When we arrived for Gaby and Octavio’s Vinoy Park engagement photos, the place was PACKED!! There must have been some sort of event going on, because we could barely find parking!

We were worried that we might have to come up with a plan B, which would have been so sad. Vinoy Park is actually where Gaby and Octavio got engaged, and we were excited to take their engagement photos in a place that was so special to them!

Thankfully, we had arrived super early, so we were able to scout out some quieter areas of the park, and now we are convinced that the event was a blessing in disguise!

Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg has this perfect little garden and a tiny beach away from all the commotion that was going on that day, and we got so excited when we found it! We had the place to ourselves!

Keep scrolling to enjoy Gaby and Octavio’s Vinoy Park engagement photos, along with the story of how they fell in love! 🥰

Q: How did you meet, and what were your first impressions of each other?

A: We actually first met when Octavio was playing tennis with my mom and his best friends’ mother. My mom thought he was handsome, so she called me to come “drop something off at the courts” so we could meet.

I did think he was cute, but at the time I was 15 and he was 19, and I had a boyfriend. So nothing came of our initial meeting.

4 years later, we “re-met” at a mutual friend’s wedding. I thought Octavio was still handsome, goofy, but also a little intimidating.

Octavio says his first impression of me was that I was stunning and tall…. And then I took off my shoes. But he still thinks I’m stunning. 

Q: What made you two connect so well in the beginning?

A: Well, Octavio and I are both incredibly weird and goofy, so that was honestly the initial connection.

However, it was honesty that kept the connection strong at the beginning. He had recently gotten out of a very serious relationship, and he was very forthcoming about that and I was very honest about my lack of dating experience. If we were able to talk about that so candidly with each other, I think we both knew we could talk about anything.  

Q: How did you end up becoming more than friends?

A: We honestly jumped right into dating! But, probably around the 6-month mark is when I realized that I loved him and that he was my best friend. Octavio says he felt the same way, except it happened a little more gradually for him, instead of realizing it in a specific moment. 

Q: Who said “I love you” first?

A: Octavio. It was Christmas Eve, about 8 months after we started dating. He said he wasn’t planning on saying it, but it just happened to be the perfect moment – sitting by the tree, after we had given each other presents, just being with each other under the Christmas lights…

Q: What is your secret to a great relationship?

A: COMMUNICATION!!! Octavio and I were long distance for almost five years, and without adequate communication, we wouldn’t have made it more than a few months. 

Q: What are the 3 best words you would use to describe each other?

A: I would describe Octavio as being reliable, goofy, and sexy.

Octavio would describe me as bubbly, a foodie, and kind.

Q: Favorite thing to do on a date night?

A: Take our dog to the beach, cook a good dinner together, and watch a movie! 

Q: Favorite type of movie to watch together?

A: Any movie where Gaby stays awake! (I’m a borderline narcoleptic lol). 

Q: When were the moments you each knew you wanted to marry each other?

A: Octavio said he knew after he first said “I love you”. 

Q: How did you get engaged?

A: Octavio had planned out the whole proposal. He wanted me to go up to Atlanta (he was living there at the time, I was in Tampa) for a weekend.

He had arranged it so that we would go into the city and hang out at the rooftop at Ponce City Market.

He coordinated with some friends who knew the owner of the rooftop so that it would be mostly empty, with the exception of some of his friends and my best friend. It’s really cute up there – it has miniature golf, a bar, fun games, a great view of the city, etc.

But unfortunately, I couldn’t make enough shift switches at work to be up there for the entire weekend, so he offered to come down to Tampa.

He quickly changed his plans, and was able to get a friend who dabbles in photography to agree to photograph the moment he proposed.

So the new plan was I get off of work (I work nightshift), pick him up from the airport, we go to lunch at one of our favorite places in Downtown St. Pete, and then we would go for a walk around Vinoy Park, a beautiful park right off the water.

I was very confused at his insistence to go to lunch, since I really just wanted to go home to sleep, since I was tired from working, but I didn’t think much of it at the time.

So, I got off work, picked him up from the airport, went home, and got ready for lunch. We had a great time at lunch, had a beautiful walk, and the rest is history! 

Q: What are some ways that you prioritize your relationship during the wedding planning process?

A: I know this isn’t helpful, but we have had the opportunity to have a long engagement, so planning has been spaced out and not too stressful. I feel like we gave ourselves a lot of time to make important decisions, and talk about what we see for our wedding day.

But I think we both try not to let it always be the topic of conversation. We don’t even talk about it on a daily basis.

So, we just go about our lives, keep going on dates, and spending quality time with each other, and make decisions when we have to. 

Q: What has been your favorite part of wedding planning so far?

A: Well, definitely our engagement pictures with Chris and Micaela! We had so much fun getting to know them, and feeling pampered by them! They have been such a resource for us, always sending us goodies and helpful tips!

But also, Octavio and I have really enjoyed food and cake tastings!

Q: What is one thing that has surprised you about planning a wedding?

A: How much emailing it is! Maybe it is COVID, but mostly wedding planning has been a lot of back and forth via e-mail! 

Q: What are you looking forward to on your wedding day?

A: Gaby I’m looking forward to our first minutes together, alone, after becoming husband and wife.

Octavio is looking forward to finally being married, getting to see his extended family, and meet the rest of my family!

Q: What are some things on your bucket list together?

A: We are looking forward to traveling together more! With our schedules, it is hard to do right now! Also, we are looking forward to planning our honeymoon together (possibly Iceland?), which we have decided to postpone due to COVID.

Here’s what Gaby and Octavio had to say about their engagement session experience:

“So, Octavio and I are far from models, but we couldn’t believe how comfortable we felt in front of the camera so quickly. When we look at the incredible gallery Chris and Micaela created for us, it really looks like us. Not some posed, phony versions of ourselves! They immediately had us laughing and were able to break down posing into a language that we spoke. Almost immediately after meeting and shooting with them, we knew that that was it! It’s been one of the easiest decisions about wedding planning so far! Would 10/10 recommend!”

Interested in taking your engagement photos at Vinoy Park?

We’d love to capture them for you! We’re Chris and Micaela, a husband/wife photography team serving Tampa Bay! Our goal with engagement photos is to capture your connection, not just pretty photos. We do this by getting to know you and your story so that we can find out what’s important to you, which allows us to create photos that truly capture who you are as a couple!

Contact us now to start planning your Vinoy Park engagement session!