over brunch at a local egg house, and I couldn’t help but laugh! They’ve come a long way since their first impression! ;)

It wasn’t until a full year after this unexpected meet that their story began to unfold!

“I was a campus tour guide, and Leilani worked at the information desk where I started and ended my tours. After several pre/post tour conversations, I asked her to go out on a kayaking date at Shell Beach (where we did our first look). She didn’t know it was a date, and I think that worked out in my favor.”

Leilani confirmed this when she shared the following:

“At the time I had no idea it was a date and I had no idea the other two people who went with us were a couple. I thought it was just a “friends kayaking” outing. Had I known it was a date, I don’t know if I would’ve said yes, but I’m glad I went!”

For 3.5 years, they remained a strong, long distance relationship–Leilani up in NorCal, while Kyle took a job in the Inland Empire (very near to me!). Long distance, as you can imagine, is not easy to say in the least! But here we are now, able to witness their commitment to one another–the result of a strong fight for one another and their relationship together!

So how did the proposal go down? Kyle was one clever man!

“I hijacked Leilani’s Birthday celebration/convinced her several months in advance to have a huge party. I told her to invite her family and friends. I had all of my family come out as well, and made sure that her family knew to be there. Prior to the party I had a car pick her up and drive her to a private-ish lookout point of the Golden Gate Bridge. Inside of the car was a picture-book I had made with photos of the past four years of our relationship. When she got out, I was in a suit and proposed. I had a friend hiding in the bushes that snapped a bunch of great photos. He actually took video too and that was shared the night of the rehearsal dinner.” – Kyle

Little did Leilani know that on her 25th birthday, she would also be celebrating her engagement! More on their relationship later! :)

Anyway, let’s speed up to their special day! John & I got to work with Chris Ahn Productions, so we ventured up to San Luis Obispo with Chris, & Grace! I remember that it was a beautiful weekend! It was a bit rainy the week leading up to it, but the weather cleared up just in time for Kyle & Leilani, and even waited until after their night was over before the rain continued on!

Every little detail was gorgeous–including Leilani’s Maggie Sottero wedding dress & her sweet Kate Spade heels!

 

 

 

John actually designed their beautiful invitations & programs! :)

 

 

 

 

Kyle & Leilani got ready in two separate houses in San Luis Obispo, and in Pismo Beach, next to the sweet chapel they said their vows in near the ocean!

 

 

 

 

Before their First Look, they decided to read an intimate handwritten letter they wrote for one another beforehand. I absolutely love when coupes do this. I think it makes their First Look just THAT much sweeter when it finally happens!

I have to say, I think Kyle’s letter won since it brought Leilani to beautiful tears. :)

 

 

 

 

The ocean was just a block away from their stay, so we ventured out to an overlooking cliff for their First Look!

 

 

 

 

“I thought Leilani looked beautiful. When I first saw her all I thought was “don’t cry too much, you’re gonna mess up your makeup” – Kyle

 

 

 

 

“After 3.5 years of long distance, I knew that we had a very special and ultra-strong dedication to each other. Maybe it was our own respective stubbornness, but we didn’t want to give up on each other! I knew I wanted to marry Kyle when he was coming up at the end of his 3-year work contract and we were planning on moving to the same city together. It didn’t make sense to see my future without him.” – Leilani

 

There wasn’t a specific moment when Kyle realized he wanted to marry Leilani, but he saw that through their long-distance relationship they had learned how to keep their relationship going, and wanted to pursue pressing on together in life. Marriage takes work & commitment, and they both saw that they were ready for this step in their relationship. :)

 

 

 

Kyle in three words:

“Committed: Kyle is one of the most determined and loyal people I know. He does not give up on himself or anyone else and is an incredibly committed person. Goofy: One of my favorite aspects of Kyle is his humor, his dad jokes and his unabashed pride in his goofy personality. He makes me laugh every day. Unless I’m grumpy that day. Giving: Kyle will give everything of himself to his friends, family and job. He always thinks of others before he thinks of himself and he has the biggest heart.” – Leilani

 

 

 

 

The ceremony took place in an intimate chapel (La Perla Del Mar Chapel), and afterwards we ventured over to Santa Margarita, just a couple miles away, to Spanish Oaks Ranch, which Leilani found to go with her wedding inspiration!

“I wanted to have our wedding on the central coast since that’s where we met. Because of the region, we thought it would be fitting to have a more rustic, organic styling while also keeping a romantic feel. When we found our venue, it was the perfect blend of rustic and romance that we were looking for. I worked with our wedding planner Lara to find an organic, soft and airy color palette. At the end of the day, we wanted to plan a fun party for everyone to enjoy. We thought we hit everything on our wish list!”

 

 

When I say that Kyle & Leilani are silly, I guess it comes from their fun upbringing! I loved the fun we had with their family! :)

 

 

They had a lovely bridal party, too! :)

 

 

 

 

Oh, yes. Those are Ninja Turtle socks! SO GOOD! Haha!

 

 

 

 

I asked Kyle if he could describe Leilani in three words and I loved his reply!

“Leilani in 3 words: Best. Wife. Ever.

Explanation: I bet the rest of my life on it.”

 

 

 

 

“We lean on compromise and patience to make our relationship work. We are very different people, but we make it work because we complement each other and balance each other out. Kyle is very organized and I am “free-spirited” for lack of a better word. We make it work and compromise. This has also taught us to be more patient with each other as we learn about ourselves.” – Leiani

Kyle was sweet enough to carry Leilani back over to the reception for their grand entrance! Love it!

 

 

 

 

“One of the memories that stands out to me is the cake-cutting ceremony. We were using Kyle’s parents cake knife from the 1980s, so there was a lot of meaning behind it. Unfortunately, the cake knife broke right as we were slicing into the cake! It was a great light-hearted moment that was captured on film.” – Leilani

Though unfortunate, this was one of the funniest moments of the night that got everyone laughing! Haha! The knife broke off the handle, but the show had to go on! They used the blade portion of the knife to continue on with their cake cutting, so they still were able to technically use their parent’s knife! Something borrowed! :)

 

 

 

 

Being in Greek life at Cal Poly SLO was a big part of both of their lives, and it was touching to see Leilani’s sisters come out and sing a special song for her on her special day! They kicked off the beginning of their dance party! ;)

 

 

 

 

We snuck off for a bit during their dance party to take a couple more images before the night was over. :) The clouds had rolled back in, but the rain held off for a while longer!

 

 

 

 

“The biggest thing I am grateful for with Leilani is her ability to fight for what is right when it comes to the people that she loves.  She deeply cares about the well being of others and will make it her mission to make sure they are taken care of. ” – Kyle

 

 

 

 

“I’ve learned unconditional love and understanding by being in a relationship with Kyle. I have learned selflessness and commitment. Our little family comes first before ourselves and we’re ok with that.” – Leilani

 

 

 

 

“Our relationship works because we take to time to work on issues that we have. Marriage is definitely something that has to change and grow with us and we have learned that we have to grow together through communication and compromise.” – Kyle

 

 

 

 

Kyle concluded the night by carrying his bride back up the hill to their party that awaited them! They were ready to dance the night away! :)

But first–ALFAJORES! If you haven’t had them before, they’re a Peruvian dessert! And let me just say, they are SO GOOD! Leilani’s family actually hand made each of these little party favors! SO Sweet! :)

 

 

 

 

“One of the best memories from our wedding is having a group of our friends and family circled around us, singing Sweet Caroline!” – Kyle

Right after Sweet Caroline, they all busted out into “Shout!”, which was such a fun way to continue the night away! :)

 

 

 

 

Kyle & Leilani had a beautiful wedding day! Surrounded by their loved ones & able to just celebrate the beautiful story of their love in the area where it all started! So, CONGRATULATIONS KYLE & LEILANI! We were all so incredibly happy for the both of you! :)

Nearly a year later, where are Kyle & Leilani now?

“Marriage is work, but life is great. We both have jobs in Downtown Austin, TX. We recently bought a home & adopted a shelter pup, Bessie the Cowdog.” – Kyle

So sweet! :) Some advice from these “newly” weds?

“My advice is to listen to other people, take the knowledge that sounds good, and make your own path. There is no perfect way to get through life, you just have to figure it out along the way and try to enjoy it as much as possible.” – Kyle

“ELOPE. Just kidding! Take the time to understand the WHY behind getting married. You’re getting married because you love the other person unconditionally and this solidifies your commitment to each other. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the stress and chaos of wedding planning, but always go back to each other as the reason for getting married. It also doesn’t hurt to have more wine during this time!” – Leilani

Yes! I love Leilani’s reminder to take time to understand why you’re getting married! Weddings are beautiful! Just like Kyle & Leilani’s! But it’s the purpose of the wedding that really matters! :)

And last, but not least, here’s the beautiful highlight video from their wedding that Chris, from Chris Ahn Productions created!

 

 

 

Wedding Dress: Maggie Sottero // Wedding Shoes: Kate Spade NY // Hair & Makeup: The Queens Bees // Invitations: John Kwok // Wedding Coordinator: Sealed With A Kiss Events // Ceremony Venue: La Perla Del Mar Pismo Beach // Reception Venue: Spanish Oaks Ranch // Videography: Chris Ahn Productions // Photography: Margarette Sia Photography