At first look, this feature can just simply portray an engagement shoot of two in-love people who are into old-school fashion. But after reading their amazing love story, you get to see the pictures in a different light and you feel as if you’re looking at something that was handcrafted by the heavens. We love how Ariana & Linzey alternated telling the stories of how they met and how he proposed (spoiler alert: it’s the sweetest thing!)
But back to this amazing shoot, our couple wanted to exhibit the 40s in their engagement shots and this decade was known for perfecting the mixture of glam and comfort which they both achieved effortlessly with their cute outfits! Congratulations Ariana & Linzey!
What is your story as a couple, how did you meet & fall in love?
Bride: January of 2013 I had recently surrendered the dating and love scene to God, completely and fully, I was done with it until He decided otherwise. Little did I know, about a week after this conversation with God, He decided I was ready to be hit smack dab into my soul with the love of my life.
I was out on a picnic with a few friends on Park ave, we were spending the day just lounging and spending time together, when all of a sudden my friend, Sierra, says to me “Hey there is my friend Linzey, Ari you should yell out Linzey“, Me:” What? No! I don’t see any girls around here, I am not yelling out her name“! So she proceeded to shout for Linzey, as she did, I see this ridiculously handsome man turn and look our direction, my heart dropped, and quite possibly my mouth. I’m not even kidding you when I say I started getting a little sweaty as he walked up, with such an attractive man walking towards you I mean who wouldn’t! Anyway, he said hello to Sierra and before I could stop myself I stuck my hand in his and introduced myself! Not really the pretty but mysterious girl persona I was hoping for but eh it all worked out in the end. So he shakes my hand in return and introduces himself, I invited him to sit with us but he explained he was on a job with his dad and couldn’t at the moment but if we were still there when he got done he would be back. If we were still there he says…… if we were still there? Ha of course we would! I would have stayed out there the rest of the night waiting for that man!
Thankfully, he came back just a few hours later and a friend and I were still there. He sat down and started chatting with us. And if any of you know Linzey, you know it is not difficult to become comfortable with him very quickly. He was with us the rest of the night, as we all went to dinner and walked around Park Avenue, it was like he had always been there, apart of our group. From that day forward I don’t think I missed more than two days without seeing him. Eight months later he asked me to marry him and here we are. Unbeknownst to me, a week before he met me Linzey had almost the same exact conversation with God and surrendered the same thing to him. I wouldn’t be surprised, knowing God’s humor, if it was on the exact same day
How did he (or you) propose?
Groom: Lets see where to begin…Well as you’ve read the page on how we met this story is slightly similar. It’s hard to write down every exciting detail that led up to this day but I will start a few days before our engagement day. It wasn’t but a few months after we met that Ariana and I both knew that we were the ones that God had chosen for each other. Once that was known wedding plans started in motion!
Let me start right in, at the jewelers! I had been planning on proposing a few weeks after I got the ring, but once I got the ring and it was fitted, this had to happen now! So I headed over to her house knowing she would get off work in a few minutes (The ring still slightly warm from being fitted). I texted her to see if she wanted to go on a bit of a picnic for dinner. Well, with the elements being that it was on the brink of raining and it was getting dark within the hour thankfully she said yes! Next thing I did was begin to pray really hard. First for it not to rain and second that it wouldn’t get dark! A few minutes later I got to her house as she was getting off from work. The rain clouds still in the sky and visibility dropping by the second, I told her,”Ahhh what a great day for a picnic it is!” And how the clouds are moving the other direction and stuff. She was still wanting to go so we grabbed an old art blanket and headed out.
I was planning on taking her back to the park were we met 5,089 hours earlier. On the car ride over, I kind of threw the location options up in the air, hoping that she would pick the right one! And she did, with the help of a couple excuses I made up about having to pick up a camera from my dad at work and some other stuff! We arrived on the scene in front of Panera Bread and parked the car. I realize I left the ring under my seat, so that it would be out of sight. A little too out of sight! I think I had embedded the box into the lining of the bottom of my seat just for absolute secrecy. This was going to be a trick to get out unnoticed. Ariana had already gotten out of the car and was waiting on the other side of the car. So I grabbed my back pack and started stuffing random objects in the backpack to buy time hoping she would look away. After grabbing everything all the way from books ,CD’s, blankets and hand sanitizer, I still hadn’t gotten the chance to reach under the seat and pick the precious token of a ladies affection out from its secret hiding place. I don’t think a police with a K9-Unit would have found it. So I decided to abandon the ring and come up with some other way of retrieving it from its automobile prison. We walked inside the restaurant and went to order. Looking for every and any way to go back I noticed it was a bit chilly inside.
I told her I was going to go back to the car and grab my sweater! Yes! This was going to work. As I finished saying this, I remembered it was quite hot and muggy outside. Which is what she said. We had recently gotten back from a family trip for 7 days and had eaten well that week. I used this as an excuse and said I must be losing weight from the now normal meal portions that we had been eating since we got back. This said, I dashed outside and grabbed the ring, and with it accepting my next task! After going back inside the restaurant to get the food we walked to the park just across the street. We spread ut a blanket and started eating. I was instantly too excited to eat, so I just kind of smooshed it around to make it look like it was decreasing until Ariana was finished with her food. About half way through I brought up the fact that this is where we first met and where it all began. Then said, “Oh I have an idea! Let’s make a reenactment video of when we first met just for fun“. After a little prodding and fighting off a crazy squirrel that was just a little jealous of our food, and obviously my bride to be, we pulled the blanket over to the exact location on the lawn that we had met at those months ago. There I proposed to this beautiful woman that God brought for me to spend the rest of my life with!
How long was the planning process? Did you think it was enough time?
The planning process was about 10 months. Yes, it was plenty of time we were very organized and kept ahead of schedule.
What was the best advice you received when you were planning your wedding?
Not to let yourself get stressed out, it is only one day and most of the details will fall into place even if they seem like they won’t. The best advice is to enjoy every moment and remember why you are planning in the first place, you are getting married to the love of your life! And that is what is important.
What tips & tricks (can we use “hacks”?) can you share future brides that you yourself have learned during and after your wedding?
Once you decide on a theme or something you love try to to look on Pinterest anymore on that topic, you will change your mind a thousand times.
What are you most excited about for the future?
Everything. We have so much ahead of us and so many different directions God could take us. The unknown is what is the most exciting!
Do you have advice for couples still in the planning process?
Breathe, don’t sweat the small stuff, if he doesn’t want to be really involved don’t force it, take breaks and talk about something other than the wedding. Stop to appreciate the moments you have and never stop saying I love you.
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Photographer: Regina Hyman Photography
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