They sat on our couch sipping hot tea and it felt as though we’d been childhood friends. Claire’s curly hair hung over her shoulder and her bright blue eyes radiated with love. We started our meeting with Matt and Claire, like we do all of your initial meetings, listening to the story of how they fell in love. I could tell within minutes that they were a match for us. Anyone could see how excited they are about their story, and how much they enjoy telling it, which is precisely the reason why we are a perfect match for each other. Matt and Claire have chosen us to continue telling their story through pictures and we couldn’t be more thrilled about it.
Claire started her story with, “It’s a tale of two cities really.†You see Matt is a southern boy from a country town in Virginia. I don’t really know if it’s country, but since it’s Virginia and I like stories, country paints a prettier picture for me. His accent immediately gives him away, but I’m quite certain it’s what caused Claire to fall head over heels for him. Claire, on the other hand, was homegrown in the San Francisco Bay Area, but to me, she looks like the quintessential southern belle. From opposite ends of the U.S., it was God who brought them together. No literally, they were at church in the middle of a worship song.
Claire was on stage singing in the worship band. As she peered out into the crowd, she noticed a new face. Being the social butterfly that she is, it obviously perked her interest, but the thought immediately escaped her mind when the following happened.
As Claire was leaving the stage, her pastor and longtime friend, came up to give the sermon. Before beginning, he transitions with, “Wasn’t that a great song from Claire? It’s been amazing to watch her grow up in life and in her walk with the Lord. All you single guys, you should know that she’s still available.†Though obviously mortifying, one could argue that his words were almost prophetic.
After the church service Claire went to lunch with a bunch of friends and to her delight the “new face” she spotted while at church happened to sit close by. She finally got to put a name with the face. She found out that he was “Matt from Virginia” and that he is quite rigid and shy at first. Being the bubbly person she is, she spoke more and laughed louder in hopes to loosen him up. After prying more information out of him, they found out they had one thing in common — the Food Network. That’s all it took. Once they found that common ground, the new face quickly became a new friend.
As they told the story of how they grew closer in their friendship, Matt and Claire seemed to move closer to each other on the couch. He naturally placed his hand on her leg as she spoke and you could see by his gentle touches that they were madly in love. I didn’t need to hear the rest of the story. Their glances, their touches and their laughter said it all.
But to my delight, she continued and shared about a pivotal point in their relationship when their friendship turned into something more. Matt hand taken her to a dinner party which, to me, already indicates something more than friendship. But you know us girls, we need to hear them say it. This was a make it or break it evening for Claire. If he didn’t tell her he was interested, she was going to just give up. They had a lovely evening together followed by a great conversation overlooking the view of the city, but he said nothing. It wasn’t until they were sitting outside of her house and she was about to get out of the car that it happened. Claire was fed up and was just about to speak her mind when Matt instantly cut her off. Finally finding the courage and filled with emotion, his phone flew from his hands as he screamed out, “I like you! I like you a lot!”
They laughed with each other and at each other as they brought their story to an end. And that is exactly why we love them. I enjoyed every minute of their story and I asked a million questions after they were finished. I’m sorry, but I’m into details. As they left the meeting that day, I couldn’t decide if I was more excited to have them as new clients or new friends. Thankfully, they are a two for one deal.
Matt & Claire, we are so excited for the opportunity to photograph your wedding and even more excited to have become your friends. Your love is plainly written on both of your faces and I can only imagine how wonderful your future together will be. Your ability to laugh with and at each other will get you through the difficult times. We can’t wait to see where the next chapter will take you. Congratulations again! ~V&C
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We photographed Matt & Claire’s engagement session at Wilder Ranch in Santa Cruz, CA.
We started at the near by train tracks for two reasons. 1) because I’m in love with old things and train tracks bring your imagination to a whole other era. 2) because we thought they perfectly represented their story of two roads coming together to become one.
Matt and Claire showed up to the engagement session with a truckload full of props to use in their pictures. It ignited my imagination and made me fall even more in love with these two.
Matt & Claire took dance lessons together. They are going to be totally set for their first dance on the wedding day.
We could photograph those eyes all day and don’t even get me started on the hair. Do not!
One of my favs — that look says it all.
This one makes me smile. The others make me laugh, but this one just makes me feel so happy.
Claire was not the only one working the camera that day.
Embarking on a completely new journey in life, it was only appropriate to document it.
Another one that really speaks to me.
54 Comments so far
I never know what to expect when I go to your blog but I do know I am never disappointed. These shots are FABULOUS!! Vitaliy and Candace, I love your work, it’s beautiful. These are definitely my new favorites
So cute! I love all the props they brought. She looks a lot like Kate Winslet when she was in Sense and Sensibility I think. : ) You guys always amaze me with your talent for lighting!
These pictures are AMAZING! I love them! Soooo, beautiful and professional, I’m so happy for you guys! YEAH!
These are truly wonderful photos. I feel like I am watching a gorgeous film with a wonderful romantic story line and incredibly beautiful actors. Except this is not a fictional story!
Can’t wait for the baby story:)
Love the props! How cute! I can immediately tell this is a fun couple.
they are all SO great!! the second-to-last one is my favorite, and a close runner-up is the almost-kissing picnic one. There is such a fun story behind Claire & Matt’s courtship, and I totally remember that morning at CPC when the pastor announced Claire’s “availability. Claire is a dear friend, and she deserves all the love & happiness that God has blessed her with in Matt. Good job, C&V, on capturing the beauty that God has infused into this couple’s love!
Being the mother of the groom-my heart was so feeled with emotion. I was amazed at all of shots. Vitality & Candace, wat a beautiful job you did on the photos as they each show how much love Matt & Cliare have for each other, the pictures tell the story! Thank you capturing in these pictures that Matt and Claire will share many happy years together and bring much happiest to both of our families!!
Matt’s Mom
The boys and I just looked at your photos all together, and they are captivating! Great example of a picture (or series of pictures) being worth a thousand words. Beautiful photographs, beautiful people. If you choose only one to blow up large, I would use the one of the two of you facing the camera, holding your suitcases, with your full bodies in the frame. Or, the one of Matt holding up the camera and taking a photo of the two of you on the picnic blanket. These are my favorites with the both of your faces visible by the camera.
It looks like these shots were for a cover of a magazine. They are amazing.
This looks like so much fun!! My two favorites are definitely, 1) Matt reading to Claire in the field at that cute table…and 2) Claire taking Matt’s funny face picture on the picnic blanket. Good job!
i love these pictures! wonderful setting, beautiful couple!
Wow! These are so great! The most creative engagement pictures I’ve ever seen! I love the one with the big hat and claire’s arm over matt shoulder!
These photos are beautiful, romantic, and fun! And I loved reading about their darling love story. Great job you guys!
…Good Lord! Literally!
These are truly smashing. I, personally, find the picnic-hat-and-thumb’s-up pic hilarious and I think you both look beautiful together.
God know’s what He’s doing. May He guide you as you become Mr & Mrs!
Beautiful photo’s, beautiful people, beautifully taken!
I love them! We had so much fun with you guys. All these pics are great, but.… where are the “baguette fight” pics? Too classy? Hehehe.
Great Shots! Great models and I loved the props, gets me excited to see what are going to be beautiful weddings pics!!
Love reading all of your comments! So much fun! Claire, I hope you are a fan of anticipation. I didn’t forget about those pictures, nor neglect them. You’ll see them soon enough! I saved them for something special.
Fantastic! I love the picnic blanket series, as well as the pictures with vintage trunks.
I think one of my favorites, though, is the one with Matt leading Claire (where she’s holding her dress and looking down).
Beautiful!
Those are BEAUTIFUL!! Love them. I especially like the close up one of Claire’s eyes and all the railroad pictures!
Candice and Vitaly have truly captured the LOOK, THE REAL Joys of a newly engaged couple in Love, Matt and Claire who warmly express each other’s compassion, care, loving kindness, playful ways and in a beautiful slice of paradise our own Santa Cruz mountain backyards! Warmest Congratulations!! Each picture displays warmth and love for each other! I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!
Great photo shoot!!!! I love the pictures, they tell an amazing story. Looking at these pictures I can only imagine how gorgeous the wedding day photos will be.
wow! i love these!! seriously they look like models… first for a classy magazine and then as world travelers.
and aww the train motif is really very romantic, good eye! i love how you tell the story! i am also excited for the wedding shots in time.
What beautiful pictures and what a lovely story. My favorites were the train tracks ones; the picnic ones with Claire wearing the hat and her arm around Matt, kissing Matt while taking the hat off, and the hat hiding one was fun. And I really liked the one of Matt up front holding Claire’s hand as she looked down. Congrats you two!
Wow!!! Can’t decide which one I like best — they’re all fantastic!!! Candace and Vitaliy brought out your beauty, vitaliy, exuberance, and love for each other in all the pics. We are so excited you and Matt found each other and see you have great fun together — simple joys and laughter get you through many challenges. Dad and I love you and can’t wait for the big day!!!! Thank you Vitaliy and Candace for your talents and friendship to Claire and Matt!
I don’t know if it’s because I shoot so much at WR or the perfect styling/props/outfits or the obvious love or the handsome couple or fabulous imagery but this is my favorite shoot of yours.
…I just went back and read the story of how Claire and Matt first met at the beginning and it was so beautifully written. I started to tear up a little bit.
Gosh, you make me want to go take pictures!! How fun and easy you (all) make it look!
All the photos are gorgeous and there are some stunning ones of you both individually, but I think the one that best highlights the two of you together and, something I love most about you both, your quickness to laugh, is the one of the two of you up close taking photo of yourselves with the apple in the foreground. Your love and happiness feels tangible in that photo to me. I love, love, love it! I am also quite fond of the one on the tracks, where you are holding hands as if you are walking into your future together and looking back into the distance you see where your lives bumped into each other. It’s fun. You can’t go wrong with whichever one you choose! M&C, you know I’m uber excited for you and lets be real, I could probably comment on each photo, so I’ll just leave it at that!
These are the most creative & fun engagement pictures I have ever seen. Looks like a match made in heaven! Great photography, & beautiful subjects! How could you go wrong! Can’ wait for the wedding pics:>)
you guys ROCKED the shoot! beautiful couple!!! i cant wait to see their wedding pics
Wow! Beautiful photos. Candance & V, you better get a good shot of me performing the wedding.
The pictures are absolutely gorgeous!!! I feel like I am looking at Mary in our younger days. Claire & Matt make a great looking couple. There are too many beautiful pictures to choose a favorite. Thanks for sharing the pictures.
You guys are just so dang creative! I love how you think to put their story into a visual picture with the train tracks coming together! And I was at church when I heard Justin saying that Claire was single, that is so awesome! And I think this blog brought the most comments I’ve ever seen!
Awesome!!!!! You two look like some kind of match made in heaven. Great props, great photography and even better couple.
Wow — my brother looks so sophisticated and mature. And of course, Claire is just beautiful. There are so many great shots and they all seem to capture their love for each other. Great job!
OMG! So amazing! I love that yellow dress and the picture of Matt reading to you is so classic! Oh! And the picture of you laughing, Claire, I can hear your honk when I look at it!
Photo #22 (from top) inspired an emotional response in me. Claire is so stunning, her quiet smile made my heart leap. So happy for them…and for C&V’s business!
Oh my gosh! Those are the best engagement photos I have EVER seen! I love them all.…but especially the ones with tea at table and wine on the picket…o.k. and the ones of you guys walking at the end…O.K.….I love them ALL!!!!
I love the creativity of this shoot! soo beautiful… and i’m biased towards the location..of course
sooo cute!!
Yep, gorgeous. I would expect nothing less from these models and photographers. I especially like the one where the wine is being poured. Just kidding, I love them all!
what is even better than the beauty of the photos is that you’ve totally captured how enamored he is with her! what i wouldn’t give for someone to look at me like that! beautiful work!!
The pictures captured their perfect love story.…it truly touched my heart.
The pictures captures Claire’s “inner Austen” and are lovely. I love the composition and the notion of traveling through life together on the great journey of marriage. The train and bags packed are my favorites but there is gaze in the picnic series that really says “the look of love.” Special photos that will last a lifetime and carry you through the bumps in the road.
These photographs are absolutely exquisite, and Claire you look truly beautiful . I think I’ll have to fly the photographers over to England if I get married
These are wonderful, beautiful, and I love everything…the location, props and most of all, you can really feel how in love they are!
What an absolutley GORGEOUS couple you are! Honestly, you look like models! And the BEST thing? You’re both gorgeous on the INSIDE too!
FANTASTIC photos V & C — what a GIFT you have for capturing the essence of a person on film! Oh, by the way, YOU’RE both GORGEOUS (inside and out!) too!!!
– we must talk about some photos of Daniel when he’s a bit bigger!
You are the most precious couple I’ve ever seen– this could be a professional movie. You have so much talent! Of course, the gorgeous blue eyes are captivating beyond belief! Congratulations. Can’t wait for your wedding day! Love, Irene
These are absolutely beautiful! Beautiful models and beautiful photography! Great job.
What beautiful pictures. The colors are so vivid and the settings are perfect. You two are the perfect couple.
These pictures are amazing! I love it when couples do something different with engagement pictures. Since I’ve known Matt I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this happy
Congratulations and I’m so happy for you both!
Some of the most fun, joyful engagement pictures I’ve ever seen. Beautiful!
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