Hello, belles! Life has been extremely busy in the Southern Weddings office lately – all good things, of course, but still busy! So busy, in fact, that I decided to postpone my usual Emily Plans a Wedding post until this week so I could make sure I had enough time to do it justice. And I’m glad I did, because this week is extra exciting – I’m sharing our engagement photos!!
Once we set a date with the wonderful Gina Zeidler, my first order of business was to round up some inspiration images, to give her an idea of the style of engagement photos we liked. Here are a few of the ones I collected:
Inspiration from top to bottom: top two by A Bryan Photo, Nancy Ray, Abby Jiu, Gina Zeidler, and A Bryan Photo
Once I had my inspiration in front of me, it was easy to see I liked natural light; cleanly-processed images; close, natural poses; lots of smiling; and simple, softly-colored outfits, possibly with some pattern. Got it! I sent my favorites off to Gina so we were on the same page, and then John and I turned our attention to choosing a location.
We had a really hard time with this one! We didn’t grow up in the area, so we didn’t have any super-meaningful locations from our seven years of dating that immediately jumped to mind. Since we generally liked close-up shots with the couple as the focus, we didn’t really want a location that would steal the show or be a big presence in the photos. Also, we wanted somewhere fairly private, since neither of us is a big fan of public displays of affection :)
After tossing out lots of suggestions, we finally arrived at the art park at the North Carolina Museum of Art. It’s generally sparsely populated, has a great mix of natural and man-made locations (including some tall grass fields, which I really wanted!), and is somewhere we love to walk and take out-of-town guests. Done and done!
Next, we had to choose our outfits. This was the one I was expecting to be difficult, but it turned out to be pretty easy! We each laid out a few options, and since John chose his final picks before I did, I made sure mine coordinated with his. A few tips:
1. For photos that really represent you, wear outfits that you would really wear in your every day life. If you’re not “dress up people,” don’t dress up! On the other hand, if you wouldn’t be caught dead wearing jeans, by all means, go glam.
2. Aim to coordinate, but not match. Go for a mix of solids and patterns, and make sure the color and style of your clothing will fit in well with the location you’ve picked out for your photos.
3. Wear something you’re comfortable in! Good engagement photos (in my opinion) involve a lot of sitting on the ground or on potentially dirty surfaces, walking, running, twisting, hugging, etc. Don’t wear something you’re constantly having to readjust, or something you’re afraid to get a speck of dirt on. Also, don’t forget to wear bugspray, if applicable! Not that glamorous, I know, but you won’t be able to smell it in the final images :)
So outfits: check.
We completely lucked out with our day – bright and sunny, though perhaps a bit hot. We met up with Gina, and set off on our photo adventure! I had already met her, but this was John’s first time, so she took care to get to know him and put him at ease, which really helped. Funny story: Before our shoot, John was not really feeling the whole engagement-session thing, but was going along to be a good sport. Turns out he had the best time! He loved Gina, and was super enthusiastic about the whole experience. I think it definitely helped to set him at ease for our wedding day photos, too.
Enough talk – more pictures! Here are a few of our favorites from the extremely talented Gina Zeidler:
Needless to say, we think Gina did an amazing job and are so, so, SO happy with the way these turned out. We love you, Gina!!
What do you think, y’all? It would make me so happy if you commented with which one is your favorite :)
Up next: Thoughts on our wedding ceremony!
In case you missed a post…
The main characters
Where we’re getting married
I go dress shopping
We choose a photographer
I ponder bridesmaid style
Mini food!
The music
We’re renting a tent!
We discuss bouquets + boutonnieres
We send out our save the dates
I gather hair and makeup inspiration
We talk cake and sweets
I introduce you to our videographer
We create a registry
We buy a tuxedo
We style a reception
I choose accessories
Nancy Ray is a fabulous member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!
Awww! These are GREAT! I love all the ones with the sunburst behind you–always my favorite pictures! Also the one where he’s kissing your forehead and your hands are on his knees–looks like you took a mini break from just playin’ in the yard. So sweet!
Thank you so much, Erin! I love that one, too – very peaceful :)
These are so sweet and beautiful! I love the one where y’all are sitting in the grass and he’s kissing your forehead. Everything about it is perfect– the light, the moment, the color– love!
Thank you so much, Megan!!
Beautiful pictures! And the tips are definitely helpful, I never would have thought of bug spray! We’re getting our pictures done this Sunday and I am totally frantic–I can’t decide on an outfit, a hairstyle, anything! Yikes.
Katie: I definitely recommend that you take pictures in outfits that you like of yourself, whether it’s on a phone or a real camera because that also helps get a gist of what looks good in front of a camera. Solids are great! But mostly be yourself!! You’ll have the best time if you do!! Can’t wait to read up on your blog. :)
amanda: Thank you! I told my fiance we’re having a fashion show tonight, haha. I’ll definitely write up a post on how everything turns out!
LOVE the photos!! SO glad you chose the art museum too, it’s definitely one of my favorite places to visit in Raleigh. The big tree shot is adorable. I like the earthy-ness to your photos, makes me wish we had done a few more like that when we did our shoot with Meredith Perdue in March.
Your photos were beautiful, Amanda! Love the art park!
Wonderful photos Emily! You two look so happy!!!
Thank you, Graham!!
Oh these photos make my heart happy! Love them all!
My two faves are the ones where he’s kissing your forehead! I guess he’s a good forehead kisser! The ice cream is cute too! They all look great – congrats :)
So. Darn. Cute! It’s impossible to look at these and not smile :)
Thank you, Chelsey! We love making people smile! :)
These are breathtaking! SO playful and romantic..really captures what appears to be a happy and loving relationship! My favorite is the second to last. They are all absolutely STUNNING! Congrats!
Congrats, Emily! Your photos are lovely! The ice cream cone one is adorable!
Gina did a wonderful job with your engagement photos – it’s hard to pick a favorite! Though I have to say, there is something very special about the fifth image (the forehead kiss in the grass)… so sweet! :)
Y’all look SO stinkin’ cute in all the pictures!! I think the off-centered hugging picture is my favorite. So much happiness in one little frame!
These are too cute! I’m a big fan of the natural/candid style, so the pictures of you guys smiling and moving are my favorites :) Hard to beat a classic forehead kiss picture though, you guys just look so sweet!
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Emily,
I just LOVE this post and the photos. Gina did a terrific job and you and John look adorable, happy and oh-so-fabulous. It is sooo hard for me to pick a favorite…. but I think I have to go with #3 where you’re just smiling at the camera and the one with your running. I totally stalked Gina’s website and love her work. Good pick!! Can’t wait to see what she does at the wedding.
Keep your amazing blog updates coming. Hard to believe it’s only 3 months away. xoxo ~Laura
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