They say that almost 15% of couples get engaged or married on Valentine's Day. Yet, despite its popularity, I wanted this day to be my special one too. I knew I would be one of thousands, but I didn't care, it would still be my day.

As many women do, I have always looked forward to Valentine's Day with the excitement of a sixteen year old girl who's just been asked out by the most attractive guy in math class. I love red roses and chocolate, getting dressed up and taking walks through the city, and receiving the occasional piece of gorgeous jewelry. When John proposed to me in Central Park on my birthday, I gained one more reason to look forward to this wonderful day in February.

I grew up in New York City, but now I live in Albany because that's where my job is. Still, I wanted to be married in Manhattan. No other destination would do. Some people don't like it, I don't understand why, but a lot of people don't like Valentine's Day either. For me, that would be the same as not liking Paris in springtime or not enjoying breakfast served to you in bed. It's virtually unthinkable.

However, getting married in New York is no easy task. You have to find venues and caterers and, maybe most importantly, a wedding photographer. I called around to a few places, but no one seemed to have the feel I was looking for. They all seemed like enormous agencies who had too many staff members and not enough interest in what I wanted. I didn't want to be another bridal statistic (getting married on Valentine's Day was bad enough), I wanted someone who actually cared, someone I could trust. Luckily, I got a tip from a friend who knew somebody from the city who had chosen Wolfgang Freithof and A Day of Bliss Wedding Photography, and had been thrilled with their work.

A little bit of research later, I discovered that Mr. Freithof had shot the weddings of celebrities like Robert Duvall and had worked with Naomi Campbell and Veronica Webb. This was enough to make me curious at least. The next day, I called the number on the A Day of Bliss website, expecting to talk to three different receptionists like I had with the agencies, but instead there was a polite woman who told me to wait one moment. Within ten minutes I was talking to Mr. Freithof himself. He assured me that A Day of Bliss would be able to shoot my wedding, and that he would be one of the two people there to do it. I was astounded. I was having my dream wedding in New York City, and I had found the perfect wedding photographer.

I was married on the following Valentine's Day, walked on a bed of red roses holding a bouquet of white. My bridesmaids wore red and my cake was chocolate. It may have been cliché, but it was beautiful, and thanks to Wolfgang Freithof and ChiakI Sato from A Day of Bliss, so were my pictures. Their work is beautiful, and I was so lucky to have found them.