©2015 Sun & Sparrow Photographers // Nautical inspired Long Beach engagement
FROM THE GROOM // I will never forget the day or especially the look on Katie’s face when I proposed to her… Lets take a couple steps back and look at the how…see Katie’s dad is known for not being able to keep a secret. So I had to make sure to time it perfectly… when I did end up asking him … he looked up at me with his warm smile on his face, gave me a huge hug, and told me
“You are already my family and you know that, I wouldn’t have it any other way… I love you son”…. Followed by another HUGE hug.
Now time to plan… I knew exactly what day I would do it… it had come up once before to a close friend many moons ago, it was a special day for Katie and I as it marked one year after we embarked on a journey of a lifetime together… Thailand. A trip we won’t stop talking about, it was a journey filled with: the unexpected, tons of laughter, & most of all unexplored territory… A little about me, I am a huge planner … I love things to be perfect to the T. So I had the date, but the “how” was stumping me… do I include her family, do I not… I began to just over think it… then a really good friend told me “Its not about the production, its about the memory.” … then the Aha moment kicked in… I knew it wasn’t a reality to go to Thailand again… but maybe I could recreate the feeling we had while we were there.
November 11th, 2014… I can remember it like it was just yesterday… I woke up … ran to my empty old shoebox at the top of my closet just to make sure the ring was still hiding… then began the day just like any other … off to work… half way to work I got extremely nervous thinking what if she comes home early and finds it… so I drove all the way back and grabbed the ring… I had to keep it close to me. I started with talking to my friends exploring different ways to propose; one thing was in common with all of them. None of them were planned for Tuesday November 11th, but in my head it had to be today….
I called Katie, well multiple times. To make sure for some FREAK reason she wouldn’t be coming home early… after I got off the phone I thought to myself… she must think I’m crazy.
60 Roses //48 Edison lights //24 Candles // 2 Kang gar-ee dishes from our favorite Thai restaurant // 2 Moscow Mules // 1 Engagement Ring & THE Luckiest guy in the world
Perfect recipe, I laid everything out all around the house… waited for her to come home and surprised her at the door. She walked in, and my heart started pounding so hard I thought she could feel it. Walked her through the house into the backyard where I had recreated Thailand for her… I had a speech all planned, not sure how that turned out but made sure to get the most important part out…
Will you marry me? // She began to cry, repeating yes, yes YES! As I placed the ring on her finger. // Little did she know I had been recording the entire moment, and just with my luck… // She turns to the camera, not knowing, and says “ ITS GORGEOUS!” // … the moral of the story is … no matter how much you plan … no matter how bad you want it to be perfect…
The part that matters is the memories you will make together, and with that said… I am the luckiest guy in the world to be marrying Katie Marie Zamora!
