Engagement Shoot
September 17, 2011
Courtesy Christine Chang, C Weddings Photography: http://www.cweddingsblog.com/
Today we had our engagement shoot by one of our wedding photographers, Christine Chang. It was somewhat of an ordeal because we realized that neither of us really had something in our closet that we thought would work for an engagement shoot (lost weight = no jeans for Junwen, frugality = Christine didn't have much for a nice dress at a good length, etc.) So we went shopping last Tuesday and this morning to try to find something for each of us...
In the 11th hour we were successful! Though the dress I got ended up having marker on it that we didn't notice til getting home, so we had to run back to Santa Monica to exchange it. Thankfully in the end it worked out, and our photographer was super understanding. She picked us up from there and we headed to Leo Carillo State Beach.
I'm so glad we had a chance to do our engagement pictures there, because it's such a gorgeous beach and I would have loved to have our wedding shots there if it weren't such a drive from the site. Due to Christine's generosity, we were able to have about a 2-hour shoot at several gorgeous spots along the Malibu coastline. At one point I whispered to Junwen that I felt like we were in a movie! The setting sun over the ocean definitely lent itself to that effect.
It was a really fun time hanging out as friends, and I think we were able to get over the awkwardness of someone taking pictures of you while you're posing, hugging, and even kissing, haha....
Afterwards Junwen treated me to the Thai restaurant real near the apartment--I was really thankful to have a delicious hot meal (it was quite cold!) without having to cook. We came back to the apartment and were just reminicing for awhile about what was happening a year ago, when we were getting together, how we felt at that time and even previous to that...To me it was a really meaningful time together amidst all the wedding planning...Actually it's amazing, but as we draw closer to the date, instead of feeling more separated from reality and getting overly focused and unemotional (sorta how I was in parts of July and August), I've been instead feeling MORE emotional (in a good way) and MORE in tune with the fact that I'm marrying an absolutely amazing man who I am basically in awe of, and in awe of the fact he feels the same about me! It's been a year, and yet we are both still in disbelief that the other could possibly be so in love and so awestruck by the other.
The plan had been to hash out our program after dinner, but after all the stress, a big meal, and relaxing over reminicing....We ended up conked out on the couch until it was time for him to catch the last bus home. Even then I could hardly keep my eyes open to walk him to the corner! It just goes to show how draining this process is, even when it is fun.
Two weeks away. Two weeks and the planning will be over. It's like an exam. Two weeks away and I feel so unprepared yet, and so looking forward to it being over with. But I am thankful to God that He has helped me not fall into the mindset I so naturally fall into when I'm stressed and focused...So focused I can lose sight of the importance behind what it is I'm so stressed about. Thankfully, this time around, instead of losing connection I find myself falling even deeper in love with the man I'll be joining lives with in two weeks. Gosh I'm so excited for that! I've already leaked tears of joy when the reality of him in my life sinks in...I can't imagine what it will be like in two weeks!