Linda knew of Jims back when they were in high school. They both played basketball, but didn’t really get to know each other. Linda’s first interaction with Jims though was at Club Life in Coral Gables, Florida. They had the same circle of friends, so they’d occasionally run into each other. Eventually Linda and Jims started hanging out, and on October 14, 2007 Jims asked Linda to be his last stop. The pair celebrated their engagement at the elegant Pembroke Pines, check out their chic session captured by Stanlo Photography.
Bride: Linda Lisa Christian, 34, Engineer
Groom: Jims Florient, 36, Hospitality Major
Place of residence: Pembroke Pines, Florida
Engagement Shoot Location: Vizcaya Museum and Gardens & South Beach
Wedding date: November 18, 2017
Wedding location: Fairchild’s tropical and botanical garden
Wedding theme: Rustic meets Modern
Engagement story:
Where should I begin, I thought this day would never come! None the less it did. My birthday usually falls around Memorial Day weekend, but last year we decided to take a trip to Trinidad and Tobago and invited a bunch of our family and friends. We had an amazing time hanging out and partying that weekend. So the morning of our departure, May 30, 2016 to be exact, we were running a bit late and had to rush to check out the hotel and drive to the rental car place to return the car. So after I made sure we were checked out the hotel, I noticed that he was just hanging out on the balcony of the hotel in the lobby. His sister and her boyfriend were there and another family friend and they were just standing there talking, so now I’m walking really fast towards them saying “hey guys, we need to go or we will miss our flight.” No one moved or paid me any attention. They kept suggesting we stop for a moment to take pictures and that the back drop is awesome, blah, blah, blah. I’m like hurry up! Then I looked at Jims and he was sweating heavily but I didn’t really think nothing of it. So after the pictures Jims goes, “So everyone knows I didn’t get Lisa anything for her birthday,” (Lisa is my middle name). I looked at him like, “so I don’t care! I’m in Trinidad!” He then walks over to his bag and pulled out a huge box, saying, “but I did get her this.” Then I said, “Oh yay! You got me the necklace I’ve been asking for,” and stuck out my hand to grab it, but he opened the big box and there was a little box inside and then I saw the ring. My mouth dropped open and he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. The rest is a big blur. I remember crying and hugging him. I can’t describe what I was feeling, I couldn’t process what was happening. I was in total shock!
For the Groom: Walk us through the behind the scenes of creating this special day.
First, I’m not going to lie, I went on YouTube to look up different types of engagement proposals but none of them caught my attention. It didn’t seem genuine. So I decided to be myself and do it in a way that when we look back it would always seem like it was yesterday. I knew her birthday was months away and she wanted to plan a vacation to Trinidad and Tobago. Therefore, I took the opportunity to pop the question on the last day on the hotel terrace over looking the island.
What was the theme of your engagement session?
Fashionable elegance and South Beach swag!
What makes your love special?
We are so different but yet we still work. As we both push through life, we make each other better. We love each other unconditionally and we always put each other first. We have two wonderful boys. This life we built together in the last nine years is perfectly imperfect.
What are you most looking forward to about your wedding?
I look forward to making our family complete and professing our love to God in front of our family and friends. We can’t wait to officially become #TheFlorients!
Have you started planning your wedding? If so, share a few details about your big day:
I hired a planner to help bring my vision to life. We will get married at Fairchild’s Tropical and Botanical Garden, but we’ll also have four different locations where we will have the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, and dancing. It’s a mix of vintage rustic glam meets modern. I’m so excited.
Congratulations to the happy couple! We wish you many years of wedded bliss.
