Lizzy and Miko

I love engagement photo locations that mean something special to the couple. Camp Cove was the place where Lizzy and Miko were engaged, so it made sense that they returned there with photographer I Love Wednesdays to capture their engagement session.

Lizzy and Miko met at church, Lizzy telling, “We met at our church, which my father was pastoring at the time. I noticed Miko when he first walked in and thought he was kinda cute, but a little too young for me. As it turned out, he only LOOKED young – I discovered that we were in the same year in high school! We ended up talking quite a bit, but only over the ancient mode of communication that was MSN Messenger – we were a little too awkward to attempt any sort of conversation in real life.”

Lizzy tells, “What I love about Miko is his heart, his courage and his humility. He puts others before himself and is constantly trying to find new ways to bless his friends and family. While he is extremely caring and protective of me, he never shies away from pushing me to grow and become a better person.”

Miko remarks, “I love the way that Liz has challenged me and changed me as a man. Being more of an introvert, Liz’s outgoing ways forced me out of my shell and allowed me to flourish as an individual and as a leader. She encouraged me to dream. She makes me feel completely at ease – I can totally be myself around her.”

Lizzy remembers, “Despite obviously having the same last name as my dad, it didn’t occur to Miko that he was dating the pastor’s daughter until he first came around to visit. So it was a bit of a shock for him when my dad answered the door. At one point, he leaned over and whispered, “I didn’t know Pastor Louie was your dad!” ”

Miko remembers, “When we started talking over the phone early on in our relationship, I wrote up some “cheat notes” – topics in bullet point form to make sure the conversation kept going. I was nervous that I couldn’t keep talking for that long! ”

The couple’s Camp Cove engagement story goes something like this. ” When we first started going out nine years ago, Miko and I had this really geeky thing with numbers – I was fixated on the number 3 while he was obsessed with the number 5. When we got together, we combined the two to form 8, which was apt, since, on its side, it stood as the symbol for eternity. “3 + 5 = 8” became our “thing.” On our 8th anniversary, Miko told me that he wanted to make it extra special for the both of us.

At first I thought we were just going out for breakfast, but when he picked me up in the morning, he informed me that he was going to take me to eight different places that symbolized something that he loved about me. On the sixth stop, he took me out to Watsons Bay, where he first asked me to be his girlfriend. He took me to a lookout point close to one of the lighthouses and said, “All day I’ve been telling you about what I love about you. But now I want to tell you about myself – I’m sporty, I’m a bit of a geek, I am a social worker, I am a church leader… But something that I want to become that I am not yet is a YES.” At that, he knelt and asked me to marry him. I THINK I said “yes” – I was too busy crying! Then rain started pelting down on both of us.

Later on, my sister and a few of my closest friends jumped out of the bushes and surprised me – they’d been hiding that whole time! For the 7th and 8th stops, he took me to see my family and some of our closest friends to announce and celebrate the news. It was the most amazing day ever.”

“Miko and I always had our heart set on having our wedding at Belgenny Farm, Camden. When we did our research to see how the place looked, we came across Len’s beautiful shoot of Gem and Dunc’s wedding. While that certainly cemented Belgenny Farm as our choice, it also became the standard to which we held all other photography.

What I love about Len’s photos is the gentle and whimsical way that she plays with natural light, but more so the fact that all her couples are clearly at ease in front of the camera. From the beginning, Miko was completely apprehensive about our engagement photos – he HATES having his picture taken.

Len, however, made us feel totally in our element, simply by being such a warm and funny individual who we were just comfortable being ourselves with. Miko and I both ended up having a ball, which I think is quite evident from the wonderful images she’s produced!”