The Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena is a striking choice for a city engagement session because its grand historic arches and the parks and trails beneath it give you both dramatic architecture and natural scenery, along with a little of the bridgeu2019s famous, eerie history.
Looking for a unique city engagement session? The Colorado Street Bridge and the surrounding parks and trails might be perfect for you. The Bridge has beautiful views and is close to gorgeous parks and trails, such as the Desiderio Neighborhood Park and the Lower Arroyo Trails.
The Colorado Street Bridge has a sordid history dating back to the Great Depression. The bridge was designed and built in 1912 and contains Beaux arches and picturesque streetlights. This Bridge has made numerous television debuts. Notably, this bridge was featured in La La Land.
To do your engagement session at the Colorado Street Bridge, the Lower Arroyo Seco Trails, or the Desiderio Neighborhood park does not require a permit. These locations are often not busy and the trees that outline the neighborhood are gorgeous in photographs. The one downfall of these locations is that there is not an easily accessible bathroom. However, there is aprking available in the nieghborhood and at the Lower Arroyo Seco Park.
The Colorado Street Bridge is beautiful and is the perfect location for a sunset or sunrise engagement session. At the base of the Colorado Bridge is the Desiderio Neighborhood Park. The park has a clear view of the bridge and has benches, picnic tables, a paved path perfect for an engagement session.
Another favorite of mine are the benches at Desiderio Park are perfect for cozy engagement photographs. One of my favorite prompts for my couples is to have them sit on the bench, look at each other and tell me the story of how they met or their funniest date/adventure together. This always gets some authentic laughs and smiles.
Nearby, is the Below the Colorado Street Bridge is the Lower Arroyo Seco Trail, which is gorgeous. Walking along the road between the John K. Van De Kamp Bridge and Colorado Street Bridge, I discovered a gorgeous hidden trail with a stone wall. The stone wall on this trail is partially covered by moss and is absolutely beautiful. Additionally, the neighborhood surrounding the John K. Van De Kamp Bridge and the Colorado Street Bridge are stunning and full of lush trees.
Old Town Pasadena is an excellent engagement photo location because its brick-lined alleys, historic storefronts and warm string lights give you a charming, romantic city backdrop with character on every block, perfect for playful, intimate photos.
So, you just got engaged (CONGRATS by the way) and now you want some gorgeous photographs to encapsulate your relationship. Or perhaps you are not engaged but want some photographs to celebrate your relationship or perhaps it is your anniversary and you want to celebrate it with a photography session. Well, Old Pasadena is a wonderful options with beautiful buildings and a old-movie ambiance, perfect for your session (maybe there is even a restaurant with sentimental value to you and your partner).
The original Old Town Pasadena dates back to the late 19th century and early 20th century. When Pasadena was initially expanding, growing, and flourishing so did downtown Pasadena, now known as Old Town. Between the 1930s and 1960’s Old Town Pasadena went through a stint of neglect and began to deteriorate. In 1983, it was declared a historic district. Since then, Old Pasadena has been revamped: buildings were repainted and new investors transformed the struggling Old Pasadena, into a new and improved beautiful destination. Currently, Old Town is home to restaurants, cafes, nightlife, shops, hotels, bars, movie theaters, and a shopping mall.
Old Town Pasadena has a rustic feel with gorgeous buildings.
It’s time for a little history lesson. So, when Old Town was reconstructed by city designers, they wanted it to reflect the style present between 1925 and 1940. As a result the color palate and building design of Old Town Pas is representative of that time period. So, in your engagement photos, you can expect this to give your photographs an old-film aesthetic that I love.
Old Pas is home to numerous restaurants that have warm, intimate ambiances with outdoor seating, perfect for engagement sessions. While this Old Town is stunning, it does get busy around sunset, so a sunrise engagement session is optimal.
If you do a sunrise engagement session, there are numerous cafes with delicious coffee and pastries that you can treat yourself to.
And if you do a sunset engagement session, there is no shortage of scrumptious dinner options.
Or if you want a midday engagement session, you can go on a stroll and enjoy quieter streets, catch a movie, and get some lunch.
Either way, you get to enjoy beautiful Old Town Pasadena and support local businesses.
Old Town Pasadena Restaurant Recommendations
Nine and Nine Thai Kitchen: delicious Thai food located Playhouse Village in Old Town. Keep in mind, they are closed on Tuesdays, but open from 10:30 am – 9:00 pm every other day.
Agnes Restaurant and Cheesery:a restaurant and cheesery. After all who does not love cheese. Agnes Restaurant & Cheesery serves American food and excellent cheese.
Il Fornaio:An authentic Italian restaurant dedicated to transporting you to Italy for an evening.
Arroyo Chop House:If you are looking for a traditional steakhouse in Pasadena, look no further.
Café Santorini:Scrumptious Mediterranean food, wine, and cocktails located in Old Town Pasadena.
Bone Kettle:Authentic family recipes of yummy Southeast Asian food. If you are interested in going here, it is important to note they require reservations.
Boiling Point Concept:specializes in Taiwanese hot soup, offering customizable hot soups with various flavors, and high-quality meat.
Dos Besos:Authentic Spanish cuisine in Old Pasadena. The menu consists of tapas, larger plates, paella, and Spanish wines.
Entre Nous French Bistro:The two owners are from Provence and produced a menu that reflects their origins.
Jumak:Named after an East Asian market, Jumak is delicious Northeast Asian cuisine.
Luggage Room Pizzeria & La Grande Orange Café:located in the restored historic Del Mar Train station. You can expect to find traditional Californian plates with high quality ingredients.
Me + Crepe:A yummy Chinese restaurant located in Old Town serving traditional Jianbing, a savory crepe.
Mi Piace:One of the oldest restaurants in Old Town Pasadena. Mi Piace serves delicious Italian food.
Paper Rice:Reinvented Vietnamese food, including Gỏi Cuốn (spring rolls), bowls, and Bánh Mì.
If you are looking for five incredible, romantic restaurants in Los Angeles, read this blog post! Or if you want my top five best restaurants in all of Pasadena look at this post!
Home Brewed Bar: A cold brew tea and coffee house. They brew their teas and coffees using the toddy method, which means they are significantly less acidic than standard brewing.
Bearology Pasadena:A boba shop located in Old Town that utilizes real fruit and loose-leaf teas.
Boba ChaCha:A traditional Taiwanese boba tea house with teas, coffees, and juice drinks.
Savvvy’s Coffee:A family-owned café with assorted espresso, lattes, and pastries. They have food options ranging from a quick bite to charcuterie boards.
Chado Team Room Pasadena:At Chado’s you will never run out of tea options and variety. They serve over 200 types of tea, sandwiches, salads, and pastries.
Coffee & Plants:The first fully plant-based coffee shop in Los Angeles. They have gone so far as to partner with the National Forest Foundation to plant a tree for every hundred cups sold.
Copa Vida:They have a variety of food options and perfectly brewed coffee and tea.
Dessert Recommendations in Old Town
Delight Pastry:Just looking at their pastries makes my mouth water. They have pastries ranging from a Chocolate and Orange Croissant to Eclairs.
Dots Cupcakes Old Pasadena:A boutique cupcake shop located in Old Town, who bakes their cupcakes fresh every day.
Wanderlust Creamery:The best vegan ice cream I have ever had. Wanderlust has unique flavors that are in honor of childhood memories and trips.
Hello Gelato:A small parlor with delicious gelato made with natural ingredients.
I Like Pie:Beautiful, handcrafted pies. If you have a sweet tooth, I Like Pie has both sweet and savory pies that will fix any craving you are having.
Mignon Chocolate:Sophisticated, delicious, crafted chocolate. Mignon has been in business since 1935, so they know what they are doing. Who does not love chocolate.
Old Town Pasadena Shopping Recommendations
All Love Collections: Facial spa with a focus on being environmentally friendly and using natural products.
April Blooms Boutique:Local Pasadena boutique with women’s clothing for everyone. If you are looking for an a dress, accessories or a stunning top for your upcoming photography session or an event, this is a fantastic starting point.
Commune Records:This is a record store in Old Town that sells both used and new vinyl records. They have music ranging from jazz to hip hop.
Homage:your new favorite place to gift shop. Homage has a carefully selected array of crafted goods, including handmade jewelry.
IPIC Theaters:A dine-in boutique movie theater with a wide selection of movies.
Norton Simon Museum:A gorgeous art museum with an array of exhibits and various educational options.
One Colorado: A mall in Old Town Pasadena that is home to an assortment of shops and entertainment.
A hidden beauty in greater Los Angeles area is Bluff Cove. Rancho Palos Verdes is filled with scenic views and sheer natural beauty. Bluff Cove itself overlooks the Pacific Ocean, providing a breathtaking setting to capture romantic and mesmerizing engagement photographs. Unlike other scenic overlooks, Bluff Cove has both sandy beaches and rugged cliffs, allowing both looks in your engagement photographs. Mixed in with a gorgeous sunrise or sunset, the backdrop will be nothing short of dreamy and will encapsulate the romance of your love story.
Bluff Cove is tucked away, like a little secret in Palos Verdes, and not crazily populated. So your engagement session will be intimate and let both of you relax, so I can capture each heartfelt moment. Regardless of if we take engagement photographs while you both stroll along the shore, or admire the view of the cascading ocean, there will be no shortage of picture-perfect opportunities.
The waves crashing along the shore, the rocky coastline, and greenery adorning the coast will add diversity to your engagement photographs and provide an almost mystical background. I know, at least for me, the sound of waves, immediately puts me at ease. So, if you are anything like me, this will help you relax and create authentic photographs. Perfect to celebrate taking your engagement.
To Conclude:
Bluff Cove offers magical views of the Pacific Ocean, creating an intimate and romantic ambience. Mixed with a sunset, this engagement location is picturesque and will let us take the engagement photographs of your dreams!
