Georgia + George Calgary Urban Engagement Photo Session.
It isn’t every day that you find love in Vegas. Some might call it sheer luck that they found each other in such an unexpected place, but their friends and family know that their meeting was more than chance – you might say, they hit the jackpot.Georgia and George live in Houston, Texas and were visiting Calgary for a friend’s wedding. Recently engaged, they took this opportunity to capture some photos that celebrate their love and highlight the upcoming wedding events.With the sun shining and not a hint of rain in sight, they explored Prince’s Island Park, the Peace Bridge and ventured over to Alforno Café in style and the resulting images – simply put – are everything. Here is a short interview about this two amazing couple, done by Alex Hunt.
Q: Tell us how you first met!
George: I spotted Georgia in a crowd, and I told my friend I must speak to her. She was hard to get close to because her friends were guarding her like they were pit bulls. I waited until I had a chance when she was walking towards me, and I approached her, shaking. I told her my name and the rest was history. To be honest, I thought she was going to blow me off, but it was a calculated risk I was compelled to take. Till today, I cannot recall being that nervous at any other moment in my existence.
Georgia: The meeting in Vegas was by chance. My girlfriends and I made some last-minute changes and went to a different club instead of our regular spot. At the time, I didn’t believe you could find love in a club, especially while in Vegas, which is why my friends and I were not interested in talking to guys. It was a girls’ trip! (Laughs) I had never met anyone from Texas, and especially not anyone with his charm. He was just so genuine. I was already planning to move to Texas, so it felt like the stars aligned and allowed us to meet. I was super confused when George told me his name, because I thought he was saying my name, but I hadn’t met him before. Finally, over the loud music, we figured out we had similar names – and a great connection.
Q: At the time, you were both living in different cities. How did you make the long-distance work?
Georgia: Long distance was a struggle, but it helped us get to know each other so much better. Because we had so much time to talk, we got to discuss things that would probably wouldn’t have been discussed right away in a non-long-distance relationship. George was so easy to talk to and really made an effort to speak with me and see me as much as he could. We both had busy schedules, so I really appreciated how he made me a priority and reorganized everything around our phone calls or meeting in person.
George: This was the hardest part of our relationship. We used every social media and iPhone app you could think of to communicate. Since I was traveling so much for my job at the time, I became a logistics fiend. Georgia was on holiday with her family in Mexico and extended her layover in Dallas, and that was the second time we met.
Q: What sort of preparations went into planning the proposal?
George: The proposal was my ultimate plan to steal Georgia’s heart.I chose Disneyworld, after the Princess Half Marathon, because of how that race symbolically resembled our relationship: that no matter what, I will always be waiting for Georgia at the end of any finish line.After getting her family’s blessing I was on the phone with Disney, daily, to ask questions and figure who, what, when and where I would surprise Georgia. I wanted my brother there for two reasons. The first was to share the moment with him as a brother, the second was that I wanted him to see what I went through to get to that point and for him to understand how I felt about his future sister-in-law. He will be the best man at the wedding.
Q: Were you surprised Georgia?
Georgia: Yes! I have always want to do a half marathon, so this was a really big goal for me. I was just so worried about the race that I didn’t even think that something would happen on that trip.
Q: Tell us about the ring!
George: I was told by some very special friends (who are jewelers), that they wanted to be the ones to build her ring after I told them I would marry her one day. I took it as joke at first, but they said they would build something that would make us cry. They didn’t lie, Georgia’s face during the proposal painted a very accurate picture that they did just that.
Q: Do you have any details you can share about your wedding plans so far?
Georgia: We are going to have two events, one in Texas and one in Alberta. The reception in Texas will be a traditional Nigerian event, and the actual wedding ceremony and reception will be held in Alberta.We really want to have fun at both events, and just celebrate being together. We went through a lot making sure that we could live in the same city, so we just want to have a party! We made it to the finish line (pun intended) and we are just so happy.
Q: For those who have never attend a traditional Nigerian wedding, what’s to be expected?
George: An Igbo traditional wedding has both families in traditional clothing, and a ton of dancing and money being thrown on the bride and groom. The bride has to find the groom in the venue and take him to her parents to give their blessing. We will also break kola nuts and pass it out to those in attendance. A tailor from Abuja, Nigeria will design and make the traditional attire for the bride, groom and immediate family. Our bridesmaids and groomsmen will also have matching traditional clothing.
Q: What do you intend to highlight at the Alberta wedding?
Georgia: We want both the American and Canadian guests to experience the mixture of our cultures and home countries at our wedding. Small things like, poutine served as the midnight snack and magnolia flowers throughout the venue will represent both Canada and Texas, respectively. Calgary and Houston are really special places, so we want guests to experience the best that both have to offer. There is a big debate about who serves better beef, Alberta or Texas, so we shall see!
