I was lucky enough to travel to San Francisco a few weeks ago to capture the engagement session for one of my sweet 2020 couples, Abby and Robert! These two will be getting married at the beautiful Fairmont Hotel in Washington, DC next June, but are currently living in SF. They thought it would be a fun way to remember their time in the city as they don’t plan to stay forever and they knew we would get plenty of photos in the District on the wedding day.

Abby and Robert both grew up outside of DC in the Virginia suburbs. They actually both attended UVA, at the same time, nonetheless! They didn’t really know each other at the time, but in a weird twist of fate, were in the same extracurricular club. They realized a few months ago when they were Googling themselves (to ensure their wedding website wasn’t live yet!) that there was actually a picture floating around from said club with them BOTH in it – just three people apart. Life is funny, isn’t it!?

They officially met after graduating from college through a mutual friend who organized a small lunch for UVA grads. A few weeks later Abby invited Robert to her small birthday party where he met her parents, sister, and closest friends  — “trial by fire,” as Abby put it! These two shared their first real date kayaking down the Potomac.

Down the road, they decided that they wanted to work towards an MBA, together. They knew that getting into the same program at the same school was going to be tough, but no one will ever tell you these two aren’t determined. They looked at a lot of options — there’s no shortage of great MBA programs! —  and really wanted to stay on the east coast to be near their families that both live in VA. Fate, of course, had another plan. Robert attended a fair where Berkeley was presenting. He was immediately drawn to the school because they didn’t just focus on developing professionals interested in making a project; they developed individuals who wanted to make a difference. And after a bit of convincing and a lot of paperwork/interviews, they found themselves on the west coast. They just graduated this past spring and are starting their careers at a consulting firm, focusing on social impact and sustainability, true to the mission of Cal.

We started off their session at the iconic San Francisco City Hall… well, part one anyway! We had quite a few stops, so I’ll be sharing part two at Marin Headlands and Sutro Baths later this week! City Hall was a “must stop” for all of us; with it’s gorgeous architecture both inside and out, there was so much to love. We even finished off this part with a celebratory champagne toast, complete with a saber and all! This might just be one of my all time favorite shoots, but be sure to check back for part two as that west coast sunset cannot be beat!