About four years ago, I got to photograph the current seniors of a Christian fellowship I was a part of at UCR. Two of those seniors, Regina & Garrett, were dating at the time, and of course much to their chagrin, the rest of their class pushed them on to take a couple of photos together! I remember laughing as Regina cringed at the PDA Garrett so happily gave for a couple shots! It gave me so much joy to find on my Facebook newsfeed that the two of them were engaged! And it gave me even more joy to receive an email from the both of them with asking me to be their photographer! :)
John and I met with Regina & Garrett at English Springs Park in Chino Hills on a beautiful day! It was just a bit windy, and not too chilly! It had been quite a while since either of us had seen them, so it was so nice to see them and catch up with their lives!
Now, let me finally introduce you to Garrett & Regina, and their story of love!
Garrett & Regina first met in the fifth grade at First Chinese Baptist Church of Walnut. They were in the same Sunday school class at the time! Garrett shared with me that his first impression of Regina was that “she was friendly, nice and helpful.”
While they attended the same church, it wasn’t until high school that they started talking.
“…I remember him being pretty socially awkward! Nevertheless, he struck me as being a very gentle and nice guy.”
– Regina
As time went by, Garrett and Regina had more and more opportunities to spend time with one another, and get to know each other better. It was during college that Regina really truly caught Garrett’s eye, and Garrett caught Regina’s.
“After high school, Regina and I found our selves attending UC Riverside. Gina was very inviting and open to spending time with me as we knew each other beforehand and as we were both transitioning into college life. We would walk around after classes during the night, play basketball or go to the gym, and often eat at the cafeterias together. I enjoyed spending time with her and her willingness to go on adventures with me. I also appreciated her thoughtfulness.”
– Garrett
“Garrett’s patience was something that initially made me start to like him. It’s one of his many endearing qualities that I saw firsthand in college since we both ended up attending the same school.”
– Regina
At the end of 2007, Garrett asked Regina out on their first official date! He had a “hunch” that there was some kind of interest going on, so he asked her if she’d like to get lunch with him at Red Robins in West Covina. She agreed and they spent time talking and walking around the mall. While Regina acknowledges this date as being their first official date, she remembers another occasion that counted as a date in her book since she had feelings for him at the time. :)
“I think our first date was at the Red Robin in the mall, but what I remember as being the first “date” or more so the first time I started liking Garrett was when Garrett asked me to join him and a bunch of other people to hike to the “C” in Riverside our freshman year. I was definitely not dressed to go hiking and struggled to keep up with everyone else, but Garrett stuck by my side despite my constant slipping and me being one of the last stragglers on the mountain.”
– Regina
As the sun set across the lake, it was sweet to see Regina & Garrett get more and more comfortable in front of the camera, and see a bit more of their love for one another.
“I realized I loved my SO when we started dating for a few years. What has been really notable is that she has been loyal and supportive by my side for all these years. She has been a source of encouragement and has walked by my side. She’s always been fun to hang out with as well.”
– Garrett
While Garrett described Regina as being energetic, goofy & joyful, Regina described Garrett as being patient, kind & weird. ;)
“Three words that describe Garrett are patient, kind, and weird (in a good way)! I have a lot of weird tendencies so being with someone who is just as weird makes me feel really comfortable. He also is one of the most patient people I have ever met and he has such a heart for others.”
– Regina
As you might have read, both Garrett & Regina enjoy playing basketball, and they played it a lot even while they were still friends! So of course, they opted to sport their Lakers jerseys for part of their session! So we ended their session with a bit of fun! :)
Now if you’re wondering how Garrett proposed to Regina, here’s Garrett’s little shpeel on how it all went down:
“I proposed to Gina on a cliff top viewpoint called Crescent Bay, which is in North Laguna Beach. After a fancy lunch at the Gulf Stream and some Sprinkles Ice Cream, we drove down to Crescent Bay. We walked down a long path and on a cliff top, I asked her to marry me; she happily agreed.”
A sweet, intimate proposal that was well suited for the both of them! :)
CONGRATULATIONS GARRETT & REGINA! I’m so excited for your wedding to come!
Happy Friday, everyone! :)