From Here to Eternity…

LOVE this fun engagement session with Jamie and Tommy.  Such an adorable couple and apparently they’re movie buffs too… inspiration for the first shot. Love it!

Although they reside in Pennsylvania, this New Jersey beach holds special memories for Jamie and Tommy~ making a perfect spot for their e-session.

Wanda from Wanda June Koch Photography is the intuitive photographer behind this laid-back session.  It really has such a natural, comfortable feel to it…

Awesome shot!

Awww, nuthin but fun in the sun!

So sweet!

From here to eternity…could there be a more perfect theme?

Thanks Wanda!  And, Congratulations Jamie and Tommy!!

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It’s your first dance as a married couple, a milestone to be sure, and you most want the song you choose to say who you are together ~ whether by way of being your song, a classic song of committed love, or something completely off-beat that is just unmistakably ALL you.

Recently a video made the rounds on the web of a couple who took a very fun and unique approach to the wedding march.  This got me to thinking about music and how very personal it is, how it has the power to communicate so much more than the words being spoken.

Hubby and I went the traditional route with Mendelsohn’s wedding march song and the ever-romantic Endless Love for the first dance.  I have to say it was lovely for us, which is what counts . . .but there are sooooo many other options to consider, so many ways to make the music speak your very own personal love language.

Choosing that first dance song is a cinch for some couples, but for others, sometimes those who love all kinds of music, it’s really tough to pick just the right one for this truly momentous occasion.   So, in the spirit of getting those musical, romantic wheels rolling, here’s a couple of simple resources for you as you make this all-important decision:

~ Hunch.com asks you a series of simple questions about the style of music you like, the lyrics, etc., and then lays out some great first-dance options to choose from.

~ If you want to take a more methodical approach, read these articles . . . this one contains more in-depth questions for you and your intended to consider; and this one is more about choosing slow dance songs in general.

~ If you want to really surprise and entertain your guests with your first dance, consider mixing it up and having some fun out there on the dance floor.  Weddingbee has some great examples to get your creative juices flowing!

~ And, lastly, if what you really want is a list of popular songs to choose from, the Knot has put together some good ones, whether you’re looking for a timeless, traditional first dance song or something hip and creative.

Whatever song or style you choose for your very first dance as a married couple, obviously the point is to celebrate.  And, since it’s your day, the one day that is all about you, well, nobody can tell you you’re doing it wrong, right?

Best,

~Cheryl

Another MagnetStreet employee says YES!

Woot! Woot! A great big blog hug and congratulations goes out to Nalie and Nate!  Nalie is our Web Usability Specialist here at MagnetStreet and yes, she really is this adorable!

Nalie and Nate’s Proposal Story

{by Nalie}

“The story begins before I actually even knew it began.  Let me explain… At the beginning of June my sister had extra tickets to the Science Museum of Minnesota and wanted to know if Nate and I could use them.  When I asked Nate if he wanted to go, he casually said sure; he had heard that the mini-golf course was great.  Seeing how I really needed to work on my short game I thought this was a great idea.  A couple of weeks went by and I forgot about the tickets.

2 days before museum visit I was chatting with my sister, Vickie {who is currently living and working in South Korea  as a teacher}.  We were talking about a possible proposal from Nate and she said that maybe Nate was going to wait for my other sisters (Kao and Linda) to return home from visiting her in South Korea before he proposed.  Vickie’s comment made a lot of sense considering how close I am to my sisters and if they’re ALL so far away… and he did propose, who would I call to share the joyous news?

day at the museum So little did I know that on a warm Tuesday night at the Science Museum, something was in the works.  We did the usual things people do when they go to the Museum: go watch the Omni-film, visit the exhibits, play mini-golf.  Nate is a great golfer so I was a little surprised how I was just kicking his butt at mini-golf that night.  If only I knew how nervous he had been the whole game!

a little history I was ready to leave when he suggested that we go to the upper level where there was a balcony overlooking the Mississippi. I agreed. You see, three years ago on my birthday when we first began dating, Nate had rushed home from a South Dakota trip as soon as he found out that my birthday was approaching.  That’s a long five hour to drive to sing Happy Birthday to someone you’ve only been out with twice!  That’s when I knew he really liked me! And, for our third date, the night after my birthday, we had gone out to the Museum and stood out on that same balcony.

flash forward we were back out on the balcony, me pointing out again, all the places on the other side of the river where I grew up.  And we reminisced about the last time we were out on the balcony.  He then became very quiet. I figured it was because he was hungry since we hadn’t eaten yet.  So I started to name all the places nearby that we could go eat. Yet he still lingered and really didn’t respond to any of my suggestions.  Finally, he looked down and pointed out and said, “There’s an ant on your foot.”  {You see, I have a mole on my foot and thought he was making fun of it.} I playfully told him that it wasn’t funny to make fun of my mole.

But Nate said, “no there is, let me take a closer look” and he bent down. He then shyly looked up at me…  I of course, thought he was pulling a Jim from “The Office” and kindly told him “stop it and get up.”  I was sure he couldn’t propose now, he had to wait.  But sure enough I heard him utter something to the effect of  “I love you Nalie…will you marry me?”

In total shock I could not utter a word, just nodded my consent.  He pulled out a shiny diamond ring and proceeded to place it on my left hand, in which I asked “Is that the right hand?”  Of course I called Korea right away to share the news, but they already knew! They had been helping him the whole time!

SO SO SWEET! I love each and every proposal story… Congratulations again Nalie and Nate! We look forward to hearing more from you as plan for your spring 2010 wedding!

xo

Love is in the air folks… and wedding bells will soon be ringing for two of the sweetest and talented people here at MagnetStreet.  Johnathon  {software developer} proposed to Lisa {Graphic Designer} last week.  So fun and so exciting~ Lisa shares their proposal story with us today…

Setting: Thursday, June 11, 2009 at MagnetStreet
Participants: Lisa + Johnathon

He woke up feeling ill, so while we normally work out on Tuesday and Thursday during lunch, he wasn’t feeling up to a run.  However, I still wanted to spend time with him, so I asked if we could go for a walk instead.  He still wasn’t sure about that, so I suggested we take a shorter walk on a nearby path, maybe grab lunch on the way?  He agreed, but said he had to run to the bank first.

Background: This path happens to be the path where we had our first date.  Neither of us had explored it before (and we both happen to love exploring), so when he invited me to walk it with him last October, I couldn’t say no. We walked and talked about our churches, then came to a fork in the path and took the one that went uphill, which happened to lead to a bench overlooking a valley of trees – a perfect sunset location.  It was here that we discussed more non-first-date topics like politics and the cause of the divorce rate among Christian marriages…and something about that talk made us think there could be something special about this connection.

Back to the story: He returns and we drive to the path, start walking and he says “we should probably go to that bench.”  It wasn’t far, so I agreed. We sat on the bench, reminiscing about our first date experience, looking at the scenery, I’m thinking “what a beautiful, sunny day…” when he says “I made something for you.” Now I’m starting to get suspicious. He pulls out a stack of photographs – it is a series of photos. He wrote a poem on pieces of paper, then took a photo of each piece. So I’m flipping through this poem-story about us being two halves, him searching for me, finally giving up and challenging God to find me, then God brings me to him, he sees how perfect we are for each other, and then the last page mentions asking my dad for his blessing, finding the perfect ring, asking a big question, and as I’m reading the last line – he gets down on his knees, pulls out a ring, and asks me to marry him!

I said maybe.

JUST KIDDING – I said “yes,” of course!

It was incredibly sweet, and the best part is that I’ve been expecting a proposal, but somehow still wanted it to be a surprise. He decided he wanted to propose on that bench, the ring came in that morning (that was his trip to the “bank”), and then I suggested we go to that very spot! So it was a complete surprise, and perfectly orchestrated.

awww… SWEET!  I love a great proposal~ don’t you?  Thanks Lisa and Johnathon for sharing it with us and CONGRATULATIONS!  Stay tuned for more from this  b2b…  Lisa will be back to share wedding planning for their October wedding. yay!

I did mention that Lisa is a talented graphic artist didn’t I?  Check out her Save the Date Designer’s Choice for June while the rest of Lisa’s designs can be found here.

have a great weekend!