When Heather first emailed me about shooting her and Franklin’s engagement photos while I was in California recently, she said that I probably wouldn’t remember them from Susan and Lane’s wedding two years ago. WRONG. I don’t think there’s any way I could’ve forgotten Franklin’s hilarious dancing, and Heather is this gorgeous redhead that I was sure I had seen somewhere before. (She actually reminds me a lot of Isla Fisher, I think.) And these two are exactly the kinds of cool Californians you want to be friends with. Franklin’s a writer, mostly for sitcoms, and Heather’s an actress, and they have an adorable apartment in a gorgeous L.A. neighborhood. But because they’ve got roots in Virginia, which is where they’ll be returning for their wedding, they’ve still got some of that Southern charm which I of course love. ;)

I knew that they wanted to do a sort of retro-inspired shoot, but when I arrived at their house and saw all the costumes they had collected, I about died. And THEN when we got in the car and drove to the Neutra house, which they had rented especially for the shoot, I really started freaking out. Richard Neutra is a famous architect known for his incredible mid-century modern designs, and this particular house had been completely preserved and is now open to the public for tours. When we pulled up, I turned to Heather and asked if she had ever happened to see W Magazine’s Brad and Angelina editorial from 2005, before Mad Men was even a thing, where they played a family in the 60′s. (I have always wanted to recreate something like that.) She immediately said, “YES!! I have been looking at those photos all week for inspiration!” Ladies and gentlemen, if that isn’t a match made in mid-century heaven, I don’t know what is. ;)

So as we all celebrate the return of Don Draper, let’s bask in a little 60′s domestic bliss, shall we?

After we left the Neutra house, we headed back to their apartment to finish up. The California light was of course to die for, and now I really want a lemon tree in my backyard. :)

You two! Are so ridiculously good-looking!

Heather and Franklin, thank you SO much for making a dream shoot of mine come to life! You both are so sweet, and I wish you the absolute best of luck for your marriage! xo