Tim and Yana’s sweet love story spans several countries, a few continents and nearly their entire lives. In these images from their engagement session with Seattle-based photographer Daniel Usenko, it’s easy to see how much these two simply enjoy being together, at long last.
Tim, Yana and Daniel set off for a day of shooting with no specific location in mind, hopping on a ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island, with only the idea that they wanted their images to have a “country” feel to them. Together they explored the island, and whenever they drove by a beautiful farm they would stop, knock on the door, and ask the owners if they could take pictures with their horses, barns, and orchards. The result was a fun and adventurous day, and tons of great engagement photos. Check them out!
Tim and Yana’s families have been friends since the two were only four years old, but lost contact as Tim and Yana were growing up. When they were sixteen, the families were reunited, and Tim and Yana really began their journey to where they are today. Over the next several years, through long-distances between Seattle, Russia, Southern California, Italy and even Thailand, the two kept in touch. They wrote e-mails, chatted on the phone and every once in awhile, they actually saw one another in person.
Finally, in January of 2009, Tim called Yana and told her he had feelings for her. One month later, on Valentine’s Day, he flew to Seattle and told a very surprised Yana, that he loved her. At long last, they were officially dating. Five months later, on a trip to Russia, Tim proposed and Yana accepted.
If you ask them, Tim will tell you that he loved Yana from the moment he first laid eyes on her cute smile and gorgeous eyes. Yana for her part, loves Tim’s generous and caring nature. The lovebirds are getting hitched this weekend – best wishes you two! And thank you to Daniel Usenko for sharing these sweet images with us!
They’re in love, they’re engaged, (they’re adorable!), and they’re planning a wedding in JUST FOUR WEEKS! Yes dear readers, you heard me right. Laura and Billy are the winning couple chosen to receive a free wedding and have it broadcast live as part of a 5 day photography workshop with Jasmine Star and CreativeLive, and the big day is coming up on August 27th! They filmed this hilarious video as their entry, found out within days that they were the couple selected, and now they’re working with event designer extraordinaire Daniela Faget from Bella Signature Design to plan their wedding in record time. The Junebug crew and I are following along in the process as well so we can bring you a fun behind the scenes look at what it takes to plan a wedding this quickly. (Hint: lot of hours, lots of phone calls, lots of quick decision making, and lots of creativity!)
I got to spend a few hours with Laura and Billy last week for wedding dress and wedding ring shopping and we took a few extra minutes to snap some photos so that you could get to know them. Individually they are lovely, sweet and funny people, and together they are even more so. As you can see their photos, laughter abounds when these two are together, so I have no doubt that their wedding will be absolutely personal, warm and full of joy!
The first stop of the day was at La Belle Elaine’s Bridal for some wedding dress shopping. (My favorite!) Laura looked amazing in every dress she tried on, and she came away with a couple of strong possibilities for THE one. Can you guess which one was her favorite?
Here are a few tips from Daniela to keep in mind when you’re shopping for a dream wedding dress of your own:
Be aware that each dress shop carries an exclusive selection of dress designers that won’t be available in other local boutiques. Do your research to find out where your favorite lines are carried so you won’t be disappointed by a store’s selection.
Try on different styles of dresses, even if you think you know exactly which shape you’re going for. You may be surprised to find out which cuts look great on you, and which looks you really love once they’re on your body. Be open minded, and let your dress consultant choose a few looks for you to try on as well.
Don’t be afraid to state your opinion, even if you’re feeling pressured by the sales person or by the friends and family who are there with you. It’s ok not to like a dress that someone else has chosen for you, or to change your mind about something you thought would be be perfect.
Come as prepared as you can be, with your hair and makeup done, and with any shoes or undergarments you know you’ll be wearing. It will help give you a better vision of what you’ll really look like on your wedding day.
Our next stop was meeting up with Billy at E.E. Robbins, the Engagement Ring Store, bling bling! We love the customer service at E.E. Robbins, and Laura and Billy were in good hands as they tried on gorgeous options for wedding bands.
Check out the videos below of the dress fitting and the ring shopping, and tune in every Monday for a live discussion from the CreativeLive Studios with Laura, Daniela, Jasmine and myself all about how the wedding planning is going! You can even join a chat room to ask us questions or Tweet them in using the hashtag #4weekwedding. (Yesterday’s discussion is available here on the CreativeLive/Jasmine Star course page, just scroll down to the “FREE Bonus: Designing a Fabulous Wedding in 4 Weeks!” video link).
Next week we’ll be focusing on colors, style and choosing that all important location! Laura, Billy and Daniela are narrowing their choices down to just a few final venues as we speak, but if anyone out there in the Seattle area has a location that you think they would love, let us know! They’re looking for plenty of natural light, room for 150 guests (plus a camera crew of course!) and internet availability, and you can write in directly to [email protected]. It’s a great chance to show off your location during an event watched by thousands in the wedding and photography industries.
With all those stellar wedding photos you’re about to have, finding a truly unique way to showcase them is soon to be high on your priority list. Enter Plywerk – the ingenious Oregon based company that makes beautiful, eco-friendly wooden photo panels in over 25 different sizes that are clean, modern and creative alternatives to traditional picture frames. We love them! And luckily Plywerk loves all of us too, because they are generously giving away two 8×10 “Upload and Order” photo panels to one lucky Junebug reader! You’ll get to upload your favorite wedding photos, choose from maple or bamboo wood, and voilà! Perfect pieces of wedding art, ready to decorate your home.
To enter to win, visit www.Plywerk.com and start daydreaming about what your ideal photo panels would look like! Then leave us a comment here on this post telling us about what kinds of images you’d like to have mounted and where in your home you would display them. We’ll accept entries throughout the next week and choose a winner at random next Monday, August 8, 2010.
Good luck everyone! We can’t wait to hear your ideas – we’re daydreaming already!
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