Alright people.. the moment you’ve all been waiting for. To see the beautiful green grass, colorful flowers, surfer dudes, the palm trees, the roaring waves of the ocean on those gorgeous 75 degree days I spent in Los Angeles with the “oh so adorable” Julie & Ben.
And oh how I miss it already. There’s nothing like spending every day on the beach, playing volleyball with some rad Los Angeles-ans and then flying home to drop below the perfectly flat layer of bright white clouds to see that my home town is still covered in dreary mud and dark scary trees. I have spent numerous hours just day dreaming into these pictures of the summery flowers I remember once seeing not so long ago.
Keep dreaming right? IT SNOWED THIS WEEKEND IN KANSAS CITY! Come on now. Really?
Needless to say.. this was a fun filled engagement “day” that left me looking through over 1000 really great photos. Here are my top favorites. I love their “love” they have for each other. At one time, I asked Ben to tell me why he loved her so I could snap that super model smile Julie had so naturally, and tears came to her eyes. OH NO! I did it… well he did it.. (and I secretly love those moments) This is why I do the job I do. Because of THAT kind of power.. THAT kind of love.. THAT kind of moment.. where you know with everything in your heart that these two will be that couple in their 90’s that everyone is so jealous of, adoring their hand holding and Eskimo kisses in public… still.
So see for yourself. Just another perfect couple that I can’t wait to spend their wedding day with. (And not to mention.. Julie is one of my favorite people on the planet!)
This is for you Jewels and Ben. I enjoyed the hours spent on the airplane to get such a fabulous week with you and all your lovable friends from the west coast. Did I mention we went salsa dancing with the pros? If only I showed you those pictures.
Here they are. Enjoy love birds!
What to do now? Bored at work? Leave those comments for Julie & Ben (and me) below!
Wow, Jana. Maybe you should move there….you can totally tell how inspired you were with the new environment… AMAZING. Too many faves to name. xoxo
These are so awesome Jana! I knew they were going to be great, but they are even better than I could have imagined. Thank you so much.
Wow, wow, wow. These are INCREDIBLE. Jana, you are incredibly talented. And, Julie and Ben….these are so great!
Julie…those are some incredible photos. The one with all the seagulls flying overhead is my favorite. Wonderful job.
Jana, these are absolutely beautiful. I don't know the couple, but feel I do in what you have captured. You are going places young lady. Such a talent
They helped me out didn't they? π
Ben you guys were soo much fun! What a good experience. You got me hooked on L.A. too.
Moving to L.A.=lots and lots and lots of money. Did i say lots?
California IS one of my ultimate favorite places on earth though! Thank you for the sweet words.. you inspired me inspiring me (cheese)
Oh my gosh Jana….you are sooo good! Thank you so much! Not only are you talented, but you made taking the pictures so fun! (i knew you would!) I'm so lucky to have you both as my photographer and my friend! Oh, and you're a pretty good salsa dancer, too! π
The pictures are beautiful! The one with the books is very Julie and Ben and I love it : )
Wow, Jana! What a knack you have for highlighting the beauty of God's creation, including marital love! Thanks for using your talents and allowing us to see the results.
Wow, Jana, these are FANTASTIC! They are all so good, but I especially liked the ones on the beach. Beautiful!
Great, Jana! How hard was it to get them to pose for the serious look? I like the way you used the focus to create colorful backgrounds on the close up pictures. Thanks for all you effort!
Jana,
Great pictures! The experience looks amazing! My favorite pictures though would be the ones with the books!
Hmm, maybe Yellowstone for the Honeymoon? Would be a nice contrast to the beach scenes of CA? Very cute pics. My fav was the serious one–it had a dreamy look to it. 2nd favs were the ones with each other in the background. Later
These look great! Julie you and Ben look so sweet together! I am so happy for you both and you look fantastic! Great pictures!
So much PDA!!! Julie, in that one picture you are laughing and running, I've never encountered a situation in which strenuous exercise involves smiling. Obviously you weren't pushing yourselves on the run so try harder. In all seriousness incredible pics and I'm sure once Sam sees the pics I will be forced to invest in engagement pics aswell.
These are awesome! You two could be models! Great job, all three of you!
Webster's Dictionary defines wedding as "the fusing of two metals with a hot torch." Well you know something? I think you guys are two metals……… gold metals.
Awesome pictures, they look great. Nice job Jana. Can't wait for the wedding!
Ben and Julie- your pics are incredible!!!! My favorites are the closer up of the two of you on the beach with Ben's arms around you, and then the beach scene with the birds. You both look so happy and at home on the beach! And yes, Jake didn't know that I have already set up a photo shoot π
These are incredible! Too many favorites.
Julie…these pics are adorable!!! We miss you here at CLE!!!!
Stunning pictures of stunning people. Can't wait to see you both in person!
This is supposedly a wedding done the "LA Way" but i see no photos of guacamole, sitting in the parking lot that is the 405, abortions, Obama stickers on cars or playing beach volleyball. In a related note, while I may be excited about your wedding, I think I would rather play beach volleyball with you guys than be involved with you both in your wedding.
But I still am excited about your wedding. I'm just REALLY excited about beach volleyball.
OMG!!! I Love them all!!, you both look awesome!! I love that they are all so natural ! !!…..I'm so happy for you!!!
Ha ha… I love it Jacob. PDA is so fun! Look what we got..
Ba ha ha ha ha ha… this one gave me a good laugh. I think they are really BIG gold metals. Shiney too.
COME TO ME.. COME TO ME!
Join my Facebook page.. you can see some great beach vball photos. Ya buddy!
Beautiful Jewels! I know you will both be very happy in your new life together! π LOVE YOU and miss you! XOXOX
Yay!! These are beautiful!! Julie looks amazing as always! My favorite is the close-up of Julie with Ben kissing her hand.
Jana, you've captured the essence of the best of Los Angeles, of Ben and Julie, and their love for each other. These bring tears to my eyes, and I am so happy for them that they have found each other and that they have such amazing friends with such amazing gifts. My favorites are the ones with the books! These photos are just beautiful; Julie is beautiful; Ben is beautiful (not that I'm biased as his mom). What a memory and symbol you have created!
I love this metaphor, Ryan, and that you looked this up! π
Great pics! I just loved seeing them. LA looks even more beautiful than Des Moines. Seriously. Hugs to Julie and Ben; can't wait for the wedding!
Keepsakes to treasure from Ben & Julie…Jana, a labor of love that shows; very artfully (even though my son says it's PDA, it's very tasteful PDA) and delicately done. God has truly blessed you with a talent and we look forward to meeting you at the wedding. JEff says they look like postcards; he's requesting a "fishing" one. Our favorites are the one with the older couple looking on (just our age, I guess) and with Ben kissing Julie's hand. Maybe you can get the 'fishing' one on your NEXT trip?!
A. Angie & U. Jeff
Great photos! Julie, I don't know how you are going to choose! Ben & Julie you two look so happy together!!
Indescribable! You managed to capture the love they have for each other in photos. Beautiful. . . .Do you do Senior pics?
Aunt Dianne
Of course. Click on the "seniors" tab under LABELS on the right side of my blog. Enjoy! You can contact me above as well π
Amazing Pics! They really capture the beauty of LA. Kudos to Jana they are so artistic!!!
Unforgettable keepsakes from Ben & Julie! Jana, very tastefully and delicately done; God has truly blessed you with a balent and we look forward to seeing you in action at the wedding. Jeff says they look like L.A. postcards or pages in magazine for CA tourism…only thing missing is a fishing scenel…maybe next visit? We like the one with the older couiple (must be our age) looking on and the one Ben's kissing Julie's hand. Thanks for sharing!
This is incredible!!! Loved it!β₯β₯β₯