Los Angeles Professional Photographer
One of the things I love about being in the photography business, especially in the wedding industry, is meeting and getting to know many of the different vendors you come across. They may be other photographers, or they could hold positions in other aspects of the industry. Being a Los Angeles Professional Photographer the connections I have made are priceless. But you know what makes it even better? It’s when these other vendors become more than just acquaintances, they become friends. Such is the case with Ricky Hayes from VOX DJs. Ricky is someone I like to think of as a “friendor” – vendor and a friend.
I’ve known Ricky for a couple of years now and my team at Three16 Photography and I have worked with him and other DJs from VOX at several events. Enough times that we often become chatty with him, so you can imagine how excited we were when we heard he had gotten engaged and to have met and talked with his now fiancé, Cinthya. She is quite lovely.
Ricky and Cinthya live in Los Angeles, so we offered them some suggestions to go and shoot their engagement photo session. They chose to go with one of our very favorite locations to photograph engagement sessions, the Walt Disney Concert Hall. This Concert Hall has some really unique urban architecture that will really enhance your photos. After we finished there, we went to LA City Hall for some additional shots. The photos were coming out great, so we decided to add one more location. Their original thought was to go to Little Tokyo, but due to an Anime Festival that was going on there, it was just too crowded, so we shot the third leg of the session at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA.
By the time we got to Geffen, it was now dark outside, but we captured some really great night shots that we are pretty proud of. It was probably my special assistant for the evening, my girlfriend Josie as she assisted me with the lighting. She did a great job!
Ricky and Cinthya’s wedding is planned for November 1, 2019, at the Villa Del Sol in Fullerton with its Spanish look and feel to it. I wonder if they need a good recommendation for a DJ? Ha!
We would really like to thank Ricky and Cinthya for allowing Three16 Photography to capture your beautiful engagement session and we can’t wait for the wedding! We wish you many years of love and happiness.
Check out their love story. We hope you enjoy it, and their photos, as much as we do.
Cinthya and Ricky’s Love Story
How and when did you first meet?
We first met when Ricky was the store manager at a Starbucks and Cinthya had been referred to his store for an interview.
Describe your thoughts and how you felt about each other. Was it love at first sight?
Cinthya came in for the interview and was a few minutes late. Bad move, Cinthya. Ricky almost didn’t hire her. However, Cinthya was very new in town and came with an honest sincerity that she just made a mistake and felt bad. She was honest, sweet, and had incredible energy that would light up any room and make anyone smile. Ricky decided to hire her, but the romance didn’t start until much later.
What do you both do for work today?
Ricky is the Director of Operations for VOX DJs and Cinthya is a Specialist for Uber.
For the Groom: What was it that made you first start liking your bride-to-be?
No matter what, Cinthya always makes me smile. Simply her being around would always make me happy. While she’s absolutely beautiful, she’s also so quick-witted, fun, and doesn’t have one negative bone in her body. I’ve never met someone who is so selfless and caring.
For the BRIDE: What was it that made you first start liking your groom to be?
I have liked Ricky since the first time I saw him. I remembered thinking to myself when he was interviewing me… he is so handsome it’s a shame that he is the boss and probably nothing will happen between us. Then I start knowing him more while working with him and got to know how smart, simple, funny, kind, and lovely he is. So, I started to like him even more!
Tell us about your first date. What was going through your mind and where did you go and what did you do?
It was Cinthya’s last week at Starbucks before she was moving back to Mexico. That week Ricky told Cinthya that they should go out to a karaoke bar for Cinthya’s last day at Starbucks and that she could invite anyone she wanted (She didn’t invite anyone on purpose. She didn’t know many people and she wanted it to be just him and her). Ricky walked out the door thinking, “Is this a date…? I hope this is a date.” In the end, it was just us. We went to karaoke where Cinthya convinced Ricky to sing “Love Story” by Taylor Swift as a duet and he did it! It was a blast for being our first date. We drank tequila, lots and lots of tequila, we went bar hopping, we kissed for the first time and it was amazing. The next day, Cinthya flew back to Mexico, but we continued to talk/Skype every day from then on.
What makes your relationship special? Tell us some things that you both value in your time together.
We both seem to bring out the best in each other in more than one way. We do so by learning so much from each other about how we care for ourselves and others. Ricky pushes Cinthya to try new things like climbing waterfalls or playing beach volleyball. Cinthya pushes Ricky to become the best leader he can be at work and with his family. What makes us special, we’re not sure who is truly goofier and more of a kid. While we know when to be serious and focus, we also always have time to dance around the house and hide in a closet to scare the other one.
Tell us about your proposal story! How and where did it all unfold? Who cried first and were you surprised?
We had been dating for three years now. And on October 5th of 2018, it happened, one of the happiest days in our lives so far. Ricky popped the question!
It was Ricky’s birthday weekend; we went out to dinner at the same pier where we had our first date. After dinner, Cinthya thought we were walking back to the car until she realized that we were instead walking along the rocks in the Redondo Beach King Harbor. Ricky wanted to propose right out on the pier but there were too many people around fishing and being loud. Ricky truly wanted to have a moment with just us, alone and with no distractions. He then stopped just outside the Portofino Hotel. He started to say how no one has made him happier and there is no one else he wanted to be with for the rest of his life. We were alone and right then is when he decided to get on one knee and ask Cinthya to marry him! She eventually said yes! She didn’t say yes right away because she was in shock and was totally speechless and didn’t know what to do. We both were emotional with joy so we’re not sure who cried first or the most. We couldn’t have pictured the moment being and more sincere or special.
What is one piece of advice you have for couples just beginning the wedding planning process and what have you enjoyed most about planning your wedding?
Really take your time if possible. Wedding planning can be a lot added on top of daily life. It doesn’t have to be perfect. If you’re trying to make every single detail perfect, it can take the fun out of making all these decisions together. If some part begins to be stressful, take a moment, stop and tell your partner how much you love them and make the decision together. At the end of the day, the wedding is not just a moment to acknowledge your commitment to each other, it is a celebration for everyone as a whole. Make it a day or night where family and friends can celebrate coming together.
Anything else you want to add?
We cannot wait to get married and start a new chapter in our lives. This is the happiest either of us have ever felt and wish that same feeling to everyone.
