Last year, I joined forces with Christine of Sweetly Memorable Weddings & Events, Jennifer of In Flower, & Ammi of Beauty Creator to throw a special 2016 Bridal Giveaway! One of the prizes was an engagement session I gave away, which was happily bestowed upon our first place winners, Jamie & Kenny! This sweet couple had already had their engagement photos taken, so we decided to create this session a bit more of a lifestyle session of the two of them in casual beach attire at one of Kenny’s favorite spots in Laguna Beach! :)
While it’s been a warm summer, the day we chose for their session ended up being a bit on the cloudy side! It was actually overcast our entire session until the very end, when Mr. Sun decided to come out & play! John & I met up with Kenny & Jamie atop of a steep hill that led down into a beautiful, private beach! With them was the sweet, sweet aroma of tasty burritos they toted along from La Sirena Grill, which they shared with us (YAS!!)! They were SO GOOD. We instantly became friends. ;)
Anyway, due to a couple of unforeseen & unavoidable circumstances (like traffic), our session became a bit of a mini session, but have no fear! They totally rocked it, & I loved the amount of authenticity I got to witness & photograph between the two of them!
I loved getting to hear a bit of their story, as well! Kenny met Jamie at church in a young adults fellowship during college! Jamie’s first impression of Kenny was that he was “big… as in tall of course.” Haha! She added that he was also funny & always shared good points whenever they had discussions about their reading topics!
“Kenny asked me out first. He told me he liked me. I told him I had no feelings for him. He acknowledged that and asked if I would be willing to go on a date. I had always respected him & knew he was a really good guy, so after some encouragement from my friend Mish, I decided to go on one date.”
Kenny was one intentional man! Knowing that she was initially uninterested, he still shared with her what he appreciated & admired about her, looking for nothing in return, though I’m sure he gained some brownie points with Jamie! ;) She definitely really appreciated his pursuit & words of encouragement. “It was a nice change from either not hearing nice things from someone you’re with, or hearing nice things from someone and not knowing where things were going.”
Well one thing led to another & the two became boyfriend & girlfriend, then fiancés & tomorrow they’ll be tying the knot & becoming husband & wife! :)
Without further adieu, take a look at their sweet casual engagement session on the shores of Laguna Beach, & read a bit more about their love story through the eyes of Jamie!
To start, we began their sessions with the burritos.. because well… how could we not? The smell seriously induced so many grumblies in our tummies! And Kenny & Jamie were seriously the cutest! They began by toasting their burritos before eating them! :)
“What attracted me about Kenny the most was his ability and his drive to do big things and to do them for God. He’s able to make big plans but also plan out the little steps to actually accomplish them. And I find so much security in knowing that he does everything out of thankfulness for all the things he’s been given, and not out of self-sustained ambition.”
– Jamie
And of course, a little bit of running around to run off the burritos! ;) My favorite thing about their session was seeing how silly & fun they are with one another! Probably because it reminds me a lot of my relationship with John! Hearty laughter & large grins were all around just so natural with these two. :)
“In 3 words, I’d describe Kenny as..selfless, superfun, and train-like. The first two probably make sense, the third because he will go go go and not stop until he gets to where he wants to be.”
Jamie’s description of the beautiful proposal Kenny planned out further solidified these three words she used to describe him.
“We were celebrating our one year dating anniversary, when he took me to the side of a mountain and set up a mic and keyboard and melted my whole being with a song he wrote. The song ended with some words, a rock, and me saying yes more than 11 times. This was followed by a private dinner with food that created an out-of-body experience, in a candle-lit park, and a surprise celebration with 30 or so of our family and friends. :) There was so much coordination behind this, and so so much help from our amazing family and friends. The proposal was so much of what Kenny is – selfless, superfun, train-like – and so much of what our relationship is – impossible without the love and support of our friends and family.”
UGH. LOVE IT SO MUCH! Being serenaded by a personally written song? What a dreammmm! I love Jamie’s wording, too. :)
“One word to sum up our relationship is “restorative.” I get overwhelmed and empty and low, and [Kenny] always fights to bring me back to Jesus, to be restored and made whole by the only One who can.”
Talking with Jamie & Kenny during their session, and even in the interactions I had with them both before & after their session via text & email, it was clear to me how knowing Jesus truly influenced how they love one another. I was blown away by their joy during their session, but even moreso by their humbleness & transparency. I was incredibly grateful for how their honesty in our conversations, and how their honesty in who they are was just so evident in their portraits. :)
The weather was pretty overcast throughout the entire session until about 10 minutes into the very end of it as we were walking back to the car. Of course, we jumped at every minute the sun came out! And what perfect timing–it came out just in time for sunset! :)
“By dating Kenny, I’ve learned that I am so flawed. And with that, I’ve learned that God is so amazing, which is super evident to me in that He’s blessed me with someone like Kenny who loves me regardless of my flaws. I’ve also learned that the state of our hearts is so important. So often, things can get miscommunicated and misinterpreted even when we try our best. It’s comforting to know that God sees and understands our hearts even when people can’t. Also, I learned that someone can go for almost a week without changing their contacts and feel fine -_-“
– Jamie
Such a heartfelt, honest answer… especially that last sentence, which is pretty gross! Haha! I love this answer, though. Something that resonates so well with my own learnings in dating. I don’t think I could have worded it any better. :)
And as we walked on, we found the most perfect little flower filled path that helped lead us back to our cars… :)
“Being in a happy relationship is not about making yourself happy. Otherwise eventually, you’ll just get 2 decrepit people who constantly try to maximize their own pleasure and security and comfort, and in doing so, push away from the other leech who is trying to do the same. Instead, do all that you can to love and serve the other person, with their best interest in mind. This has been super hard for me to do, especially when I’m tired, sleep-deprived, anticipating Aunt Flo’s visit, or hungry. But when we are able to look out for each other instead of ourselves, things are pretty happy.”
– Jamie
(Jamie’s in the medical field, but I’m pretty sure she could’ve double majored in English! Haha!) I really loved this snippet of advice she’s clung to & learned over the year that she wanted to share! :)
Her last piece of advice for those of you seriously dating, soon-to-be-engaged or already engaged is the following:
“If you want to get married, don’t wait too long to do it!! If the one thing that stays with us for our whole lives is our spouse, then we really should try to center our lives around that relationship, nurturing and prioritizing it. I feel like a lot of us base our lives around our careers and hold off on relationships/marriage because we need to “focus on our careers” and “be stable” first. Jobs come and go, and nothing is ever stable! And if you’re with someone you want to marry already, why not start life together, going through the tough things together, instead of trying to figure it out on your own before fully becoming a team? Of course, consult people who love you and know you too, so you’re not just acting on your own impulses/feelings/hormones haha.”
HAPPY FRIDAY!
(& Happy Day-Before-Your-Wedding, Jamie & Kenny!!)