Aside from the obvious & important educational value, college is a wonderful time & place for students to network, socially grow & learn how to interact with various types of people from various parts of the country & world! It’s also the grounds for which many people meet their best friends, adult life housemates, & future husbands & wives! It’s where I met John, and also where Angel met Jun. :)
Angel & Jun’s story begins a few years ago online! As students studying abroad in America from different parts of China, they both so happened to apply & get accepted to the same college in Massachusetts! Since they were both in the same graduating class, they were also in the same Facebook group that helped connect the students of their class together! Through online chats about school & what they wanted to do, they were able to quickly relate to one another and become friends!
Jun says he initiated things more in person, by slyly using a college as an excuse to hang out! Nice move Jun! Even if at the time it wasn’t a full on date, what a casual way to get to know one another! ;) Jun saw Angel as being a “very capable girl” & Angel thought he looked nice! There weren’t sparks flying at first conversation, Jun has become “the special one” to Angel now! :)
Angel admits they’re not the most romantic couple since they’re both a bit more analytical in nature, but truly, let me say that they were oh so sweet to work with! :) Jun was a bit more timid and shy, and Angel’s sweet & joyful personality balanced it all out with good fun! Can’t wait to share a little more about their sweet story!
It was a beautifully warm, summery day (in October haha) when I finally got to meet Angel & Jun in person at the gorgeous shores of Crystal Cove State State Park in Laguna Beach! The water was blue & there was a cool breeze that helped keep Angel, June, my assistant Grace, and I from melting too much! ;)
Angel & Jun chose this beautiful location to showcase their favorite feature of California since their big move(s)!
So you may be wondering, how did Angel & Jun end up across the country? While they worked for a while in Massachusetts, Jun found work on the other coast of America, and Angel chose to follow him over to see the beautiful beaches of California to find work as well! :)
What does Jun do, you say? He works in IT! Here are Angel’s words about her special guy!
“[Jun is] nerdy…. Hahahahah… Yes, he is so nerdy… A very typical IT guy, who doesn’t know what romance is. However, I know he is very patient, and willing to listen to me. The most important thing is that I know he is going to be there for me, whenever I need him.”
I love her response! Haha! I think it’s quite common to think that grand gesture romance is the only thing acceptable in this day and age with all the Nicholas Sparks novels, & Ryan Gosling movies, but there’s something beautiful about that quiet, chivalrous love! It’s qualities like patience, reliability & trust that truly become romantic as you see them over time! :)
And on that note of romance, this is what Angel continued to share with me about their relationship & how she describes it! In one word, she described it as “destined.”
“I was a little hesitant to write this questionnaire at the beginning. Not because I don’t want to share our story, but because there are so many similarities shared between us. Our relationship happened so spontaneously. It’s hard to tell a romantic story between us, yet it seems that many small things in life between us are romantic. It’s something unexplainable, that only we could feel.”
I wish I could insert a heart emoji here! So real & sweet! I think you get a glimpse of how well they fit together by how they look at one another. :)
Now to redeem Jun for being not too romantic, let me share this sweet tidbit Jun shared with me that I find pretty darn romantically sweet!!
“[While we were dating, Angel] usually sent me some cards… I kept every single one of them.”
UGH. Love that! His sentimentality is so sweet! It makes me so happy. :)
It’s the more practical, loving gestures that Jun does for Angel that truly makes her feel special. :)
“[Jun] is always there for me when I need him. He may not have known how to take care of people, how to cook, or things that I expected to have in a relationship at the beginning, but he was willing to learn all these things for me.”
Jun shared with me that he’s indeed still learning, and that there’s a lot for him to learn, but I can truly see his willingness to learn out of love for Angel. & In her words, his willingness to learn these things made her feel spoiled. :)
As I took some candid photos of Angel & Jun strolling around the shore together (Jun’s favorite part of the session), they came up with an idea for me to photograph! Jun wanted a photo looking like he was proposing to Angel since they didn’t have any taken during his real proposal!
It’s so funny because the two of them shared with me that their original proposal wasn’t too romantic but I think again it’s pretty romantic in its own way! Jun had come over to Angel’s apartment and turned out all the lights. And in the quiet and as a complete surprise…
“…He opened the box, [and] I saw the diamond shining under the small lightbulb built in the ring box. That was the touching moment.”
Again, I find it such a sweet, little romantic gesture! :)
Now what’s to come next is pretty funny since it looks like he just proposed and we went full on into a wedding! But since these two are flying back to China to have a large wedding with their family and friends, they wanted to take some photos near the beautiful beach in their full wedding attire! But of course not where it’d get dirty before their real ceremony! So here’s a little peak of their bridal session together! :)
Check out the sweet detailing of Angel’s heels & her beautiful veil! *heart eyes*
Something Angel shared that she’s learned about relationship over their time together? Patience.
“Most of the time, arguments between couples are not because of hate, it’s more because of deep love. Don’t easily say you’re breaking up during a fight. That usually not something you really want.”
I agree! Definitely refrain from saying finite words during arguments! Reminds me of the importance to be quick to listen, & slow to speak! It’s easy to say rash words when we feel hurt or let down. Think things through & wait until you are able to make a calm, collected decision! Sometimes what’s needed is reconciliation and hearing each other out. Patience.
Happy engagement to these two! They kept telling me they’re just a normal & non-romantic couple, but there was so much love & beautiful joy between the two! :)
Final words of advice from these two for the seriously dating & engaged?
“Just be responsible to on another since [you’re] going to be a family.” – Angel
“[Plan more] for the marriage, such as the place you’re going to stay in, budgets for home/wedding/etc.” – Jun
Of course, valuable practical advice from these two! ;) Which, falls along the lines of what I believe to be true.
Have a wedding, plan a marriage.
Happy Wednesday! :)