Marriage Matters: A Pen Pal Love Story
You know Michael & Carina as the husband-wife photography duo behind some of our favorite weddings and engagements on SMP, but today they're stepping in front of the camera for their own marriage celebration. These two have an incredible love story that began as teenagers while oceans apart, and endured through years of daily letter writing. Michael told the must-read story, Julie Paisley captured their photo session and it's all waiting down below. P.S. Have an amazing love story with your own? Share with us using #SMPShareYourStory
From Michael...We met as pen pals in 2003, an ocean apart. She was 14, I was 15. We wrote letter after letter to each other, first once every week, then one per day. My mom was wonderful to let me fly to Germany, as long as I earned it. Maybe she didn't think I would when she said that, but I was homeschooled so there wasn't much else to do - only took me a year to save up enough to fly to Germany (I was 16).
After 12 days, her dad told me he liked me, but not enough to send his 15-going-on-16 year old daughter to America see her boyfriend. "If you love her," he said, "You'll come back." Fair enough. Took me another year, but he was right. That's how it was for a while - work for 6 months to a year, see each other for a few days - and in the meantime writing, always writing. Carina got a job as a tutor & finally came to America in 2006 for the first time, and again in the summer of 2007, when she was 17 & 18. I remember showing her the sea, days spent on the shores of the Chesapeake. We used to joke that we were living in our own Nicholas Sparks novel, and those days must have been the best parts.
After 12 days, her dad told me he liked me, but not enough to send his 15-going-on-16 year old daughter to America see her boyfriend. "If you love her," he said, "You'll come back." Fair enough. Took me another year, but he was right. That's how it was for a while - work for 6 months to a year, see each other for a few days - and in the meantime writing, always writing. Carina got a job as a tutor & finally came to America in 2006 for the first time, and again in the summer of 2007, when she was 17 & 18. I remember showing her the sea, days spent on the shores of the Chesapeake. We used to joke that we were living in our own Nicholas Sparks novel, and those days must have been the best parts.
Luckily, we were SO wrong. That was still just a beginning to our adventure. In 2008, we eloped and moved to Germany together. For four years, we worked, traveled, and made experiences together that I still find hard to believe. In 2012, we moved to America, and since America is the land of dreams and opportunity we decided to plunge headfirst into following our dream of being full-time wedding photographers, and have never looked back.
Every day together is an adventure. I wake up so happy to see her next to me. She's still my penpal, my best friend that took me around the world and back...she's someone I grew up with and who knows me better sometimes than I know myself. From hardly ever seeing each other, from always struggling to remember what the other person looked like, to seeing each other every day and working together, photographing other people in love.
And what's better? I know we are still just at the beginning of our adventure.
And what's better? I know we are still just at the beginning of our adventure.
From Julie Paisley...It's amazing to have fellow photographer friends in this industry. Michael and Carina are an amazing husband and wife photography team and while they are the ones usually behind the camera, it was fun for me to get them in front of the camera to celebrate their love in an anniversary session. Carina was breathtaking in this lovely Rue de Seine gown from the Dress theory and there is no doubt that Michael adores her. Their story is right out of a fairytale, they were pen pals in high school, oceans apart, Carina was in Germany and Michael was in Virginia, but as always, true love finds a way.