James & Katelyn’s engagement session is a beautiful afternoon at the Mission San Juan Capistrano. They were both all smiles throughout the session and you can feel the joy radiating from the images!
How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of one another? I was his server/bartender at a local restaurant. It is a small town, and I was new to the town. I was wearing little jean shorts with stars on them, and that is what I saw in James’ eyes when he first saw me. After that, we asked others about each other and ended up setting a date at the county fair. We didn’t really click too well at that time but later reconnected and went fishing at the local ponds and the rest is history. 
Tell us a funny story relating to your wedding day or relationship! I was working so hard to make the perfect wedding, but come to the end of the night, despite all my planning, I forgot one major detail. We had no ride from the wedding venue to the hotel that we were staying at. Most of our friends had been drinking so they were unable to drive us. Luckily, James’ brother stepped in to save the day and was able to get us to the hotel/after party at the casino, where so many of our friends were meeting us. 
Describe a hurdle you had to overcome in your relationship or during your wedding planning James and I were off and on over a span of 9 years. It seemed as if during every time we tried, we just were not where we were supposed to be in life. Before we got engaged, it was actually our third time attempting a relationship; so I guess third time really is a charm. When we reconnected in 2018, we knew that this time was different, and we were going to get married and have many babies. 
Any special ways you incorporated your family or family history into your wedding day? We had pictures of our loved ones that had passed away and had a seat reserved for them in the ceremony. They also were placed on the outskirts of the dance floor, so they were able to partake in the dancing, just from Heaven. I also made pendants of my grandma and grandpa, who had recently passed away and attached them to my bouquet. 
What part of your wedding day was/is most important to you? The first look was the most important thing. It was a memory we will cherish forever. We decided to do our vows in private and our first look before the ceremony so we could bust out all of our photos so we could enjoy the time with friends and family after the ceremony. We got to enjoy all the activities and spend the time socializing with our guests rather than being gone for hours taking photos.We also got a videographer so I can relive the moment of our first look forever. 
What is the best thing you’ve learned from one another? Katelyn: Patience. James is the most patient person I have ever met and without his patience we would not work.
James: I learned how to be more confident in myself because of how confident Katelyn is in me.
What was your favorite part about planning your wedding? My favorite part of planning the wedding was knowing that I can make it however we want. I really didn’t enjoy planning the wedding since I did most of the planning independently, but knowing that it was going to be the best day of our lives made it all worth it.
If you had one piece of advice for other couples, what would it be? One piece of advice to give other couples would be to give each other grace. Moving in together, starting a family, in cooperating all of each other into one space is hard. But with love and understanding and open communication, it is manageable. You want both of you to feel appreciated so it’s so important to do small gestures and work together to make time for each other. 
What is the most honest thing you can say about love? Just because you love someone doesn’t mean you always like them. Marriage is hard. Adulthood is hard. If you don’t prioritize the person you love, they can easily become the “roommate” and that is hard on a marriage. 
Photographer: Tiffany Longeway
Venue: Mission San Juan Capistrano
Dress Designer: Baltic Born
Film Lab: Photo Vision
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