Stunning San Francisco Engagement Photos: Vivian & Lee
Vivian and Lee met through mutual friends, and fell in love a few months later. It was shared interests that initially brought them together, and their mutual love for adventure and travel would eventually play an important part in their start forever. Now, they are set to get married next month in Phoenix, AZ at Venue at The Grove. We’ve been working with them for the last 1.5 years and cannot WAIT to see all of our planning come to life on their special day. They have been so kind and generous throughout this process and have continued to have the best sense of humor along the way. Their wedding is sure to be a blast! Both originally from California, these lovebirds knew they wanted their engagement session to be done there. Their incredible Arizona based photographer, Daniel Kim, is always the first to say yes to that California sunlight…so off they went. They made their way all over San Fransisco- through the streets, a stop at City Hall, and finally up to the Marin Headlands. And boy are we happy they did- their engagement photos are some of the prettiest we’ve ever seen.
Before we get ahead of ourselves though, we’d love to share their engagement story with all of you. Read on for the story from their perspective:
“On New Years Day of 2018, Vivian declared it was to be her “Yes” year since she was turning 30 and their 10 year anniversary together. Yes, in that if anyone proposed a trip or event, she would always say yes! So, in that year, they were fortunate enough to visit four different countries, Hawaii, Coachella and Munich’s Oktoberfest. Vivian will admit she was hoping Lee would pop the question during all of this travel since they had started talking a lot about their future together, so she made sure her nails were always on point. After each romantic stop he didn’t propose in, she would think “when”?! Eventually she stopped expecting it to happen and just enjoyed their time and adventures together.
Fast forward to our second to last trip of the year: Japan. Japan has always been near and dear to their hearts after living together there for several months during Vivian’s rotation for school, and making life long friends which they made an effort visit every so often. For this trip, they were planning on hiking Mt Fuji, specifically the famous bullet hike where you hike overnight to catch the sunrise at the top. Lee thought this would be the perfect moment to pop the question, in a country they loved, over a miraculous sunrise. And tons of people of all ages, elderly and children, hike it yearly so how hard could it be? The answer they find out later is: very hard, very very hard. It’s a 9 hour steep hike up into very thin, cold air, and a 6 hour slippery hike down with lots of volcanic dust and rocks flying in your face. So Lee happily packed the ring securely in his backpack as they start unknowingly the longest hike they’ve ever done, up a mountain they’ve severely underestimated. About 8 hours later, they reach a few kilometers away from the peak with their group of five. Unfortunately, they did not account for the foot traffic to reach the peak, and realized with the hundred people or so ahead of them they were unlikely to reach the very peak by sunrise. So they settled down at the station just right before the peak, all of bundled in layers, freezing, delirious from lack of sleep and lack of oxygen huddling together waiting for sunrise.
As the sun rose on a beautifully clear morning, it was quiet and still and all of our weariness disappeared for a moment. Lee looked at Vivian...both had black dust all over their face, bags under their eyes weary from their overnight trek and anticipating the one ahead. Lee knew....this was not the right moment. So Lee pocketed the ring back in his backpack, and they begin their decent down in what felt like the longest 6 hours of their life. And after another 3 hour bus back to Tokyo, they to take what is arguably the most wonderful shower of their life, and fall dead sleep until the next day.
The following day was their last day in Japan. Vivian and actually hoped Lee would propose on this trip and was thrown off the trail and convinced it wasn’t going to happen. They headed to the train station, and said their last goodbyes to their friends. They boarded the train and were lucky enough to have a car all to themselves. As they head to the airport, Lee realized this was the last chance to share a special moment in their special place. Lee shuffled through his bag, got down on one knee and proposed! It wasn’t theatrical, and they weren’t swarmed with mobs of people, but it was perfect. Vivian loved watching those flashy proposals online, but for her own moment, a larger than life proposal wasn’t for her. She had said that she would be happy if Lee proposed in a grocery store as long as it was a personal moment and something between the two of them. This was her ideal proposal: in a city they loved, intimate, personal and a total surprise!
As they flew back home, they were reeling with bliss knowing this was their best trip ever, and anticipating with excitement over their biggest adventure yet to come. “