Well good day everyone.

Today I'm going to share a very special couple. Not that I don't care for each and every one of my clients, Danae and Mike just hold a very special place in my heart.

They are David and I except stateside.

She's American and he's english.

He's actually David's best man's older brother. Danae and I befriended each other on facebook after David and I first got together.( Danae had already been dating Mike) She seemed like such a sweet girl and we messaged here and there. Then when Mike proposed, I immediately jumped at the chance to speak to them about shooting their engagements and everything that follows.

When I met up with Danae and Mike, it was soooooo lovely to hear an American accent; especially as lovely as Danae's. She was just as sweet as I had imagined; as was Mike. They both were so thoughtful in telling me about Vintage shops and other things that they had seen at while they were visiting Mike's family, that they thought I would like.

I had so much fun with these two. I'll let them tell you alittle about themselves :)

(I would also just like to add a little side note: Firstly how stunning is Danae? Secondly this was such a touching moment when I was looking down at my camera screen to change a setting and when I put my eye up to look through the viewfinder and I saw a little sparkle in Danae's eyes. She had gotten a little emotional; she like me, was so in love and happy to be in this moment. I am so happy for Mike and Danae and thankful they have walked into my life. It's so nice to see that David and I aren't the only crazy ones in this world. :) )

What did you first notice of the other?

Danae: The very first thing I noticed about Mike was his smile! I was with a group of my friends in a bar/lounge in Chicago when he came over and sat on the arm of my chair. I looked over and noticed his black, curly locks and once I saw his smile, I was definitely hooked.Mike: The first thing I noticed about Danae was her hair actually! It wasn’t what attracted me to her, it was just because all of her mates had dark hair and she was the only blonde, and she was the only one facing away from us as we walked towards them, so she immediately stood out to me.. I sat on the arm of her chair by coincidence because there was no space in the group to sit down. We didn’t actually speak to each other right away because the group had been split into two different conversations and Danae and I proved to be the halfway point between the two, so we were facing different directions. Then, the conversations suddenly merged and we both turned round and started talking to each other, and then I noticed her eyes. The light blue eyes with the bright blonde hair was a combination that is exactly my type and that was it from then on.

How long til you knew?
Danae: The first time I laid my eyes on Mike I knew that there was something different about him. I honestly had never seen a more gorgeous guy in my life! The night we met, we went to a few different bars and talked and talked for hours; it was like we had known each other our whole lives. Then after a few unsuccessful attempts, Mike kissed me, and there were fireworks and sparks flew - literally, as it was the Fourth of July - and I remember thinking that I never wanted to kiss any other lips but his for the rest of my life. Honestly, I know it sounds cheesy, but from that moment, I just knew he was the one.
Mike: That’s a tough one, because I want to say straight away, but at the time, I didn’t know how it was going to work because of the distance, especially in those first days. I think for me it changed about a month after we first met. We spent 10 days in Chicago together before I flew home, and I knew that I had to find a way back to her. I wanted it to work form the start, but I didn’t want to get too into it straight away just incase it proved too difficult to continue. I suppose if you want it to work and set your mind to it, like we did, it becomes seemingly easy in the end.

Whats your favourite thing about Mike? about Danae?
Danae: Ooooooh my favorite thing about Mike...hmm....I don't know how else to explain it but to say that he has a heart of gold. He is so genuine, he is kind, he is loyal, he is unselfish and giving, and he always sees the best in people. He always believes in me, and he encourages me to be the best person that I can.
Mike: My favourite thing about Danae is her motivation. It astounds me sometimes how she can make herself do anything and not complain about it. The career that she has chosen to go into is testament to that. Although I love a countless number of things about Danae, I going to have to be really vain and say her looks stand out for me, because honestly, it is the first thing that attracts you to someone. If I could envision the perfect looking girl for me, and I did many a time before I met Danae, it would be extremely close if not exactly her.

 How do you find it to combine two worlds into one relationship?
Danae: Aside from the troubles of being able to just stay in the same country together, combining our two vastly different backgrounds has been pretty easy. Even though I'm from a small town and grew up on a farm and Mike grew up in Liverpool, we're really very similar at our core. Our differences keep things interesting. And keeping an open mind about things which we can't fully relate to one another has allowed both of us to grow into better and more well-rounded people. Also, our families are both so generous and supportive, which has really made our life so much easier.
Mike : Although we are from two very different places, we share the same moral values and that makes everything a lot easier. We do have slight disagreements about things, but it is to be expected with how different we are. In all seriousness though, it hasn’t really been that hard to adjust to each other and it never was. We sort of bypassed the awkward, getting to know each other bit, and we’ve had no problems to speak of really.. The fact that we are both easygoing and open has helped a lot. We know what to expect of each other and that makes it easier to speak up and let the other one know when something isn’t right. I think our whole experiences with immigration and visas have brought us closer together. Not knowing when we were allowed to see each other, and having to go 3 months apart at a time was hard, but if we’ve survived that and come out better on the other side, there can’t be many more obstacles that would prove a problem for us.

What are your goals as a couple?
Well...after we tie the knot, Mike & I & our little Marley plan to pack up our life in Perrysburg, Ohio and make our new home in Liverpool, England.. I plan to do my residency in the north of England, and Mike plans to go back to university to pursue a doctorate in physiotherapy. Of course we'd love a little home for our future Hamouda family, and we'll just see where our life takes us from there!


There were a lot of little signs along the way that kept reinforcing our idea that we were made for each other.
Danae: For me, I have always been a huge Beatles fan, and Liverpool was on the top of my “must see” travel list. Also, during my undergrad years, I had filled out and *nearly* turned in a form to study abroad at Salford University in Manchester --- if I would have done that, I am certain I would have found Mike in Heebie Jeebies (a club in Liverpool) a few years earlier than he found me in Chicago. Also, I’ve always dreamed of a dark and handsome man, someone who was athletic, and someone who was overwhelmingly warm and inviting. Mike is definitely all of those things. Also, the night we met was the first night I had ever been in Chicago, and when I had a cheeky look at his amazing cologne, I found out it was called “The One”- and of course, I already knew he was! ;) Mike: Before I met Danae, I had decided that I was going to do some football coaching in America for the summer. I had originally applied for California, but was designated Chicago as my destination, which can be taken as the first sign. Just before I left, I went shopping with my mum and then for a meal on the docks. During the meal, we were talking about my ideal girl. None of the girls I had met before were like me at all, and it was starting to get to me. I just wanted a down to earth girl, who was not afraid to be adventurous and try different things. Something as simple as visiting an art gallery or going out for a meal was what I was asking for, nothing too adventurous.. The girls I had met before had all turned their noses up at doing anything other than going out and getting wasted, and I felt there was more to me than that. I wanted somebody intelligent but modest, good looking and ambitious, cultured but fun at the same time, and then I met Danae. It was unbelievable that I had met the exact girl that I had asked for less than 3 weeks previously. I was lucky to find her, because some people never do, and when you look at all the things that came together for us to be able to meet each other it really makes you think about whether fate exists.

Did your friends think you were crazy?
Danae: My friends were with me the night I met Mike, so they got to witness the first sparks between us. They always knew it was going to work out between us. They've been there for me during the tough times when we were apart for months, and they've been there to celebrate with us when we were finally able to be together.

Mike: My friends that were with me that night didn’t. But I suppose that boys aren’t really like that. They certainly didn’t immediately think it was going to end up in a relationship, they just thought I’d pulled a stunning girl. When it got serious, my best friends (who weren’t with me in Chicago) were happy for me but at the same time couldn’t see the point in long distance, until they met Danae. When they met her, they could see exactly why I was doing it and totally supported me. They weren’t too happy that I was leaving them but they love Danae and are happy with how things have turned out.

We had such a great time in our engagement photo session with Tanja! She made us feel so comfortable, and we could easily just be our natural, happy, and lovey selves without feeling like someone was walking around photographing us. There were times when we felt so comfortable that we were able to just get caught up in the moment with each other, forgetting that we were being photographed. Tanja was also really great at giving the perfect amount of guidance while still allowing ourselves to act completely naturally. We also noticed that Tanja has a really creative eye, picking up on cute little spaces that other people might have overlooked. We really look forward to working with her again soon!