Oh gosh, where do I even begin? I am still head over heels in love with these frames. Not only did my dream come true to photograph at Laguna Gloria, but more importantly, I got to see these two sweethearts again. If you guys remember, Joseph proposed to Sean back in June, but they drove down to Austin for their engagement session (it was also Sean's brithday!), and I cannot be more thankful for their adventurous and willing spirits. From start to finish, they stayed troupers as we battled the Texas heat and mosquitoes. I also can't rave enough about how fortunate we were that day because the lighting was gorgeous as the sun was setting, and everything that we thought to be a challenge turned out perfectly. 

It was a special treat to spend this extended time with Joseph and Sean. I could sense that both were a bit nervous when we started, but over time, I loved watching them relax with each other. At times, it almost felt like they forgot I was photographing them! Joseph's humor always made Sean erupt into laughter, and it was adorable seeing them pause between moments to make silly faces and talk to each other. That's what I love most about engagement sessions and what I want every couple to experience when I photograph them. It just brings me so much joy to witness the progression of a couple's growth as they share about their future dreams and prepare themselves for a new season. I have so much excitement for Sean and Joseph, and I can't wait to photograph their wedding next May.

Joseph and Sean's engagement is a story that will live in my memory for years to come. I can't even begin to describe what an experience it was, but it for sure guarantees a happy ending. Though I'm based in Austin, I'm always excited when I have opportunities to travel for my clients. The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden has been on my radar for quite some time now so what better way to explore it than to combine it with a photo session!

For those who know Texas weather, it's fickle as heck. In one minute, the sun shines gloriously, but the next minute, it rains cats and dogs. And yes, that's exactly what happened the moment Joseph showed up at the proposal site. We, including Joseph and Sean's family, all hid under the arch of trees as best as we could, but we eventually got drenched in the rain. What a way to start everything, huh? 

Enough words from me, though. Here's the whole story told by the future Mr. and Mrs. 

---

JOSEPH: Chapter 1: Pre-planning

The Proposal, as told by the soaking husband-to-be: 

I had originally planned to set up a day of fun surprises for her including all of her favorite things (brunch, nails, puppies, donuts, etc) but after talking to a few friends, they said it was more worthwhile to save the exact moment. So I decided to plan to propose at a venue that Sean and I LOVED, but wouldn't be able to use due to capacity. This way, she'd still get to experience a special moment at an area that she loved. I got her mom to meet us there, and planned for a group of friends and family to meet us that evening for dinner. 

SEAN: I already had a feeling that Joseph was going to propose when he did because he said that he was going to this summer, and this was the first weekend we were seeing each other in about three weeks because I was studying abroad in China. That morning, I had gone to a friend's bridal shower and had to leave early to meet my mom at the arboretum to meet with our wedding planner. I had been eyeing the arboretum as a possible venue because it was so beautiful. I was actually kind of sad because I had a strong feeling that we would not be able to book it, but we decided to go anyway. 

JOSEPH: Chapter 2: The Proposal - Let it rain

My parents and brother had flown in and Sean's parents and sister met us at the garden about 15 minutes before Sean arrived. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and love was most definitely in the air. We paid for our entry fee and headed over to the location. Just as we were arriving, it started to rain. Not like, the sky accidentally spit on you rain. It was more, heaven nailing us with a water hose rain. Needless to say, all of us were soaked, and the girlfriend (now ex-girlfriend) was nowhere to be found. 

SEAN: I met my mom at the entrance of the Crepe Myrtle Allee and saw Joseph standing at the end of the aisle. I laughed when I saw him because he told me that he didn't want to go visit the venue with me, and there he was! It was so surreal and funny to walk down the aisle as my future husband-to-be waited at the end of aisle.

JOSEPH: The rain died down 15 minutes in and Sean took about 10 more than that. She was taking her sweet time tip toeing through the rain since she was dry from sitting it out in her car. There's nothing really like watching the woman of your dreams walk towards you as you prepare to make the 2nd biggest decision of your life (Jesus first, always folks). I really wanted to make her melt with some eloquent words but all I could dribble out was some mumbo-jumbo about Jesus or something. I wrapped it up, asked her if she was ready, got on my knee, pulled out DAT ROCK, and asked her to marry me. She said yes. 

SEAN: He said some really sweet things about us, our journey, how far God has taken us and how much farther we have to go as we walk with Him. He then asked me if I was ready (for him to propose) and I said no out of excitement, fear and a rush of emotions. He then joked that he could propose at another time instead and I saw no to that suggestion also. He then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I just giggled the whole time because I couldn't contain my excitement - and to keep myself from crying. It was a sweet and surreal moment of revelation of God's faithful promise of bringing forth a man after His own heart to romance and love and care for me, a daughter of the King. I can't wait for this next season of life in growing together in knowing Him and making Him known!

JOSEPH: Chapter 3 - Friends that became family

I kind of knew Sean had already realized that I was proposing on that day. You can ask her about that. However, she didn't know that she had 30+ of her closest friends in town and much of her family ready to celebrate with her! We had dinner and drinks at an excellent restaurant and had a blast reflecting on how incredible its been to have these people around us as Sean and I progressed in our dating relationship. The night continued with flashes of the running man, some Mario, and patty melts. Best day of my life, to date. The end.

SEAN: Side note - The story of the ring is actually a really sweet and important backstory of the proposal. So I had been very obvious with ring designs that I liked, and it was really important to me that Joseph like the ring too because, well he was paying for it, haha. The one that he ended up giving to me is a design that we both loved. He presented the design to a small mom and pop jewelry store we visited in Irvine, CA a few years ago, and they were amazing to learn from and work with. They custom designed my ring around the center diamond - each design is original and unique. The diamond itself has an important story too. My dad and Joseph picked out the diamond together from my dad's jeweler. It was so sweet to hear that it was a joint effort from both my dad and Joseph because this was an act of love for my dad to physically give his blessing to us by choosing the best diamond that he could. My dad and Joseph have always had a great relationship and hearing this story just made my heart melt. 

JOSEPH: PS. Vickie Liu and Amy Kersetter are bomb. The end. 
(thanks for the shout-out!)

Proposal Site: The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden
Reception Venue: Meddlesome Moth
Coordinator: Amy Kersetter
Chalkboard Art: Joanne Hu

To start us off, Happy First Birthday to my website! It's been a year since I created it with Elfrey and Rosanna's proposal as my first blog post, and speaking of which, they just got married! Can time pass any faster? 

More importantly, though... Happy New Years, my lovelies. This blog post is dedicated to every single one of you for supporting and watching me grow these past few years. While I'm quite tempted to write an obligatory end-of-the-year post, I decided to forgo it and instead feature some of my favorite photographs from this year. As I look back at these, I can't help but reminisce all the stories and laughter that come with them. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. 

To conclude this post, I wanted to share a segment that couldn't be written any better. 

"Thank you, 2014, for the tears that have made us stronger, the laughter that has made us deeper, the people who have made us truer versions of ourselves, and the glimpses of God in the monumental and mundane alike. And here’s to you, 2015. May you be wild and wonderful in the very best of ways, filled with the kinds of stories only God can write." - Rebekah Hall

Cheers. 

Hello everyone!

Before I even begin to write about Elfrey and Rosanna's proposal, I just want to welcome you all to my brand new blog. Make yourself at home, and have a good browse around! There is plenty more to come so check back often! To those who have been following my work, thank you for your patience and support. I figured I'd start off the new year with a new look and continue to share with everyone my visual journey through photography. 

...now moving on to the goodies 

What an honor to start off my first blog post with Elfrey and Rosanna's proposal. As I sit here trying to gather my thoughts and words for their beautiful story, I can't help but reflect back on the first time I met these two. I was only a freshman at UT when I first photographed them. I never really talked to either of them before their session so I just shyly photographed them behind my camera and tried to make the best impression. Who knew that day would become the start of a wonderful friendship for us!

I always count it a true blessing when I am given opportunities to witness a couple's love while I silently snap my camera in the near distance. With Elfrey and Rosanna, I knew from the very start they are extra special. They couldn't be any sillier, but they were also incredibly in love with one another. Then, over the course of a few years as I continued to photograph and build a relationship with them, I fell more in love with their kindness and hearts for Christ and each other. They have always been people who cared for me and my needs not only as a photographer but also their friend. I have nothing but love for them and it honestly just makes me want to work all the harder for them and give back to them all the of love they showed us. 

Congratulations Elfrey and Rosanna. It has certainly been a journey for you two, but this is only the start for many more blessings to come. While my photographs are only a small token of my appreciation for you two, I sincerely hope that they will always remind you two of how much you mean to each other. 

Now I will let Elfrey tell the rest of his love story!

---

"This is the story of Rosanna and Elfrey. Rosanfrey. Elfrey from Dallas, Rosanna from Houston. Separated by the great state of Texas, destined for together.

In the fall of 2009, Rosanna and Elfrey were eager to make new friends in a new place -- The University of Texas at Austin. They both signed up for Intramural Football with AACM. In September 2009, they met for the first time on the Intramural Fields playing for the same team: Hungry Hamsters. It was love of football and fellowship that initially bonded them. Years later, they captained for two teams together:  Team Who Must Not Be Named and Friendzone.

Following a perfect season and a first-round playoff exit with the Hungry Hamsters, Rosanna and Elfrey began to get to know each other. Rosanna would often visit Elfrey at Dobie, staying up til 5:00 A.M. with their friends, playing games and talking about life. Reciprocatively, Elfrey would visit Rosanna at Jester to watch episodes of Chuck and gorge themselves at J2. They finally exchanged numbers at the Piano Lounge after dominating Nertz as a team. Eventually, in his sophomore year, Elfrey moved to Jester and was fortunate enough to live 30 seconds from Rosanna on the same floor. Jester was a very special place for them, full of good memories. As a result of spending so much time together, Rosanna and Elfrey became really good friends with each other.

Rosanna and Elfrey were both engineering students of the Cockrell School of Engineering, with Rosanna majoring in Electrical and Elfrey in Mechanical. Perhaps their left-brained likeness helped with the eccentric chemistry formed between them. During the fall of their sophomore year, they spent much time studying Matrices together at CPE, and after many late nights of “studying”, their friendship blossomed even more. More than Elfrey imagined it would. One day, Elfrey liked Rosanna. He didn’t see it coming. He didn’t want to admit it. But he couldn't get her off his mind.

According to Elfrey, his feelings started around Thanksgiving 2010, but of course, Rosanna was oblivious to this emotional formation. The feelings that danced in Elfrey’s heart was however further mirrored in his and Rosanna’s dancing in ballroom class. The same semester they took Matrices together, they also took Beginner Ballroom at the Anna Hiss Gym. Two-step, waltz, tango, salsa, swing -- they danced and danced, developing a love for ballroom dancing together that they still share to this day.

Winter break came, and Elfrey was nervous. He decided to share his feelings to Rosanna. She was shocked. After talking things out, they agreed to continue growing their friendship and take it easy. However, it was clear that their relationship was moving at a different pace. On cue with the change in pace, they both obtained bikes when the Spring 2011 semester started. Biking around the city of Austin brought great joy to Rosanna and Elfrey. They would bike down Nueces, turn right on Cesar Chavez, and bike across the lake on the Pedestrian Bridge. To them, biking was freeing. Free from the slowness of walking and the inflexibility of cars, Elfrey and Rosanna biked alongside each other, exploring the city of Austin.

In 2011, Rosanna and Elfrey decided to spend their Spring Break on the East Austin Mission Trip with InterVarsity. They were somehow assigned to the same small group, a fortunate fate for Elfrey. The mission trip team members spent plenty of time at Mueller Park, enjoying the beautiful weather and creating wonderful memories to take away. Right after the trip ended, Rosanna shared that she reciprocated feelings for Elfrey.

However, life became a huge distraction when they returned to school after break. With school work crescendoing towards the second half of the semester and responsibilities to manage, it was difficult for Rosanna and Elfrey to spend quality time together. When Elfrey was gone for an entire weekend, Rosanna counseled her friends and mentors about the situation with Elfrey. They advised Rosanna to ask herself if she would regret not dating him. The following Monday, Rosanna approached Elfrey and told him that, “yes”, she wants to be a relationship with him. On April 22, 2011, Good Friday, they had their first date.

Elfrey took Rosanna to Zocalo Cafe, a pleasant little cafe nested in Austin. Mexican food for a first date? Not too shabby. After simultaneously changing their relationship status on Facebook before heading out to Zocalo, they received many texts affirming “it was about time.” Elfrey thought so too.

Throughout their relationship, Rosanna and Elfrey have always had an affinity for food. Good cheap food. Food trailers were the perfect destination for food-lovers on a college budget. Austin provided plenty of food trailer parks to visit: South Congress, East 6th, Barton Springs, South 1st, West Campus. A rule they tried to follow was: “no repeats”. Even so, there wasn’t enough time in college to visit all the food trailers they wanted to. But they sure tried their best.

Settling into the second half of college, they lived seven seconds apart at Villa Nueces. In this apartment complex, they shared two of the most formative years of their life. Tears, smiles, anger, joy, patio dates, massive potlucks, wine & cheese parties, TWO anniversaries, life lessons, home-cooked meals, video games, and many more. They shared life together along with some of their closest friends within a short walk.

The Tower will always be the distinct mark of The University of Texas at Austin. It is the one place that will always have its students and alumni say “I’m home” as they approach this campus that changed their lives. For Elfrey and Rosanna, it will forever remind them of their love for each other as well as their love the city. Whether it was eating Cornucopia on the lawn their freshmen year or praying for revival at their last Rez Week their senior year, the tower overlooks the UT campus that has given Rosanna and Elfrey joy and lasting memories.

So....

On December 30, Elfrey led Rosanna to the center of the South Mall lawn of the tower, and pulled out a curious handmade box of walnut with a violet aster accent.

On one knee, Elfrey opened the box, took out the ring, and asked, “Rosanna, will you marry me?”

How awesome is it that the whole day was completely cloudy, and as soon as Elfrey knelt to propose, the sun peeked out and painted the skies in such yummy colors!