Incredible afternoon lighting gets me every time. The warmth of the light and the chemistry between Monica and James makes this sunset in the park engagement shoot completely stunning. And why not throw in a rustic, dramatic bridge over a creek, just for good measure. Amazing lighting must be well captured and this has been done so beautifully by Chloe May.

Monica remembers how they met. "We met in Beijing, in January 2011. James worked there as a sound engineer while I was there for a short, two month internship only. Plans changed, however, after I met James in a bar. It may sound cliché, but I did fall in love with James the moment he entered. It was a bit difficult because I initially only planned to stay in Beijing until end of February but I couldn't leave him behind, so I found myself another job and used this as an 'excuse' to stay in China and with James. Seems like it was a good idea."

James proposed to Monica when they were in Portugal for a friend's wedding and had a few days to themselves. Monica says, "We spent the day on the beach and at dinner he popped the question. It came as a surprise to me. James is not the type of guy who is (well, was!) into marriage so I wasn't sure if it would ever happen at all, but this man is full of surprises."

"James suggested we have a surprise wedding. We were planning to leave Australia in a couple of months to move to Austria, where I am from, so we decided we would have a farewell party which we then could turn into a wedding!" You can see Monica and James' joyful, surprise wedding on Polka Dot Bride here.

Of James, Monica gushes, "I love that he is pure, honest and not superficial, and he 'pushes' me to experience more, to be more adventurous. Life is just so much more exciting with him!"

Congratulations Monica and James, and thank you for sharing both your lovely engagement and wedding with us! Thank you also to Chloe May for these stunning shots!