The first time I heard about Manolo, four years ago, Whitney and he had had an encounter in their culinary school’s freezer…they had shared some joke they can’t remember today, but I remember being suspicious about this guy named Manolo that made my sister smile like that. A girl doesn’t just drop a guy’s name for no reason. Fast forward a few months and Whitney brought him home for Thanksgiving. They whipped up a yummy dessert together and I noticed how they looked at each other. Sitting around the dinner table that night, the whole family fell in love with Manolo (and his cute Spanish accent).
In those four years, Whitney and Manolo have been through more than most couples, to put it mildly. They’ve made countless drives between Vancouver and Abbotsford and then many flights between Vancouver and Mexico City. They’ve gone months apart, with only intermittent FaceTime and the hope of things to come to keep them together. They became engaged January of 2013, began planning a September 2013 wedding, only to have Manolo’s work visa denied, sending him back to Mexico indefinitely. They’ve dealt with lawyers and the like, a lengthy permanent resident application, a government worker strike which put the former on hold, and over a year of waiting.
Together they persevered with faith and trust in God and his timing and now Manolo is home here in Canada for good and they’re planning a Fall wedding! And we couldn’t be more excited for them. It’s about time these two got married and Manolo became an official part of our family!
Since Whitney and Manolo met at culinary school on Granville Island, we began there at the market to pick up a few picnic things…
An outfit change and some roaming around Granville and we began to feel rain drops…
I was pretty much in love with Whitney’s outfit…all from Spruce Collective.
By the time we arrived at Spanish Banks for their picnic, the rain was no longer just a threat…but we kept on and I’m so glad we did!
And then it poured! Thanks for braving the weather with smiles, you two. Can’t wait to celebrate your marriage come October! xo
jamie delaine says
Oh I love these Mikaela.
Risa (Mom) says
Beautiful photos (even without the clear blue skies!) and so nice to see happy smiles!
jennifer johnson says
Beautiful couple, so inspiring to hear about their faith in the midst of such difficulties. God has brought them even closer to one another as they have weathered the storm. Many blessings!
Andie says
ooo! love all of these. and yes, great outfits whitney.
Sharon dueck says
Beautiful as always Mikaela! And what a cute couple, so happy and in love!
Sharon
whitney says
We love these photos!! Thank you so much for doing this for us. We had so much fun and have some good memories from the shoot:) Love you!
Alyssa Schroeder says
I love these photos so much, especially the beach picnic.. the green background with the sand is lovely. They have amazing style! Runs in the family I suppose ;)
Christina says
Beautiful couple and photos! So glad things worked out for them.