Benitz and Sam’s Engagement Shoot

Benitz and Sam took us to Bellarocca for their shoot. It’s this 6-star resort in Marinduque. It took an early morning 30-minute plane ride, a 45-minute land transfer, and a speedboat ride to get to there. Quite surreal, really.

Sam’s particularly funny, and Benitz’ quiet bemusement beside her makes everything she says even funnier somehow. This was all fun, fun, fun, and so lighthearted. I love how Sam laughs. It’s like pure joy. They’re foodies, too. It was funny but we were already talking about dinner after just having had lunch. Sam is based in Singapore, Benitz here in the Philippines. They take turns flying out to visit each other, and they travel a lot. Incidentally, they were in Thailand back when the 2004 tsunami hit. Benitz made a mad dash for his camera and lenses. Jeff and I got a huge kick out of that fact because we would have done the same thing.

It was quite possibly one of the most fantastic 24 hours Jeff and I have had in months. Of those 24 hours though, what got me all choked up was the fact that Sam went out of her way to make us bag tags. It sounds silly, I know. It’s because just a few minutes before we left for the airport, I realized we didn’t have one on our luggage. I quickly made a makeshift one with one of our old calling cards and a scrap of ribbon before we hurried out the door. I got in the cab at 5:15am feeling slightly harassed from the last minute packing and rushing. October was busy and this was just one of the things that I neglected to do for us that month in a list that includes many meals (sorry, Jeff), among others. It was one of the sweetest, most thoughtful gestures that came at the perfect time. When I say we have the best clients (more than half of which are awesome W@Wies), I really do mean it. And I am grateful every. single. day.