Couple photo shoot - Carina and Vladimir

Carina and Vladimir have been married since September 2013 and I was lucky enough to take pictures of their love story during their stay in Paris. Oh and no this is not a styled shoot with models, they are a real couple...they just look naturally fabulous.

They met for the first time about four years ago at church during a choir practice in Seattle where they are living. The first thing they did when they met that day was make plans for a roadtrip from Seattle to Vancouver the following day with Vladimir's sister and another friend. To be sneaky, Vladimir asked for everyone's phone numbers so he could share pictures from the road trip, even though he knew he only wanted Carina's number. Everything happened very fast after that and they both realized they were meant to be together.

Vladimir quickly understood that Carina completed him, and that she always goes the extra mile to really make him feel special, whether that's planning a surprise for, or planning a night out, it's always going to be a good time. Carina has always been impressed with his character and how kind he is to everyone around him. She also likes that he is ALWAYS the first to apologize, even when it's not his fault.

Their wedding ceremony took place at Bastyr University Chapel in Seattle and they had their reception at a country club with 300 guests (which I was told is pretty average for a Ukrainian wedding).

In June 2016, they went on a long trip around Europe and visited Paris, Kiev, Lviv, Rome, Venice and the Amalfi Coast. What an adventure! They loved discovering Paris together and I was impressed by how happy and positive they are.

Both being of Ukrainian descent, their stay in Kiev and Lviv taught them a lot, especially about their culture. They actually know a lot of Ukrainians where they live in the states, and being able to go to the places where their heritage is really opened their eyes and helped them get a better understanding of who they really are. They are also convinced it's important to explore the world, go to places they've never been, and live in a different culture. The memories they made, the time they spent together was really priceless, and will be memories that they can share even into their old age!

Oh, and Carina and Vladimir are both food lovers and they had a great time discovering new tastes and flavors around Europe!