Marie & Ben's Engagement Session at Eno State Park | A Durham, NC Photographer

I met with Marie and Ben at Eno State park in Durham for their engagement session and I had a wonderful time! Marie and Ben spent a lot of time at Eno park while they were dating and so they showed me around and took me to some of their favorite spots. Since moving to NC, I have really enjoyed getting to do photo shoots at so many new places! I loved Eno park and I especially loved the beautiful drawbridge. I definitely plan to come back here for more shoots in the future!

I  loved watching Marie and Ben interact with one another during their session! They were completely natural in front of the camera and their chemistry and love for one another was very obvious. Marie and Ben told me a little history about her engagement ring. The diamond in Marie's ring was Ben's grandma's and has been in Ben's family for many years. 

Marie and Ben, I had a blast and I can't wait until your wedding in September!

Catherine & Bryan's Engagement & Family Session in Downtown Raleigh | A Raleigh, NC Wedding Photographer

Catherine and Bryan asked me to do an engagement/family session with Bryan's beautiful daughter Kennedy. They wanted to do their session downtown Raleigh because Catherine lived downtown for a while and Raleigh is a very meaningful city for them. I haven't had the chance to explore downtown Raleigh much yet since Alex and I moved and so I was really excited for this session! Catherine really wanted an "urban" feel for her pictures and she picked some excellent spots. I had SO much fun with Catherine, Bryan, and Kennedy. They showed me around their city and we talked and laughed and took pictures along the way! We started out at the capitol and then walked to a very fun and bright mural. After that we stopped at some railroad tracks and we even ran into a horse and carriage (what are the chances?!)!!! We spent a few minutes at CAM (Contemporary Art Museum of Raleigh) and then ended our evening on the beautiful Boylan Bridge overlooking the Raleigh skyline. 

Catherine and Bryan are getting married at 214 Martin in downtown Raleigh in September and I could not be MORE excited for their wedding! Thank you for a wonderful and fun session guys!

For Brides: What Should I Wear for My Engagement Session? | NC Wedding Photographer

This post is part of a series for brides (and grooms!) or for those who are helping someone plan a wedding. My goal for this series is to help you make informed and educated decisions about your wedding day so that it will be as beautiful as possible! If you're joining me for the first time, you can catch up here:

1. Should I Do an Engagement Session?
2. What Should I Wear for My Engagement Session?

I get asked this question a lot and after planning my own engagement session last spring, I totally understand why! I spent days trying to decide on what to wear for my engagement session and I changed my mind several times. It's a difficult decision! Here's a few tips I hope will help in your decision making process:

Choose Different and Diverse Outfits
I always recommend choosing one "dressy" outfit and one "casual" outfit. You certainly don't have to do that but I think it gives you some good options and diversity in your pictures. I also recommend choosing two outfits that have different colors.

Complement Each Other
Consider complementing outfits for you and your fiancé instead of outfits that match. You could wear different shades of the same color (for example navy blue and light blue) or one could wear a solid and one could wear a pattern with some similar colors.

Wear Flattering Styles and Colors
This sounds obvious but it's really important to remember! Consider what clothing styles and colors flatter your body and your skin tone. You may be tempted to wear something really different than what you'd normally wear but just make sure it's something that's flattering!

Don't Be Afraid of (Some) Patterns
A lot of times people are afraid to wear any patterns for their pictures because they don't want to look too busy. I think patterns can look great and are a fun way to show off your personality! If you decide to wear a pattern, I would encourage you to have your fiancé wear a solid or vice versa. 

Be Yourself
Wear clothes that are true to your unique personality and style! I love creativity and I love people who have their own unique style! Don't be afraid to wear something that's a little "different" if it reflects your personality.

Make Sure You Feel Comfortable and Confident
Please make sure you feel comfortable and confident in your outfit! I don't mean you shouldn't wear something dressy, I just mean that you want to make sure that you're covered in the places you want to be covered and that you feel confident in what you're wearing! If you don't feel confident in your outfit or you feel uncomfortable, it will show in your pictures.

When In Doubt, Choose Something Timeless
If you're unsure of what to wear or you're torn between a few outfits, the safest choice is to choose something timeless. While I love fun, trendy, and unique outfits, just realize these will be the pictures you have for years to come and so you don't want to regret what you wore. Styles will inevitably change but if you choose something classy, timeless, and beautiful, you should love your outfit choice for years to come.

Accessorize!
Accessories can be a fun way to add a splash of color or a little uniqueness to your outfit. Especially if you're wearing fairly plain and neutral clothes, consider adding a little pop of color with your jewelry or shoes.

Utilize Pinterest
Pinterest is a wonderful tool for things like this! Make a board of the outfits and clothes that you love. Try and notice patterns and use your board to discern your taste. When you look through my "Fashion Inspiration" Pinterest board, you can quickly tell that I love clothes with a vintage, feminine, soft, romantic, classic style (and also that I just recently bought a black gingham shirt!). 

I even made a Pinterest board of engagement picture outfit ideas for you!

I hope you enjoyed this post! Check back next Wednesday for my next post. I'll be discussing whether or not I think you should do bridal portraits.

For Brides: Should I Do an Engagement Session? | NC Wedding Photographer

This is the first post in part of a series for brides (and grooms!) or for those who are helping someone plan a wedding. My hope is that this series will help you make informed and educated decisions about your wedding day so that it will be as beautiful as possible! 

Are engagement sessions really all that important?

Yes. I believe engagement sessions are very important! I always think it's best to do an engagement session with the photographer who will be shooting your wedding when possible. Here's a few reasons why:

1. Your engagement session helps you get comfortable in front of the camera with your photographer
Let's face it, being photographed is awkward! I had the experience of being in front of the camera for my own engagement session last spring and even though I am a photographer myself, I still felt awkward and uncertain of what I should do. An engagement session gives you a great chance to get to know your photographer a little better and to get more comfortable in front of the camera. I think most of my couples walk away pleasantly surprised at how comfortable they felt after they got to know me a little better and after I guided them in different poses. My hope is that this will lead you to feel more comfortable with me and behind my camera on the day of your wedding!

2. You will treasure the pictures from your engagement session for years to come
Engagement pictures give you great versatility because you'll have professional pictures of you and your finance in something other than your wedding dress. Engagement pictures really show off your unique personality and relationship through your clothes, location, and props (if you choose to use them).

3. You can use the pictures from your engagement session for many different purposes
You can use your engagement pictures for "Save the Dates" or for a picture guestbook at your wedding. You can have them printed and displayed at showers and at your wedding. You can also have a canvas of your engagement picture printed and display it at your wedding. I offer canvases and there's a lot of great companies you can order picture guestbooks and other great products from (more to come on that in a later blog post!).

Now that I've established a few reasons why I think engagement sessions are important, here's a few tips when planning your engagement session:

1. Choose a location that is meaningful to you as a couple or that reflects your personality
I love when couples choose to do their engagement session at a location that is meaningful to them! You may want to choose the spot where your fiancé first proposed or a spot where you have good memories of going on dates. My husband and I chose downtown Greenville for our engagement session because we spent a lot of time in Greenville while we were dating and we chose to have our wedding reception at the Certus Loft downtown Greenville. You can also consider choosing a location that reflects your personality and interests. If you and your fiancé really love being outdoors, a field or session in the woods may be a great fit for you. You may love the city and choose to do a more urban session. Or you may consider yourself more of a "country" person and opt for a southern farm session. Choose something that reflects who you are!

2. If you use props, choose them wisely
What do I mean by props? Props can be anything from your favorite blanket to a sign, a letter, old luggage, flowers, old books, mugs, balloons, etc. Props are anything used to "style" your shoot. Props can be really cute but you need to choose them wisely. Think about looking back on your pictures 5, 10, 15 years from now. Will you regret choosing a certain prop or thing for your pictures because it was "trendy" then? Be sure to choose things that are timeless and are meaningful to you and not just choose something because it's trendy or you saw it on Pinterest (although choose trendy or Pinteresty things aren't necessarily a bad idea, just be wise in what you choose!). 

3. Consider the style of your wedding
You can take or leave this suggestion. I don't think your engagement session has to reflect the style of your wedding but it's nice when it does! That way, when you send out save the dates they will reflect the style of your wedding and if you create an album with your engagement photos they will match your wedding photos. Consider if your wedding is rustic, woodsy, urban, vintage, etc. and then plan the location and style of your session accordingly. You can also go so far as to choose clothing and props that coordinate with the colors of your wedding if you want. I certainly don't think that's necessary or expected but it's a nice idea! 

4. Paint your nails!!
I know many girls don't think about painting their nails and then they regret it when they're looking at their pictures later! My typical style is to get a few shots of your ring and of you holding your fiancée's  hand so it's highly likely your nails will be in some of my pictures. I encourage you to paint them if you think you'll regret not doing it later!

I hope you enjoyed the first post in this series! Check back next Wednesday for my next post. I'll be discussing what to wear for your engagement session.