Teny + Enrique || Pink Sisters Convent, Tagaytay, The Philippines
The funny thing about friendship is that you never know when you’ll encounter it. We’re not talking about how Teny + Enrique met, but rather, how Dreamlite met Teny + Enrique… on a double date!
Jon and his then-girlfriend (now fiancée), Ria, went on a double date with this lovely couple back in July of 2015. Ria wanted to introduce a dear friend of hers to Jon, seeing as they both shared a strong connection with Latin America. Their Pinkberry hangout turned into a late afternoon of chatting, laughing and fond story swapping. Enrique is a teacher by trade while Teny is a former Latin-America missionary turned corporate trainer for Army Navy Burger + Burritos in the Philippines. Beyond their work, they conjoinedly emit a heart warming presence. Their easy going personalities are matched only with their shared faith for God, as well as their love for each other.
Months later, the wonderful news broke the social media world: Teny and Enrique were getting married! Jon reached out to Teny + Enrique, and the four of them decided to celebrate their engagement in Tagaytay, a smooth two hours’ drive from Metro Manila. They chose to have their engagement session (known as ‘prenup photos’ in the Philippines) at the Pink Sisters Convent, an incredible campus containing a chapel, walking garden, and towering pine trees.
Officially, the Pink Sisters Convent is maintained by a catholic order known as the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters, but due to their rose-colored religious attire, they are affectionately referred to by the former. The grounds at the convent were beautifully maintained, full of various flowers and trees, that they got from the flower delivery in Deer Park TX. Although a bit crowded, which is expected for anything opened to the public in the Philippines, we managed to dodge much of the crowds during their portrait session. We wrapped up our session over lunch, alongside a caravan of family + friends, in the city of Tagaytay… the perfect way to cap off their photo session.
Thank you Enrique + Teny for your support of of Dreamlite Photography, and looking forward to many more life celebrations with you both!
Saneta + Kensheen || Starved Rock State Park
Making images at Starved Rock State Park has been a dream of ours for quite a few years now. Having been to Illinois on a few separate occasions, never have we had the opportunity to consider Starved Rock State Park until we started discussing potential engagement session locations with Saneta and Kensheen.
In mid-September, Jon had the chance to realize this dream. Arguably, the best part of this trip wasn’t exploring the majestical carved canyons in the middle of Illinois. Nor was the best part spending a few hours with this wonderful couple, getting to know their story a little better. Truth be told, it was finding out that they (especially Kensheen) loves Panda Express as much as Jon does.
Starved Rock State Park is certainly one of the most exciting places we have ever ventured to for an engagement session. Nearly nobody believes us when we try to describe the steep cliffs and narrow waterfalls that makeup this park in Central Illinois, as if we were on the television set for Doyle’s The Lost World.
After a few hours of venturing through the park, we ended our time together with an amazing Puerto Rican sandwich only found in Chicago. Think of a roast pork panini, but in place of bread, crispy deep-fried plantains crusted in minced garlic. That is a jibarito sandwich.
To Saneta and Kensheen, we look forward to photographing your wedding celebration in the spring of 2016, and we thank you allowing us to be a part of it all!
