Valentine's Day Contest Archive

Valentine's Day 2007 Contest Archives

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**CONTEST DETAILS**

Here are the details for our Valentine's Day contest, open to any of our past or present wedding couples:

Entering

For our couples who are already married, or who have already had an engagement session, email us your favorite picture (or the image number of your favorite picture) from your wedding or engagement session. You can only send ONE picture!!! Please do not send more than one or we'll have to disregard the entry. The image has to be one taken by Jason Angelini Photography without any added borders or alterations, and be sure to include your names and the date of the event. If you'd like, you can also send a one sentence explanation of why you chose that particular picture to be included under the picture when it is posted, though this is not required. We will be accepting entries from now until February 7th, so you only have one week to get it in! On February 9th, all of the entries will be posted on a link from my blog for people to vote for their favorite. The picture with the most votes (see voting rules below) will win, and the couple will receive that winning image printed as an 11x14 Gallery Wrap (normally $150.00). These art wraps are beautiful! The image is printed on a canvas material that is wrapped around a wooden support frame and comes ready to hang right on your wall.

We didn't want to leave out any of our couples! For those of you who are booked with Jason Angelini Photography as of February 1st, but have not yet had your wedding or engagement session, we are looking for the most romantic proposal. This also includes the two couples getting married this weekend since their pictures will not be ready before the entry deadline. Email us your proposal story with all details . You can read mom and dad's proposal story on the December 30th entry of my December blog (good thing their story isn't allowed to enter--wasn't my dad romantic!) You have until February 7th to enter. On the 9th, all the proposal stories will be posted on a link from my blog and people will be asked to vote for the most romantic proposal. The winning couple will get a free engagement session* with an 8x10 portrait statuette (normally $150.00). The statuettes are super cute; it is an acrylic cut out of your image on a base so it can stand on your dresser or coffee table.

--CORRECTION: Mom's original math was wrong. The engagement session and statuette is a $125 value, so the winner will also receive a second month of the website gallery displaying their engagement pictures, bringing the total value to $155.

*If a couple wins who will not be in town before their wedding to have an engagement session, a Newlywed's Day After session can be substituted.

Voting

The voting rules: Voting will open on February 9th and will be open until the end of the day on February 12th. People may vote for both their favorite image and the most romantic proposal. Voting will take place only through email, and only one vote per email address will be allowed. If we receive a vote from the same email address more than once, all votes from that email address will not be counted. The couple whose picture receives the most votes will win the gallery wrap of that image, and the couple whose proposal story gets the most votes will win the free session and statuette.

Winning

The winners will be announced on my blog when else but Valentine's Day! If anyone has any questions about the "rules" or any other part of the contest, just email and ask. Good luck; we can't wait to see your favorite pictures and hear your stories! You only have one week so bring on those entries!

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**PROPOSAL ENTRIES**

Most Romantic Proposal

After reading each of the proposal stories, click the title of the one you choose as the Most Romantic Proposal. That will allow you to send an email which will cast your vote for that story.

**You can also email us at Jasonangeliniphotographyorders@yahoo.com with the title of the story you are voting for in the subject line.

CONTEST HAS ENDED; ALL LINKS HAVE BEEN REMOVED

"The Beach"

I went to visit Treavor at his parents’ house over the New Year’s Eve holiday. We had been dating for a few years, but I didn’t expect an engagement anytime soon because he was still in graduate school and couldn’t afford a ring.

Treavor picked me up from the Tampa airport and we headed towards Fort Myers Beach . I love exploring the parks and museums that are new to me in Florida , so we stopped at the Salvador Dali Museum . Treavor got a call from “his brother” as we pulled into the parking lot, but Treavor didn’t take the call. After we got into the museum, he left to call “his brother” back, who was joining us. Treavor went outside to call my dad back and ask him if he could marry me. It meant a lot to me that Treavor would include my family in an important step in our lives, especially since Treavor was so nervous about calling my dad. After the phone call, Treavor came back inside and we were joined by his brother and his brother’s girlfriend. We toured the museum, stopped for dinner in Anna Maria, and arrived in Fort Myers Beach late that night.

The next morning Treavor and I headed for one of our favorite places, Lovers Key State Park to go “kayaking”. This was one of the first places he took me on my first trip to Florida with him, and it is always one of the first places we go on every visit. When we got to the aptly named Lovers Key, the tide was too low for kayaking (he knew it would be) so we decided to take a walk on the beach, taking a path between the sea oats and the mangroves. (Later Treavor told me that he kept us away from the water in case he dropped the ring and on the soft sand in case I fainted.) Since it was early in the morning, we had the beach to ourselves. Treavor started talking about our future together and how much he loved me. My heart ached because it was the perfect moment for the engagement that I knew I wouldn’t get anytime soon. Then Treavor said, “Do you want to see this shell I found?” I looked down and saw a shell with a ring on it, and I immediately started crying. He was down on his knee and asking me to marry him. After more tears, I was finally able to say yes.

After spending some time together just wandering down the beach, we called my parents and went out to celebrate with his. We finished the night watching the fire works on Fort Myers Beach and planning our new future together. Treavor’s proposal was the perfect reflection of us. The engagement was a complete surprise and the location had a special meaning. He included our parents, but asked me when we were alone so that it was also a personal moment for us.

"The Airport"

Before I begin, I have add that a few weeks before Jamie proposed, he took my dad AND my grandpa out to dinner to ask their permission. I just had to include this because when he told me he did this, it really touched me! The fact that he included not only my dad, but my grandpa as well, in such a special moment was so sweet.

Ok, so on to the proposal story.......Well at the time, I was going to school in Pensacola while Jamie was staying in Sarasota. I was flying home that night Wednesday) to come home for my birthday, which is the 6th (Thursday). Jamie and I had been talking about getting engaged for a few months, and I was kind of suspicious that he might pop the question on my actual birthday. Well he sure did surprise me! :) I knew he was going to be picking me up at the airport, so once I got off the plane I called him to tell him I had landed. He told me that he would just meet me downstairs by the baggage claim because he was running a little late. I thought that was a little strange, since he normally always meets me right when you get off the tram. But, I just figured he was late and didn't think anything of it. Sooo, I get off the tram and make my way to the escalator. I wasn't really paying too much attention until about halfway down the escalator, I saw Jamie standing at the bottom holding up a sign (totally handmade by him...glitter and all! :) that said "Lauren Will You Marry Me?" I was in shock! I remember feeling like this wasn't really happening at that moment, yet I couldn't wait to get off and tell him yes! So I get down to the bottom and step off the escalator, and Jamie is down on one knee with a beautiful ring! He told me he loved me and asked me to marry him, while an older couple to our right was taking our picture like crazy! (I later learned that Jamie had asked them at the last few minutes to take some pictures of the special moment! Great thinking on his part! We got some really priceless pictures!) I of course said YES! As we were hugging, people on the escalator who had seen the whole thing started clapping for us and congratulating us. It was amazing! It was definitely one of the best days of my life to this day!

"The Birthday"

I woke on the morning of May 19, 2006 a bundle of nerves. My gut had a knot in it the size of Texas. I woke got ready for work and kissed my girlfriend goodbye for work. She didn’t know I had taken the day off to plan a birthday she would never forget. I already had the plans set and was going out to buy a nice outfit. I called her boss at 11 o’clock and asked if she could get off work early so that she could meet me for her birthday dinner. He said it was fine. I called her and told her that I had just transferred her a hundred and fifty dollars for her to go out and buy a nice outfit for dinner. I had her meet me at the house at 5:30. I picked her up dressed and ready to go. I took her to a really romantic restaurant called Oyster Catchers. Its extremely fine dinning. The place had a private beach, dock and an incredible view looking over Tampa Bay. Just as the sun was setting, we walked outside to watch it on the dock. There were about 10-15 people out there on a beautiful day. The colors in the sky were absolutely beautiful. So there we were watching the sunset on the end of the dock, and I was standing behind her with my arms around her. I turned her around, and I got down on a knee and popped the question, saying, “I have known forever that you were going to be my one and only, I love you with all my heart and there is no one else that I would love to spend eternity with more. You are my rock, and I want you to be my wife, will you marry me?” She was extremely ecstatic. Everyone around us clapped and made it really special. She was so happy. She kept asking me to do it again. She was completely shocked. After dinner, desert, and a few celebratory drinks we left the restaurant. I had always figured that I wanted all of our friends to celebrate on the same night as us. So I bought a room in downtown St. Pete at the Hilton with a great view over the bay. I had about 20 of our close friends meet us there. The thing was that none of them new that it was for the engagement. They all thought it was for her birthday. So she opened the door to our hotel room and all of our friends were waiting to surprise her. Then we announced what had just happened and everyone was going crazy. We all went out and had a couple drinks before retiring back to the hotel for the rest of the night for some relaxation after a long day. Everything went as planned and turned out wonderfully.

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**PICTURE ENTRIES**

Favorite Picture

After viewing all of the pictures, click the one that is your favorite. That will allow you to send an email which will cast your vote for that picture.

**You can also email us at Jasonangeliniphotographyorders@yahoo.com with the number of the image you are voting for in the subject line.

**Pictures are displayed in random order.

CONTEST HAS ENDED; ALL LINKS HAVE BEEN REMOVED

One

"In trying to select just one favorite photo it nearly caused a divorce!"

Two

"This photo is the perfect representation of our wedding day because it exudes a feeling of happiness and serenity,

which is exactly what we felt being surrounded by our loved ones while we made a life-long commitment to each other."

Three

Four

Five

"This picture illustrates exactly what our wedding was...a celebration of life, a celebration of family & friends and most of all...a celebration of love!"

Six

"We're a bit lost in each other and everything else seems to have faded away."

Seven

"Everyone's personalities really shine through in this photo: energetic, supportive, excited, beautiful, carefree and so in love!"

Eight

"I have found the one my heart loves."

Nine

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**CONTEST RESULTS**

WINNERS

Favorite Picture

1st Place: Picture One, Lacy and Joe (Winner of an 11x14 Gallery Wrap, $150 value)

2nd Place: Picture Four, Michelle and Mark (Winner of a 10x13 Canvas Print on Matboard, $75 value)

3rd Place: Picture Seven, Rachel and Seth (Winner of an 8x10 Metallic Print, $20 value)

Most Romantic Proposal

1st Place: "The Birthday", Danielle and Matt (Winner of a free engagement session with an extra month of their website gallery and an 8x10 portrait statuette of one of their engagement images, $155 value)

2nd Place: "The Airport", Lauren and Jamie (Winner of a free engagement session, $75 value)

3rd Place: "The Beach", Mackenzie and Treavor (Winner of a $20 gift certificate for any Jason Angelini Photography product or service)

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**CONTEST UPDATES**

Voting for our Valentine's Day Contest has ended.

Be sure to return to Connor's Blog on Valentine's Day to see who won for Favorite Picture and Most Romantic Proposal.

Thank you!

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Contest Voting has ended:

Voting for our Valentine's Day Contest has ended. Thank you to all the people who voted for their friends and family members. We had OVER 1050 VOTES!!! There were votes from Priests, sorority sisters and fraternity brothers, lawyers, bankers, members of the armed services, and people from the UK and other countries.

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**BLOG ENTRIES ABOUT CONTEST**

February 14, 2007: Happy Valentine's Day!

We hope all of you are enjoying a day of romance with the one you love (or, on the other hand, having fun celebrating "Singles Awareness Day"!) We are spending the day together as a family. Mom, dad, and I are going to make some homemade Valentines together!

But now the reason many of you are checking the blog today...Our Valentine's Day Contest Results! We were incredibly touched by the number of people who took the time to vote and support the couples who entered. The official ending count was 1057 total votes!

We thought it was so awesome how much effort people put into this contest, and we were shocked that there were couples with over 100 votes who did not win. So...to share the Valentine's Day love we've decided to give something to the couples that came in second and third place in both categories as well !

In the Favorite Picture category, the winner had 184 votes! And the winning couple is...

Lacy and Joe!!!!

Congratulations you two!!! They win a beautiful 11x14 Gallery Wrap ($150 value) of their image. We'll be sure to show a picture of it on the blog when it gets in. Joe and Lacy, email us the address where you want it shipped!

Second place goes to the couple in this category that brought in 166 votes. That couple is:

Michelle and Mark!!!

We loved the interpretation that came from one of their voters: "I like this picture best because it represents the sun setting on his bachelorhood."

Their second place prize is a 10x13 Canvas Print on Matboard ($75 value) of their image. Again, email to let us know what address to ship your print to. Congratulations!

The third place couple had 61 votes, and they are Rachel and Seth!!

They win an 8x10 Metallic Print ($20 value) of their picture. Let us know if it is going to Florida or Paris .

Congratulations to all three of the couples!! And now for the Most Romantic Proposal...

Every couple in this category had over 100 votes! WOW!! The winner of this category was the couple that had more votes than any one in the entire contest (186 votes)!!! So congratulations to...

DANIELLE AND MATT: "The Birthday"!!!!

Some of the voters said they like that Matt wrote the story of the proposal. Matt, being voted Most Romantic means you have a lot to live up to today! They win a free engagement session with an extra month of their website gallery and an 8x10 portrait statuette of one of their engagement pictures ($155 value). Just contact dad when you are ready to schedule your session!

Second place in this category had 138 votes (and the most international voters!) This couple is:

LAUREN AND JAMIE: "The Airport"!!!

Gotta love the homemade glitter sign . They win a free engagement session ($75 value), so just give dad a call when you want to set that up. Congratulations!

With 102 votes (the 5th highest number of votes out of all 12 couples), the third place couple is Mackenzie and Treavor: "The Beach"!!

An afternoon of kayaking with a ring hidden in a seashell...not only is that romantic, but that is perfect for Florida! They win a $20 gift certificate to use towards whatever Jason Angelini Photography products or services that they choose. Email us and let us know where you would like this mailed.

Thank you to everyone who entered, and congratulations to all the winners. We had so much fun with this contest and we hope all of you did as well! If you would like to read the details and past blog entries, or view all the pictures and read the proposal stories, click our Valentine's Day Contest archive page.

February 12, 2007

Well you have all been keeping mom very busy!!! She has been counting and confirming votes since we woke up this morning! 828 votes have come in so far. That's incredible! The leader right now has 150 votes, and there are four couples who are all over 100. Remember, voting is over at midnight eastern time tonight.

**With only 3 hours left, we have in over 950 votes. The couple with the most votes right now has 174 votes. All three of the couples in the Most Romantic Proposal category have over 90 votes!

**Now I know college students are up late and procrastinate, so that explains the last minute rush of votes from UFL! Mom and I just thought we'd say hi to all the last minute Alpha Delta Pi and other UFL voters.

February 11, 2007

For our Valentine's Day contest, we are over 550 votes now! As of right now, the couple with the most has 108! Tomorrow is the last day for voting, and anything can still happen.

**Midnight update: We now have almost 650 votes total with 24 hours to go. Votes must be sent before midnight (EST) tomorrow to be counted.

February 10, 2007

Quick update as of noon today: We have almost 450 votes in! The couple with the most votes has just over 80!

**Update at almost midnight: Over 500 votes have come in for the contest. In one of the categories, there is only a 6 vote difference between first and second place! 2 more days of voting left...

February 9, 2007

200 votes are already in and we are just getting started! Good luck to everyone!

Updates

**As of 5:30pm, we've had over 300 votes come in! Wow! There's a few couples pulling out into the lead, but this is just the first day. Anyone can still win! Mom says she feels like she should be doing some live commentary every time she opens her email account with all this excitement!

**We just got an email asking us if we were going to say who is in the lead and the answer is...no way! We are letting the excitement build! We will say that the leader as of right now has over 50 votes, but we aren't going to say who it is or even if it is a picture or a proposal.

**Okay, okay! We got a couple emails saying that we should say how closely behind second place is. We still aren't going to say the name or whether it is a picture of proposal, but the second highest number of votes is...49!!! It is close!

**You asked for another update. This will be our last one of the night. As of 8pm, In one of the categories (we aren't saying if it is picture or proposal) there is only an 8 vote difference between first and second place, and a 7 point difference between second and third!

Just to clarify, there is only one vote per email address for the entire voting period, not once per day. Once an email address has voted, if another vote comes in from that same email address at any time during the voting period, none of the votes from that email address will be counted.

February 8, 2007

Just a reminder, voting for the Valentine's Day Contest doesn't start until TOMORROW! You have to be able to see all the pictures and read all the proposal stories before voting! And remember the voting rules...only ONE VOTE PER EMAIL ADDRESS is allowed or NONE of the votes from that email will be counted. Good luck to everyone who entered!

Once voting starts, mom will be sending a confirmation email to those who vote to let them know that their vote was received. You should receive the confirmation within 24 hours. Please do not vote again because, again, if more than one vote is received from the same email address none of the votes from that email will count. Any questions, just email us!

February 7, 2007

Only a few more hours to get your entries in for the Valentine's Day Contest! Your email must be sent before midnight tonight for your entry to be included.

February 6, 2007

Tomorrow is the last day to enter our Valentine's Day Contest! If you haven't entered yet, why not? Be sure to get your entry in right away!

February 4, 2007

Dad is away on his busy weekend. He had a wedding yesterday and today, and he will be at a photography seminar tomorrow. I miss him! When he gets home to tell me about everything he did, I'll have lots to talk about for the blog.

Only THREE MORE DAYS to get your Valentine's Day Contest entries in! Don't forget to enter!!!

January 2007 Blog Entry: Valentine's Day Contest

Mom doesn't want me to start a new blog page for February yet since there would only be this one entry on it, but since it is the first day in February our contest is starting today! It is a Valentine's Day contest and is open to any of our past or present wedding couples. Here are the details:

*If a couple wins who will not be in town before their wedding to have an engagement session, a Newlywed's Day After session can be substituted.

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