Varje måndag delar vi med oss av en bröllopsberättelse här på Sisters in Law. Idag har vi äran att få dela med oss av en annan typ av berättelse, nämligen en förlovningen mellan Patrick och Irini. Vi ler för oss själva när vi kikar igenom dessa foton och läser vad paret har att säga om varandra och deras resa till dit de är idag.

Vi lämnar över ordet till Irini och Patrick, och spanar samtidigt in bilderna från deras förlovningsfotografering med Franzi Annika Photography.

förlovning+fotografering+porträtt+urbant

Så träffades paret

On a chilly January night in 2014, they shook hands for the first time. Patrick had just moved into Columbia Hall- a co-ed dorm on the University of South Carolina's campus. He was starting his first semester of Freshman year, while Irini was preparing for her second semester. She remembers how he had a warm smile and radiated southern charm, but thought nothing more of it. Fast forward a couple of days when a group of friends decided to go see a movie. Irini was known to not only have a large appetite for life, but also of food. So of course Irini was starving afterwards and wanted to grab a bite to eat. Considering it was past midnight, not much was open except Beezers. Patrick was willing to go with her, and off the two went walking through the Horseshoe towards the sub shop. (Not really smart for a young woman to walk at 1 am with some guy she barely knew, huh)? As Patrick likes to say many years later, "I'm so thankful for your poor judgment."
He insisted on paying for my sandwich saying, "My mom would kill me if she found out I didn't pay." I'm a sucker for a gentleman. About 2-3 months later, we decided to take a leap of faith and try out this relationship thing. Navigating what it meant to be in a relationship was so new to both of us, but it just felt right.

vad är det bästa med ert förhållande?

It's the little things. I remember Patrick was working in Columbia Summer of 2016 and had a rough day, so I decided later that night to drive 3 hours from Myrtle Beach and surprise him. His excitement made it all worth it. Patrick has this thing where he buys me flowers every single month, and he hasn't missed a month...he started in 2014. We send "I miss you" and “I’m thinking about you” texts throughout the day. I love how intentional we are with each other, even after 5 years. We can be perfectly content with one another by either cuddling on the couch watching Netflix and eating snacks on a Friday night or going out with friends at a local brewery and enjoying trivia night and company. We love to travel and experience different cultures and different foods (we are HUGE foodies).
We both push each other to be the very best version we can be. We push each other to live out our passions, to be strong in our faith, and to choose love when love can be hard. We sacrifice for the other just to see them smile. When we have rough days, he's the one I go to and vice versa. I don't like the phrase- "my other half" because I believe we each are our own person and are completely whole already. However, we're each other's best friend and life feels more complete when we're in each other's lives. We don't have to say anything, yet somehow, we know what the other is feeling and thinking. We are beyond connected and loved by one another. The love we feel for each other can't be duplicated and there's no one else we'd like to be silly and grow old with.

Hur visste ni att det var rätt?

Patrick: I don't think there was an exact moment, but I knew sometime around sophomore year. I knew early on she was special. From the moment we started dating, I could see a life with her and could see her one day being my wife.
Irini: I don't think I had an exact moment either. I think gradually over time, I saw how we connected. I liked how our morals and family values lined up. He was different than other guys. He wasn't consumed with social media or talking to multiple people. He's loyal, trustworthy, and straight forward. Most guys at my age were the complete opposite! I think after we said \"I love you\" after 6 months of dating, we just felt more serious about our future together.

bokhandel+förlovning+urbant+fotografering

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Frieriet

Irini: Well I accidentally found a "Jared's" envelope while I was cleaning out our wooden box that we keep mail in. It was tucked in at the bottom and my eyes widened at the sight of it. I peeked in and saw some credit card numbers and then immediately put it away because I thought to myself, "I saw too much". So already I knew it was coming, but didn't know when.

golden hour+förlovning+natur+fotografering

A couple months later we were at my parent's house and Patrick and my dad sat late one night on the porch drinking some whiskey. That's where he asked my dad for his blessing to have my hand in marriage. A month later we planned to go down to Destin, FL, where his parents lived, for Christmas. I had a feeling it may happen during this time. My suspicions grew as his mother took me out to get my nails done and get a whole new outfit for "church" later that night. I was finishing up getting ready for Christmas Eve Mass when Patrick sent me a text saying, "Hey meet me at the dock. We're taking family pictures before church." His family never took pictures like that, so I knew this HAD to be the moment!

I just remember feeling butterflies and thinking to myself, "this is it." I walk out to the dock and I only see Patrick standing there with his suit on. I walk up to him and play it off saying "your parents said they'd be here in a few minutes". He just grabbed my hands and started his speech. I don't remember much of what he said, but I do remember the last part after I said yes. "I love you. Now let's go pray for our marriage." That dock is one of my favorite places to sit and reflect, so I couldn't think of a better place to receive a proposal. We ended up taking pictures afterwards and then going to church. It was a pretty great night.