Devon writes, “It started where all great love stories start… at a bar. It was a fateful night at Johnny V’s in San Diego. Devon was there with some friends, dancing and enjoying her adult beverage(s). Although she’s usually not the type to over-indulge, Devon somehow found herself with two drinks, and was unable to manage sipping her drink while holding her (super cute) clutch bag. Tony, ever the practical problem-solver, saw her and thought, “That looks like a girl that could use a straw.” So he walked (actually hobbled is more accurate because he was wearing a walking boot) over to Devon and offered her a straw. Devon gratefully accepted, and the two spent the rest of the night talking, laughing, and of course slowly sipping cocktails”–because that’s what you do when you’re drinking cocktails through a straw. LOL.

As much as I would like to write that the two spontaneously fell madly in love through Devon’s simple acceptance of Tony’s friendly gesture, that’s not how the story goes. You see, Tony met Devon at a time in her life when she was very much over men in general–to quote her, as writing that phrase and being a guy feels at odds with one another. Tony definitely had his work cut out for him. Yet, he must’ve known what he was doing, as his simple, courteous gesture flew under her radar and led to their first official date a few days later involving sushi, lots of drinks–and most likely lots of straws for Devon’s many drinks.

It wasn’t something that just happened like you see in the movies. Gradually, Devon found herself falling for Tony’s confident, easy-going nature, and he just couldn’t get enough of the hilarious things that she’d say. As time went on, Devon started liking Tony more and more and, despite trying to fight her feelings for him, well–you just can’t fight that lovin’ feeling.

The pair later gave themselves their own celebrity nickname “Tevo” = Tony + Devon (a.ka. Devo). I’m not sure why, but it seems like the guy always gets the short end of the stick when it comes to celebrity couple names: “Bennifer”, “Tevo” etc etc. However, with Devon, it’s obvious that Tony got more than he could’ve ever hoped for.

Devon, Tony and myself spent the greater portion of 3 hours shooting their engagement photos around Downtown San Diego, the Gaslamp Quarter and Coronado Island. We started out at the San Diego Convention center before moving on to check out the new Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge weighing in at over 550ft and costing 11.1 million dollars to build. –Quite a costly bridge for foot-traffic to the Padres baseball games, but I’m not going to complain if the city wants to build new locations for me too shoot at–in fact, i’m all for it 😉
Thanks to Tony’s real estate connections, we also got the chance to shoot at the Ultimate Skybox at the Diamond View Towers. This location is also host to some beautiful weddings with its sweeping panoramic views of downtown san diego. They were actually setting up for a wedding later in the evening at the Ultimate Skybox. So we had to be quick with the photos. I’m pretty happy for what we got from the 15 minutes or so we spent shooting on the top balcony of the tower. I quickly set up my beauty dish, using the sun as an edge light, and set off in a fashion photography-inspired speed posing session.

If any of you are considering the venue for your wedding and have 160 guests or less, I’d recommend you jump on it in a heartbeat. It’s worth it alone for the consumate breath-taking views and the added bonus that your heart will not only be fluttering for “I do” but will get an extra kick from standing atop the lofty balcony towering hundreds of feet over Petco Park.

Devon & Tony are getting married at http://www.balboaparkweddings.com/>The Prado in Balboa Park this october and, if the rumors are true, an exotic italian sports car might be involved–in which case, I’ll bring extra napkins to wipe the drool off my camera 😛

Devon & Tony,

You guys rock!