We first met a year before we actually started dating at the annual San Clemente Fiesta. I remember Rayne was leaning against a wall by himself sipping on a beer. Immediately he caught my eye; I thought he was gorgeous. We flirted and there was obvious chemistry but we didn't get the chance to exchange phone numbers. About a year later we bumped into each other again while out on the town with our friends. Rayne had just come from a wedding and was feeling extra confident. We were at a local bar listening to some live music when he finally made his move and dragged me out onto the dance floor. I insisted I was a horrible dancer and tried to escape, afraid that I would embarrass myself with my pathetic dance moves, but each time I attempted to head back to my seat, he would drag me back out. I was secretly turned on by his persistence and very impressed with his dance skills. In mid dance he leaned in to kiss me. Soon after and we started dating. 6 years later we are still very much in love and are parents to a beautiful baby boy. Rayne still likes to drag me out on the dance floor every chance he gets.
The proposal:
We got engaged at Pines Park in Capistrano Beach (a nearby park we often take our baby to play). It was at the same spot where my parents were married 31 years ago. He walked me to the cliffside where we had a panoramic view of the ocean and at sunset proposed. It was so romantic and one of the most beautiful moments of our lives.
What he loves about her:
Corey is the most generous person I know. She is always willing to help anyone in need and expects nothing in return. She has the worlds biggest heart and truly cares about everyone and everything. She always puts others before herself and is never judgmental. She motivates me without pushing me and makes me want to be better in every aspect of my life, not only for her, but for myself. I have been able to accomplish more with her by my side than I ever would've on my own. She excels in all the places where I am lacking and balances me out perfectly. She is an incredible mother to our son and works so hard to ensure he is happy, safe, and healthy. I love her more with each passing day and could not imagine my life without her. I look forward to spending the rest of our lives together and am excited for what the future will hold.
What she loves about him:
Rayne has the biggest heart. I love that heart. Every day he surprises me - I learn something new from him. He makes me laugh. He helps me to look outside myself and examine world issues. He makes me think about what kind of human I want to be--what kind of family I want to have--what kind of world I want to live in. He is so caring, nurturing and gives me space to grow, to think for myself and to be independent. Rayne always approaches me with such patience, compassion and understanding. His inner strength amazes me. It doesn’t hurt either that he's incredibly easy on the eyes. I continue to be in awe of his gentility, generosity, and wisdom. He is an exceptional father and my best friend. We have so much fun together...my life is just better with him in it.
About their engagement session:
Brett Hickman shot our engagement session. We feel like we hit the jackpot with having him as our photographer! He truly is an artist and has the ability to capture our genuine feelings for one another on camera. He was so easy to work with and made the session fun and relaxed. We couldn't have been more delighted with the whole experience. It was Brett's idea to start the shoot with Rayne and our 2 year old son, Rayne Jr. surfing. Surfing is a big part of our family's life and our baby has been surfing with his dad since he was 9 months old. The pictures of the two of them in the water came out wonderful and we are excited that our son will be able to have them for the rest of his life. We did the majority of the engagement session around our neighborhood in San Clemente. We are both from that area and love the quaint spanish charm and splendid seaside location. We really appreciated that Brett and his assistant Steph were so detail oriented and enthusiastic about getting the perfect shot. It was obvious that he is dedicated and passionate about what he does. We ended our session back on the beach as the sun began to set. The twilight photos were our favorite and we had fun getting all wet and sandy. Brett was very creative with the use of limited light and the results were stunning and different from most engagement photos we've seen. He really went to great lengths to get each shot right, even if it meant he had to freeze in the cold water or get dirty. We were impressed by Brett's ability to think outside the box. We enjoyed letting him experiment with new techniques and couldn't be more thrilled with the results. I can't imagine there's a better photographer out there.
