ROMANTIC LIRIODENDRON MANSION SPRING ENGAGEMENT SESSION |MONICA & RAUL | AMANDA MACPHEE STUDIOS

A Tale As Old As Time

High school sweethearts, Monica and Raul met in in 10th grade NSL class. Raul was an acquaintance of Monica’s cousin and it was love at first sight!…NOT!

“It was definitely NOT love at first sight. We had very few interactions, other than NSL. I think we only started talking because we were the only two people that had sidekicks (phones) at the time and we started to talk via AIM a lot.” That shared interest (er technology) led to the beginning of their friendship, and before long they were each others best friend. Fast forward a year later and the sweet, slow rhythm these two were dancing from friendship to romance started a new chapter for them: Dating. And then after eleven years of getting to know each other, they are engaged and ready to make the lifetime commitment.

“I guess we sound like the typical high school sweethearts story, but we are not typical, because it is a story that only we lived through together. Our love was not perfect and is still not perfect, but we love each other enough to always work through our problems and differences.”

A (Not so Rude) Awakening

“The proposal was very intimate. Just the two of us. It was the morning of our 10th anniversary. Very early morning (like) 6 am. We were in bed and he wakes me up out of nowhere and demands me to brush my teeth. I did not have a clue to why. It was 6 am on a Saturday morning, where could we possibly be going.

Out of nowhere he makes me stand facing the dog crate with my eyes closed. He tells me to turn around and hands me a hand made card, he use to always make me hand made cards with stick figures, I read the card with tears running down my eyes, looked up and he was on his knee asking me to be his wife.

Then we spent the day with each other and dinner with close friends and family. Again it was very intimate , just like how I always pictured it would be.

When Every Day is Special

These two have been dating for so long, that all of their days spent together are just as special as the last. Even holidays or birthdays were the same. It would usually be a family affair or just with each other, their favorite take-out and the TV. “We are very chill, Nothing extravagant unless it is something that we are craving, which is the only time we would go to a restaurant.“

The One

Sometimes there is a defining moment, other times its a slow build, but eventually every couple can say how they knew the other was “the one.” That one person they can envision a forever future with.

Raul’s– I just knew. Some things just feel right.

Monica’s– For me I wasn’t sure and I still wasn’t sure. It just kind of happened. It was definitely unexpected that we would be together for this long, being that we started dating at 16 and have only dated each other. However, I am happy with that. I am glad I have found the perfect person that matches me. My soulmate.

An April Wedding

These two are getting married in April and I so excited to watch the magic happen with this one! Working with them was so easy because they were just so comfortable with each other. It was truly a wonderful blessing to watch them slowly show me who they were. I am so excited for their wedding!

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