I love this duo. And not just because their engagement session is beyond sweet (it totally is), but because they’re that type of couple that makes you happy just by being, well… them. They’re adorable, sooo in love and have the cutest descriptions you’ll probably ever come across (hint: the groom’s ring story is beyond awesome). See every moment of e-session bliss captured by Jasmine Lee Photography right here.
From the beautiful Bride-to-Be… I get really excited about themes and props, so in planning for the engagement session, I spent a lot of time daydreaming about how to approach it creatively while Randy was working long hours at the hospital.
As the date for the photo session came close, I started to panic about not having any ideas. When I asked Randy if he had suggestions, Randy replied, “I think it’d be nice to not have a theme or intricate props, and focus on what matters to us – our 10 year-long relationship and our dog, Lady!”
And it was the epiphany I really needed – I always overthink things, and Randy was absolutely right in that scaling down to the necessities this time is really better! We feel so fortunate that Jasmine captured a really amazing afternoon in a beautiful park (which is special to us, because it’s a rare event for the both of us to take Lady out for some sunshine, given our schedules).
From the Groom-to-be… A little more than 10 years ago, I had finally mustered enough courage to ask Amy to be my girlfriend. Now we stand at the cusp of beginning the rest of our lives together. It’s very hard to describe our journey thus far, as we have experienced many of the highs and lows and Jasmine had the daunting task of capturing our love within only a few hours of time.
The story of the quest for the perfect engagement ring is one of my favorites to tell. There are only a few things that I truly spend my time doing – practicing medicine and watching sports – so as you can probably imagine, fine-tuning and selecting a ring is not something I would be good at. Thankfully, dating Amy also means getting to know her inner circle of friends who helped me out tremendously in selecting the right ring.
Now one thing about Amy is that she never likes the norm and has one of the most creative minds I’ve ever seen. So when she mentioned she doesn’t value diamonds and loves rose gold, I knew this would probably be one of the most daunting tasks I would have taken (and yes it would be harder than finishing medical school). The mission at hand: to find a ring and peach sapphire stone (which complements rose gold nicely) that she would love. Although narrowing down a stone can be viewed as a victory, there was another obstacle that I came to discover – there are many different types of peach sapphires! With assistance from Marlene, one of Amy’s closest friends, I visited several jewelers located in San Francisco. I was shown many gorgeous stones of different cuts, color, clarity available, but none that I felt would be special enough for Amy. Of course, just to really make sure, I would text pictures of the stones to Marlene to get feedback on what she thought.
During a visit to one jeweler, I finally came across a peach sapphire that potentially could be the one for Amy. Another text was sent to Marlene, who also agreed. At this point I was more than satisfied. I had found a stone that could be “the one.” This could be it! Before moving forward with the purchase, I glanced at my watch — 5 minutes left in the parking meter. And… I didn’t have any more quarters. But… I still had one more jeweler appointment to make.
I stood there weighing my options: should I just leave now since I had possibly found “the one”? Or should I quickly run over to my next appointment and check out the last store? I decided on now or never, and to take my chances on what the next jeweler could offer me.
At the next stone, the moment the associate opened the box, the floor nearly fell out from me for I have never seen a peach sapphire so beautiful in my life. I didn’t even need a confirmation from Marlene because at that moment, it was love at first sight.
The ring that Amy now wears is very unique and special, different in its every simplest way. It’s funny how I almost missed the opportunity to see this gorgeous stone. Things happen for a reason, and this ring is very symbolic of my future wife. When you’re fortunate enough to recognize when life introduces to you something truly special, you just know it’s “the one.”
Photography: Jasmine Lee Photography | Makeup Artist: My-Hang Pham | Hair Stylist: Yasuko Suzuki | Bride-to-be's Attire: Morning Lavender