#aeoliwed

The graduate school potluck amongst friends. Good food, relaxed conversations. Yet not the place I would have expected to meet my future wife. She came in with her friends. And as I shook their hands in hello, I suddenly found myself giving Stephanie an embracing hug. The gesture (unexpected by either of us) came from unfounded feelings of familiarity. Was it that I had anticipated she would be there that night from the list of invites? Or, perhaps, it was that we had crossed paths for the first time two months prior and I thought I had lost the chance to ever say hi to the girl with the beautiful smile. Likely, it was both. A false memory, leading to an uncharacteristic introduction. Yet the best mistake I could have made. Launched into a flurry of serendipity, two weeks later on July 4th, we decided to become the pair who continues to grow together to this day. xxo Ayaboe

On July 1st, 2017 I had a photoshoot scheduled for the birth doula website I was creating at the time. Weeks before, I had excitedly told Ayaboe the name of my photographer, Chantal Anderson. Chantal and I finished our planned shoot when she mentioned a second location – a rooftop – that she wanted to check out. How did she know I love rooftops?? Willingly, we transitioned to the venue: a lone warehouse in downtown Los Angeles. Once there, Eric (now our DJ) led us through a dark hallway to a freight elevator resembling the Tower of Terror. Given the look on Chantal’s face, I wondered whether she herself knew what we were getting into. After a dramatic ride up, the doors opened and we finally made our way to the rooftop. It was simple and industrious, yet had the most beautiful view of the downtown skyline as the sun began to set behind the buildings. I took a seat and Chantal started shooting. As I was about to look over my shoulder, she instructed me to “hold that pose!”. Little did I know that Ayaboe was hiding out on the rooftop waiting for me. I soon heard footsteps and looked behind to see him standing with flowers. He pulled out the ring and knelt down, and I immediately knelt down with him! I remember him saying something to me like “babe you have to get up”, but I actually don't remember much else of what he said after that. <3 Stephanie