Talk About Divine Intervention
I love hearing our couple’s love stories. How they met, how they became a couple and how they got engaged, etc. Most are traditional stories, but sometimes you get a divine intervention from above. Alyssa and Adolfo’s story is just that. We shot their engagement session at Irvine Regional Park here in Orange County. It’s a location that we frequently shoot due to the vast options the park provides.
What made it extra nice that day was that despite the recent heat it was quite cool that day. Irvine Regional has its share of hiking trails, a lake where you can rent various water activity items, and the Orange County Zoo.
Alyssa and Adolfo are such a sweet and kind couple, they made it easy to capture their love and kindness. Their love was just infectious and I think you will find their love story just as infectious that you too will fall in love with them!
Enjoy Alyssa and Adolfo’s Love Story…..
Q. How did you both meet and who liked who first?
A. We met off of a prayer app called, Instapray. My grandpa got really sick and someone at my bible college told me about this app where you could post prayers and the rest of the community could pray on that very subject. I posted prayers for my grandpa day and night in regard to his battle with cancer. One night while I was doing my nightly prayers to God praying over my future husband, I decided on a whim to post it on the same app. I posted, “Dear Future Husband, please get your stuff together, so God can bring us together already. Signed -Waiting Patiently.” It was a funny prayer that totally reflected my personality and I guess that prayer caught Adolfo’s eye.
He instantly messaged me and told me how my prayer for a future husband made him laugh. From there we talked non-stop day and night. We talked about our beliefs, what topics we were studying in the Bible at the moment, and overall just our core values. And as God would have it, we were on the same page with all of them. Once we realized that there was something there, we decided to both start praying about this relationship and if it was the direction God wanted US to go. The signs from God were undeniable. We were both being led to the same Bible verses time and time again; which spoke about being a Godly husband and a Godly wife and just more things on marriage and relationships. Every time we asked God for more signs, they always came back to us through the Bible verses that we both got led to. We met on April 24th through Instapray and prayed for almost a month straight until we planned our very first date on May 18th. As for who liked who first, I think the sparks were flying from the very first moment we talked. We knew this wasn’t just any coincidence, but more of a God-incidence. What started off as building a friendship and truly getting to know each other for that first month, allowed God to grow it into something so much more beautiful than either of us could have ever imagined.
Q. Tell us about your first date. Who was more nervous and what did you guys do?
A. Our first date was at an Italian restaurant in Brea, called Bruno’s. When Adolfo picked me up at my front door we realized we were both wearing the same shirt color….hunter green! The conversation flowed so smoothly over dinner, but you could tell Adolfo was a bit nervous and shy. We got up to use the restroom after dinner before we headed out to the beach and while in line Adolfo offered me a piece of gum. I reached into my purse and pulled out my pack of gum which was the exact same! We just laughed because yet again another unplanned coincidence.
From there we left for Newport Beach where we walked the pier and talked some more. We decided to go sit on the sand and for just a moment we sat in silence listening to the waves. During that time I remember thinking in my head what my ex-boyfriend had told me before we broke up, he said, “The type of love you’re looking for is a fairy tale and no guy is like that.” Then, as if Adolfo had heard that internal conversation I had in my head, he looked over at me and smiled and said, “Man, this is really like a fairy tale huh?” I just smiled because only God could have heard what I was thinking at that very moment and that’s when Adolfo just told me all his feelings for me and how he knew he already loved me from the very beginning. It was the most amazing feeling in the world because the feeling was absolutely mutual!!! The entire time on the date I thought Adolfo just seemed sort of shy or maybe wasn’t very into me, BUT all the while, he told me afterward that he was just trying to find the right time to tell me he loved me and that he had to make me his that very night. It’s so interesting to see the two different perspectives looking back on our first date now.
Q. What’s the proposal story? Give us all the details and tell us, who cried first?
A. It was our 1-year anniversary and Adolfo told me he wanted to plan out the entire day. He told me to be ready at 9am because we had breakfast plans at 10 sharp. We drove to Newport Beach and had an amazing breakfast. From there we got back in the car and Adolfo told me he had another surprise planned for us and for me to open up the glove compartment box. I did, and I found two tickets inside to go on a Whale-Watching Cruise. We enjoyed an amazing cruise with such beautiful views and were lucky enough to see some whales and dolphins too. After that, he told me the surprises didn’t end there. We drove to Laguna Beach where Adolfo had booked us a room with a stunning ocean view. We arrived at about 5pm and he told me to start getting ready because we had dinner plans at 7! He took me to a beautiful restaurant that was overlooking the ocean. I didn’t suspect a thing because this guy was as cool as a cucumber. We drove back to our hotel after dinner and when I opened the door, the room was filled with rose petals and candles. Adolfo took me to our balcony overlooking the ocean and told me to face the ocean and to not turn around till he told me to. He lit candles around us and when he told me to turn around he was down on one knee. To be honest, what he said during that time is a blur to both of us because we were both so overwhelmed with emotions, but when he finally got around to saying “Will you marry me?” my answer was nothing else but “OF COURSE!” We hugged and cried right then and there, it was such an amazing moment. All the prayers finally leading up to this moment, made it that much sweeter. After that, we called our families and shared the good news!
Q. As you approach the wedding day, what have you both enjoyed most about the wedding planning process?
A. I think we’ve really enjoyed getting to tour all the venues. We were just looking for that ONE that really spoke to us and luckily we found it right on the sand!
Q. What has been the hardest part about planning your wedding?
A. Definitely keeping the wedding small and on a humble budget. I don’t think either of us realized how expensive weddings really were! Thankfully I think we are on the same page about mostly everything. If it were possible to just choose the wedding colors and what type of cake we wanted we would do it. Those minor details don’t mean much to us, we just want to start our lives together as soon as possible. Just tell us a time to show up and we will be there dressed and ready to go! HAHA!
Q. Why did you choose your particular wedding and reception venue?
A. We chose to get married on the sand because that’s where it all started for us; our first date, our first kiss, and most of all, our first “I love you.” And a year later after that first date, the beach is where we got engaged. So I think it was inevitable that the beach would be the place we would also seal our union in front of God and our family. It just holds such a special place in our hearts.
Q. Where did you draw some of your inspiration for your wedding day?
A. Our wedding inspiration definitely came from Instagram. We both have the same taste so I think choosing decor has been very easy for both of us.
Q. Where are you going for your honeymoon? Are you excited and why did you choose that destination?
A. The honeymoon is still undecided as to the destination, but we just are looking for somewhere tropical and all-inclusive so we don’t have to worry about a thing. We are super excited though to celebrate being husband and wife.
