Traveling to Puerto Rico

I lost track of what day it was. I lost track of what time it was. I lost track of all the food I enjoyed. I could breathe, my skin was soft, my hair was full and my heart even more. I was always sweaty and their was always music around; from their big speakers, ocean, birds and the coquis. I laid on the sand, almost cried. I gazed in aw at the jungle, almost cried. The first time seeing the jungle was like seeing something new for the first time in your life. You see it in movies, but now it’s real life, your life. It’s breath taking, it makes you forget everything around you, overwhelming feeling of aw and gratitude. Your body feels still, your breathing controlled, your soul healed, you want to cherish this moment and feel this way forever, but you know it’ll pass. Your body is now overwhelmed, you tear up, you are in love.

Food musts: Crab Salad and assorted empanadas from Fajardo, piña coladas and empanadas from Jibarito. Once again I felt a sense of home, the language perhaps? The genuine love for human beings and not material things? A sense of belonging? The feeling you’ve been seeking is here, again.

Traveling Together

Looking back now, I'm in love. I'm in love with the way I feel towards my husband, in love with the new culture I got to briefly be a part of, the double cheek kisses, desserts, the early morning cappuccinos, the constant struggle of learning a new language and the satisfaction that comes with it, the dreadful bumping of shoulders when walking through large crowds, the kindness of the few and rudeness of the many, waking up to new smells, fast showers, the raw emotion people were okay with showing and feeling, accordion music playing in the background as if it were the theme music to your own dreams coming true and then being shattered by vendors selling merchandise illegally, but somehow still realizing that they are just trying to make ends meet the way they know how, the endless history that surrounded us day in and day out, aching of my feet knowing that I had given this country everything I had to give and still hadn't experienced a third of what it had to offer, the feeling of being so afraid, but so madly in love.... that was Italy. 

HOW DID I KNOW HE WAS THE ONE?

Truth is I didn't... and then I did.... and then I didn't .....and then....I did! And so it went on like that for the next two years of our relationship; me trying to figure out who I was, who he was and who we were together if we could even be a we.

It all started my first day of college in the Summer of 2011, going from high school to college all within the same year was amazing! The guys looked so different and on my first day I fell in love about six time or so. My now Fiance happens to be one of the guys I "fell for." I remember I opened the door for him and thought to myself "wow! he is soooo handsome!" I went home and told my mom all about this handsome guy that I went to school with and for the next month I tried to figure out his name, but me being shy, that month turned into a whole semester of trying to figure out who he was and what he was majoring in. Later to find out that he was also a Photography major, so excited to know that at least sometime in the next four years I was going to be able to talk to him...

And so the story began in Lighting Class, second semester when we had class together. I would walk into class every morning excited that he was there, however, he wasn't really one to smile, he wasn't one to talk, he wasn't one to do anything too out there. So why did I like him? I was always described as the girl that smiled constantly and laughed at anything, for the most part nice to people and even though I wasn't a big talker, I was definitely big with listening. Here I was falling for someone who was the total opposite of me, but that was okay. We talked and I was more nervous than I have ever been before, I couldn't even make eye contact with him and of course he made that known, "is there a circus going on around my head?” he said. to which I had no smart response and replied with something less than charming. 

Later went on our first date, which I honestly didn't think he was going to call so instead of getting ready I cleaned the house, then he calls to see if I'm ready... so here I was finally going on a date with the guy I liked and his first impression of me was me being late. At the time I was dating someone else and hanging out with my now Fiance and it was awkward. I knew that I liked him, but I also didn't want to do anything that would upset my at the time boyfriend. I went on a few more "hang outs" with my now Fiance and after five or so dates I decided to end things with the guy I was dating at the time and went on "what the hell adventure" and dated Austin. For the next two years it went from "ohhh, he's the man of my dreams" to "what am I doing with him?!" I was kind of a cold person so it took a while for us to really be able to hit it off. Every single time we fought I had this urge to apologize and say you know what it was my fault I'm sorry, for the first time ever I was dating a guy who I was okay to say "I was wrong, I'm sorry, I'm going to try to be a better person and I'll try to make things better next time" First time ever admitting I was wrong, first time ever enjoying the same person after months and then after years. It was the first time a guy treated me with truths and honesty rather than with lies so he wouldn't hurt my feelings and I LOVED that! He was the first guy to tell me what he liked, listened to what I liked and we were able to meet in the middle to compromise. He was himself, he was the perfect amount of kind and funny and always had me laughing no matter what he did. 

First two years were a bit off, but once the third year came then the fourth I knew that he was the one! During a trip to Mexico, we decided to take a break, but while I was there, I had a life changing experience and in that moment I knew that every single time that i fake broke up with him or every time I said something mean I was damaging and chipping away at the person that meant the  most to me. I knew that from that day forward I wanted to do everything in my power to make him happy, to make us work and to help make him the best version of himself he could be, and fortunately he has done the same for me. From that day forward everything changed our fights became less, we still fought of course, but not so intensely. When we disagreed we used it as improvement.  We worked hard on ourselves and on our relationship and to love and cherish those around us. We worked hard to express how we felt and to let each other know that we will always be there for one another.

As he pursued his career in different things he wasn't happy and I knew that, he finally decided he wanted to go into web development and I knew that I wanted to support him in any way I could. I wanted to support him with his career because that is what he did with mine, whether he was modeling for me, holding the reflector or him helping me with the aperture and shutter priority, he was always there to help me and to inspire me. Austin was always there to remind me that everything was going to be okay because I knew that I had chosen a profession that was hard to be successful in, it's an extremely competitive field yet I chose to do it and he has been by my side every step of the way. He got me my first professional camera last year for Christmas. 

Now here I am two months before our wedding day, knowing more than ever that he is the man of dreams, the man that I love, the man that inspires me every day, he's everything I've always wanted and never knew I needed. When I say I love him it goes beyond that... when I say I love him I also mean I love his family, I love who he is, I love who he was, I love the changes he is making, I love the way his career makes him happy, I love the way he makes me happy, I love the way he loves my family, the way he supports my career and anything I decide to do to better myself, I love his never ending patience and ever lasting love. He has taught me what patience is. He's the greatest example of a person who loves simply, but has such a complicated mind. And for all that I am forever thankful!

This post was so important to me that I kept putting it off, our wedding was September 9th, 2017. I left everything as it should have been had I posted it on time back in July :)

Photo by Manuel Rascon Photography

Make up by Michelle Blanca

WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT PLANNING MY WEDDING

I highly recommend having a schedule for the day of your wedding! As a photographer, I always recommend you do this to be able to fit everything you want in the day of your wedding, and I request a copy to help keep everything to schedule, since it'll be so chaotic for the bride and groom. As a bride, I had to make a schedule for my wedding to know where I had to be and to be able to squeeze in as much dancing as possible!

Most weddings go as follows: ceremony, dinner and reception, aka DANCING! However, not for the bridal party.... The day for the bridal party, bride and groom usually goes as follows: Getting ready, ceremony, photos of the bridal party and groomals, squeeze in some food, struggle to say hi and thank you to everyone, daddy daughter dance, first dance as husband and wife, more struggling to say hi to everyone, dancing, bouquet toss, garter toss, more hellos, cake cutting and whatever family traditions you may have.

When it comes to our wedding, we lucked out with our photographer, as he is willing to do our groomals the day after the wedding, so we have enough time to take photos with our family, since a lot of them will be from out of town and we want to celebrate with them as much as possible. A new tradition that has grown in popularity is the "reveal the dress" photoshoot. Usually a week or so prior to the wedding, the bride reveals her dress to the groom and afterwards does groomals. This, although not something we wanted to do, is a good idea. Why? You are able to get the groom's surprised face, and you are able to have more time the day of the wedding.

So something to think about...

• On what day do you want to do your photos?
• What's most important to you on the day of your wedding? 
• If you do groomals before or after your wedding, would you hire the make up artist and hair stylist, or would you do your own hair and makeup?

Try to have as much planned so the day of your wedding is all joy and stress-free. Communicate with everyone involved, and don't be afraid to speak up about concerns and wants!

We're all in this together!!

PREFERRED VENDORS

 

LOOKING FOR A MAKEUP ARTIST?

I know just the person for you! Her name is Michelle, and we have worked together on many projects. She's a licensed makeup artist who specializes in makeup for events, and also does special effect makeup. She's absolutely one of the most charismatic and patient artist I’ve had the pleasure of working with. Feel free to contact me, and I’ll give you more info!

LOOKING FOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER, A PAINTER?

Luckily, I’m related to one of the best graphic designers in Utah! Balam's designs is a company owned by a painter/artist who has inspired me in a lot of what I do. She graduated with her associates in graphic design, and helps with the painting and graphic design portion of my photography business. She has done wedding/party invitations, and works with businesses to create their business cards and logos.

FLORAL AND PARTY FAVORS

When it comes to floral, centerpieces, bouquets and party favors, I’m fortunate enough to say I know the perfect person for that as well! Leira's designs has been my go-to for floral and party favors for years. Extremely reliable company with great work ethic. it is a family-owned business that keeps its priorities straight. 

HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR WEDDING PACKAGE?

Hire someone who you trust and whose work you love! Know that you have options and prices will vary, but look at the style, the art, the time that is put into the craft and go from there. As someone who is planning her wedding, I was overwhelmed by the time restricted packages, similar style, popular trends vs. timeless look, that I just had to remind myself to go with someone I trusted and whose work I loved! Weddings can be stressful, but the photography portions don't have to be. Come with ideas, questions, comments, and I’ll be sure to address them all so you're able to make an educated choice that you know will be the best choice now and for decades to come.