But one just stuck out at me.

So with much happiness and love, I’d love to announce the winner of the “Love never fails…” photo contest.

Bryan Hamilton!

And this is his entry:

I guess the best place to start anything is from the beginning, so that’s where I’ll start our story. Angie and I were introduced by a mutual friend. Our friend had been trying to introduce us for a while but never actually told us she wanted us to meet. We ended up meeting at a birthday party and I knew immediately I had my work cut out for me if I wanted any attention from her. You see, in my eyes Angie is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I still remember not being able to stop staring at her smile that night. I explained to our friend that I had to see Angie again and I needed her to set it up because I was too busy staring at her to really talk to her that night. Not long after that the three of us met for happy hour and after a short time there, our friend suddenly had to get home to her child which left just Angie and I to talk and for me to finally get her number. After a couple dates Angie and I became almost inseparable (maybe she wanted to have a little more time alone but I was loving every minute of her company J ).

To list everything I love about Angie is simple, everything. It really does seem like I fall in love with her more and more every day. She takes the time out for the little things that show me how much she cares and make me love her more. She can have had a rough day but she always takes the time to kiss me after coming home from work and makes sure to tell me “I love you” before she drifts off to sleep every night.

All relationships that last seem to have a few things in common. The first thing is consideration. Both people have to be considerate of the other. Angie is an amazing example of this. It seems as though everything Angie does has me in mind. The second thing a relationship needs is surprises. It’s the little things that mean the most. Surprises don’t need to be gifts or anything big but they just go to show your better half you’re thinking of them. It can be a simple text saying “thinking of you” or “love ya”. It could be one of my favorite things to do, flowers for no reason. It could even be as easy as just telling your spouse you appreciate them. The third thing a relationship needs to last is time. To take time to appreciate your spouse and let them know what they mean to you. Take the time out from a busy day to go for a walk together just to hold hands and talk. Take the time to make your spouse smile. Take the time to make things easier for your spouse. The last thing is the easiest, love. If you do all the other little things for your relationship love will be the easiest thing you do all day.

To tell you what I would like from a photo session is easy. I want a chance to show my wife how much she means to me and to have proof when I tell her how beautiful I think she is! Angie and I are about to start a new journey in our lives together as we are expecting and due in July. When Angie and I got engaged I asked her by creating a slide show of photos we had taken throughout the time we had been dating. I put them to music and the last slide said “you make me laugh louder and smile bigger” and asked her to marry me. I would love these photos to start our new journey and show this new baby how much we love it from even before he or she is born.

Thank you for taking the time to create this contest and if we don’t win, at least I got another opportunity to realize how much I love my wife!

Sincerely,

Bryan Hamilton

Congratulations Bryan and Angie!  I can’t wait to plan out our photo session together!

For the other 16 that entered the contest, don’t you fret.  I have a gift for you too!  Be expecting it in your email by the end of this week.

Much love to you all!

P.S. I just found out that Bryan and Angie know if they’re having a little boy or little girl at their 20 week ultrasound today.  How exciting is that!!?!

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, I would love to show my appreciation to my clients and my growing fan base on Facebook by giving away a complimentary couples photo session to one lucky couple in love.

How does this work? It’s actually pretty simple…

First, you have to like my Facebook page. If you’re reading this, you’ve probably done that already. If not, what are you waiting for?!?!

Second, you’ll need to send me an e-mail or Facebook message telling me a little about yourselves. How you met, what you love about each other, what you think makes a relationship last… I would also love to know what you’d like from your photo session.  A theme?  Something you saw on pinterest that speaks to you?  It’s that easy!

Third, include a cute photo!

This contest is open to all couples, married or not, engaged or not, young and old, new client or previous client.  If you’re a couple in love with an interesting story or photo session idea, you have a chance at winning.

Entries must be received by 11:59pm PST (midnight) on Tuesday, February 14th.The winner will receive a custom themed photo session with maricar lianne photography to be held at the location of your choice and a disc of 20 mid-resolution images (a value of $325).

The lucky couple will be announced on my Facebook page and on my blog at 12:00pm PST (noon) on Wednesday, February 15th and the photo session will take place on a weekday late afternoon, early evening in the Spring.

Show me your love!!