It was a rainy night in October when Amber Yeshpaul met Tyrus Johnson Jr. Tyrus was stationed in England with the U.S. Air Force, and met his future wife through one of his best friends. After hanging out with a group of friends for the night, the two immediately hit it off, and two weeks later their relationship began.
It wasn’t long before they knew they wanted to spend their lives together. Earlier this year the couple took a trip to Amsterdam, which would prove to be a life-changing experience. The first night there, just after dinner at a lovely little Thai restaurant, Tyrus got down on one knee, pulled out a gorgeous ring and asked Amber to be his wife. Amber described it as “a surreal and wonderful moment” that left her bubbling with happiness and excitement. Of course she didn’t hesitate to say “Yes!”.
Although planning from two different parts of the world has been challenging, Amber being of Indian descent and Tyrus, African-American, the two are looking forward to incorporating their cultures into their wedding ceremony set for next November. The couple headed to Manhattan Beach in L.A. with photographer Taylor Kinzie to capture their their love in a picturesque, natural environment.
Bride-to-be: Amber Yeshpaul – Social Media Strategist
Groom-to-be: Tyrus Johnson Jr. -Air Force Crew Chief
E-Session location: Manhattan Beach, CA
Wedding Location: Los Angeles, CA
Wedding Date: 11/7/2015
The E-Session
We knew we wanted a relaxed and natural engagement session, and I had always imagined the photos being of us on the beach, just being ourselves. Manhattan Beach in Los Angeles was just perfect on that sunny November day and our photographer Taylor Kinzie captured the light so beautifully in all of the photos.
I’d had both a beach location and a greener/park location in mind and I’m so pleased that we were able to fulfil that vision during the shoot, especially as we didn’t have too much time to plan ahead with me being in London, Ty being in Phoenix and our photographer being in LA. It all came together perfectly which was a huge bonus. We did think about having props and perhaps incorporating a ‘save the date’ photo in there, but in the end decided to keep everything as simple as possible so we could just have fun being with each other and making the most of the surroundings. We really enjoyed chatting to Taylor too and in the end, meeting and getting to know her was a major highlight of the day for me.
The First Date
Our first ‘official’ date was a week after we first met, on yet another rainy night in London (which is pretty much how every night in London is during autumn). We went to an intimate screening of the movie “Beasts of the Southern Wild” that I’d managed to score tickets to and then went for dinner at a restaurant called Bodeans.
This was followed by a long and leisurely stroll through central London, with us ending up at a hookah spot in Camden Town. It’s ironic that we ended up there that night as frequenting hookah bars would become a sort of relationship tradition for us over the coming years. (Although I actually prefer to sip on a mint tea while Ty smokes).
Favorite Thing to do as a Couple
Our absolute favourite thing to do is travel! We try to go on as many adventures as possible every year and we have our list of destinations ready for when we can jet off next. Another thing we love doing is having a quiet night in with some good food and cuddling up while watching a movie or documentary.
How Wedding Planning Has Been
As we’re both in different countries and time zones at the moment, we haven’t been able to do as much planning as the average couple may have done at this stage. Our wedding is in Los Angeles next November and we’ll be there in January for venue viewings, so once we’ve booked our location the rest will follow.
In the meantime, I’ve been focusing on dress hunting! As I’m Indian, I want myself and my bridesmaids to wear traditional clothing – Saris for them and a Lengha for me. I’m working on getting them made with a designer, so finding styles and material has been a lot of fun so far.
Looking Forward to Most on the Wedding Day
One of the biggest things I’m looking forward to is for our families, especially our parents, to meet each other. We have so many family members and friends in different places across the globe so I can’t wait for both Ty and I to experience having them all in the same place at the same time. Seeing Ty’s face as I walk down the aisle is another moment that I can’t wait for and also sharing every part of the day with the people I cherish. The love you feel at weddings is always so overwhelming so I can’t even imagine how it must feel when it’s your own. What I know for sure is that we’re going to have so much fun making all of those memories!
If you want to know more about our story and follow our journey, you can at www.momentsarefleeting.com
Vendors
Photography: Taylor Kinzie Photography
Her dress: ASOS
Her shoes: Office (UK store)
His suit: H&M
His shoes: Cole Haan
Location: Manhattan Beach, CA
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