LA Arboretum | Engagement | Diana + David

I first met these two in an absolutely adorable coffee shop they recommended in Azusa called “Mantra Coffee“.  (This coffee shop is not only adorable, but they are doing some wonderful things for their community!  I would highly recommend checking them out if you’re ever in the area!)  As we sat down over coffee Diana and David shared their story with me and I thought it was so cute.  They are both teachers and met while working at the same high school about 2 years ago.  David saw her in the mail room one day and without hesitation walked right up and introduced himself.  The best part?  One of their first dates was at Prom, yes Prom!  They were chaperoning it of course, but how cute is that?!  They spent the entire night talking and were “inseparable” from that night on!

They chose to do their engagement session at the LA Arboretum, which I seemingly love more and more every time I visit.  It was an absolutely beautiful day and despite the heat (which they powered through like champs!), I had so much fun running around and photographing these two!

From him: “One of our favorite dates was the time we took a day off from work, went to breakfast and then spent the day at Disneyland.  We had so much fun acting like kids, talking, and getting to know each other.  It was also memorable because she had to pay because she had lost a bet and had to take me to Disneyland.”

From her: “We had so much fun that day!”

From her: “I knew he was the one from the very beginning, probably by our first date I knew he was the one.”

From him: “I knew she was the one during our first weekend trips, we went to San Diego.  When you travel for the first time, you never know if the person you are with will be compatible with you.  Will they want to do different things, their rhythm might just be different, but when we went to San Diego, I knew I had someone special.  We had so much fun, visiting different places in the city and enjoying each other’s company.  Time went by so fast and we both made it a point to do things the other person wanted to see or do.  She totally tried to make the best of something she didn’t really like because she wanted to be there with me, that meant a lot to me and I know she did it because she wanted to show how much she cared about me.  It’s always the small things that leave the greatest impressions.”
From him: “We like to take walks, travel, ride our bikes, and go to Disneyland together.  It allows us to stay active, talk, and spent quality time together.  We usually will make our way to a coffee shop when we walk or ride our bikes.  I just love that she enjoys spending so much time together, doing the simple things.”
From him: “I wanted to make it a special day for us, so I planned a day for us to go to The Huntington Library.  I knew she had never been and I knew how beautiful of a place it is.  I knew I was going to ask her to marry me, but I hadn’t planned out where exactly I would ask.  We were walking around and I just kept thinking about how and where I would ask, but I didn’t want to make it obvious that I was going to do it.  I eventually knew we would be leaving soon, we were walking through this garden and the moment felt right.  I grabbed her right hand and spun her around to face me, I got on one knee, I already had the ring in my hand and I asked her to marry me.  I told her how happy she makes me and that I want her to be my my side forever.  I told her the last two years have been wonderful and I would want her to make the rest of my life wonderful by marrying me.  She started to choke up and said yes!”  

From her: “It was a lovely day and he made a place I had never been to before very special.  I am looking forward to visiting every year to celebrate our engagement!”
From him: “I love that she is selfish, loving and hardworking.  She makes me feel very important and is always willing to help me.  I know she has my best interest in mind and is always willing to drop what she is doing if I need help.  She is so smart and considerate of others, which I love.”

From her: “He’s caring, hardworking and generous.  David cares about people first and has a very kind heart.  He always sees the positive in every situation.  He is ambitious and works hard to achieve his goals.  I love that about him.”
From her: “For our Honeymoon we are thinking of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic during winter break for 7 days.”

From him: “We are planning to spend all of our time relaxing on the beach.  We love taking a beach trip once a year and we have always talked about going to the DR.”
From her: “I am most excited about being married to David and sharing that moment with our friends and family.”

From him: “I am most looking forward to being able to spend the day celebrating with my wife, friends, and family.  I want all the people who are important to be part of the most special day of our lives.  Being able to show the people we care about that we are committing to make each other happy forever.”

Diana and David, it was such a joy getting to know you two (and your hilarious sister Diana!).  I loved hearing all of your stories and seeing just how much you two adore each other.  I am so looking forward to your wedding – I just know that its going to be so incredibly beautiful!