Boy and Girl take engagement pictures (part 2)

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says Yes.
Boy gets orders.
Girl wants pictures.

As I was writing yesterday's post, I went back to get a link to our engagement photos and realized that I never posted the second half here on the blog! If you didn't see the first half, you can check it out here. I spent a lot of time and energy while J was first gone planning this engagement session with the help of our amazing photographer, Jordana of Hazelnut Photography, and our wedding planners Ashlyn and Heather of Carter and Cook Event Co. I knew that I wanted our photos to be personal and special to us. So together, we pulled off a pretty cool little shoot. The reason I couldn't share it on here earlier is because it was picked up and featured on Green Wedding Shoes. There was so much thought and detail put into this shoot and I am thrilled to share it all with you now :)

Our theme was love letters and stars. The thinking behind it was a combination of several things... The stars symbolize the star in the Cuban flag (J is cuban) as well as the star that represents the Army. To me it also represents that old childhood tradition of wishing on a star. The love letters represent the long distance relationship between J and I. Obviously we have spent a lot of time apart and the letters have so much symbolism to the two of us. In addition to that, we added a little bit of a 1940s "Notebook" look. "The Notebook" is my favorite movie. I adore it. I love the love story that is so passionate between the two characters. I have told J over and over again that he is my Noah. And I feel blessed to have a relationship that is that passionate and genuine. I think it is truly rare.

Tying in with our vintage-y theme... this coke bottle holder has been my mom's for years! The coke bottles I got at Costco :) That compact mirror I bought at an antique show last summer.


I loved these books and HAD to have them when I saw them at the antique show last summer. Being a photographer, I loved the 1940s book written about how to make good pictures. The book below is a book of poem's that is actually refered to in the book, "The Notebook".





Ohhhh the letters! Some of these are real, and some of them are stuffed and made to look real :) You may also notice my cameras. I collect old cameras and they were a perfect addition to the shoot! The little white thing is my mom's. She's had it since I was a kid. The pocket watch just seemed too perfect. I got it at the antique show as well. Funny thing is that it's broken... but I love it!


J's vest. This is a hilarious story. My mom blogged about it. She is better with words than I am. But in a nutshell, we went looking for something for J to wear to the photoshoot and ended up almost getting security called on us in Forever 21. But we eventually made it out alive... and with this vest :)





Right before we left, I asked J's nephew if I could borrow a few of his Army men. I promised to make them famous... I ended up LOVING this shot!











Jordana brought this chair along and it was perfect! I was so glad that she did!


One of my absolute favorites.


Lauren of Lo Boheme made this amazing hair piece for me. I love her and her stuff. This was perfect! There will definitely be a few of these at my wedding *hint hint*


These stars were a labor of love. It took quite a while to put them all together, but I love how they came out!








These cake lollipops are our favorite. We eat them every chance possible! They are from Sweet and Saucy Shop. They will also be making an appearance at our wedding :)


J's Army boots




It makes a big difference when you have an awesome team assembled. I couldn't have pulled off this shoot if it wasn't for the incredible people that pulled together to make it possible!

Girl hires photographer

Girl goes through break up.
Girl gets a camera.
Girl starts shooting.
Boy meets Girl.
Boy and Girl become friends.
Boy encourages Girl.
Girl becomes photographer.
Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy goes to war.
Girl takes pictures.
Girl plans hires photographer.

Ohhhhh the Photographer.
Photography is my passion.
It is my job, but it is also one of my favorite things in life.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE photos.
I would probably decorate my entire house with only photos if I thought I could get away with it.
J on the other hand has never been one for photos. He doesn't even like to smile. I think it comes from his bad boy days. It's that whole tough guy thing.

But what I am finding, is that he knows how happy pictures make me, so he is learning to love them. Or tolerate them at least. When we took our engagement pictures, he was seriously amazing (which by the way, I just realized I never posted the other half of our pictures! I will do that soon!) He smiled and laughed and had a blast. He also promised me that he would smile during our wedding pictures, because ya know, otherwise it looks like my husband hates me. ;)

So the search for a photographer began. It got even tricker when we moved the wedding up 8 months and all the way over to Vegas. Not to mention the fact that I have so many AMAZING photographer friends. I wanted to hire them all. No joke. Like as in, yeah I have 50 guests at my wedding, but I'm rocking the 30 photographers who are here! Needless to say, I had to make a decision.

Being a photographer myself, I knew what I wanted in a photographer. I have read about 10 million articles on how to choose a wedding photographer and all that... and while they make some good points, I think everyone has their own criteria. Here was mine:

1. They had to be within my price range.
This is huge. Now I will be the first to say that you get what you pay for. And really, wedding photography is expensive. That's just the way it is. As it should be. Wedding photography is a LOT of work. I understand that because I do it! It isn't just showing up and shooting, its all the preparation, all the editing, culling, album design and communication. Not to mention all of the time and training and equipment purchasing it took to even get to that point. With digital photography and the internet, anyone can buy a camera, create a website and call themselves professionals. But the truth is, some are just better. For me personally, Photography was one of the 2 most important things to me. The other being my dress. Everything else was bendable. But we also had a budget. The fact is that we had 8 months less to save, and more expenses because we were doing a destination wedding. So I sent emails to my top choices to see if I could even afford them. Make lots of room in your budget for your photography... it's the only thing you have left after the wedding is over. But at the same time, understand that you have a budget... and keep that in mind when talking to photographers.

2. There had to be a first and second shooter.
I knew that I wanted two photographers. Not just one. I shoot weddings with a second shooter because I know the value of it. I also shoot as a second shooter. It's huge to have two views on the day. Two photogs are for sure better than one!

3. I had to love them and click with them on a personal level.
I read somewhere that you should want to invite your wedding photographer over for dinner. I have to say I totally agree! You spend more time with them than anyone else on your wedding day... and there is a lot of interaction leading up to it as well! If you don't click and get along, your photos will show it. It is important to make connections and build a friendship with your photographer!

4. They had to be able to make J comfortable.
As I mentioned, J is not a big picture taker. And if he feels uncomfortable or weird, then he will not do well in front of the camera. This is what I do, and I have had the privilege of being in FRONT of the camera on more than one occasion with several of my favorite photographers. I know that I want pictures badly enough that I will loosen up and enjoy the day. I will be comfortable much easier than J will be. It was crucial in choosing a photographer that it be someone that J would be comfortable with... someone that wouldn't make him feel akward.

5. They had to be fun and fresh and funky.
When I started looking at venues and vendors in Vegas, I was COMPLETELY unimpressed with photography. Especially when it came to photographers that were included in the packages. All of the photos looked like they came right out of my parents wedding album... but covered in CHEESE! They were stuffy and overly posed and not natural. There were no moments... just planned shots. I knew then and there that we would be bringing someone with us. I didn't want stuffy, typical wedding pictures. I wanted little pieces of art. I wanted little moments of time. Memories.

6. They had to be willing to break a few rules.
I am going to be writing more about this in a later post, but I knew going into this wedding exactly the kind of photos that I wanted. I knew where I wanted to shoot and the feel of the photos I wanted. I knew that to acheive that, I would need a photographer that was willing to break out of the mold a bit.

After lots of thinking and talking to a couple of photographers that I truly admire and respect, we chose a photographer. Well, two actually. They are photographers that I have shot along side of, and that have taken pictures of me before as well! They are not only amazing at what they do, but they have become my friends! I know that they will break rules, create art and make both of us incredibly comfortable.

Our wedding photographers are Chris and Erinn Austin of White Haute Photography.



Here is one from the shoot they did for me:


They are amazing and I know that we are going to have incredible photos of our day! We've spent a lot of time talking and planning, and I will be writing up a whole different blog about planning out our photos! But in the mean time, here is why we chose them. Check out their amazing work!

Girl chooses colors

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says yes.
Boy goes to war.
Girl plans a wedding.
Girl gets confused.
Boy tries to help.
Girl is still confused.
Boy changes plans.
Girl makes decisions.
Girl chooses colors.

One of the first decisions I was finally able to make when it came to the wedding was the color scheme. When we were originally planning on a big fancy November wedding, I had several different color schemes in mind. I couldn't seem to pick one. Part of my problem is that I like so many different things. I really have a hard time narrowing it down.

I love weddings that have a ton of bright color... or one bright color that really pops. But I also love weddings that are full of neutrals. And don't even get me started on metallics.

There are so many choices when it comes to color that I really didn't know how I would make a decision. To be honest, I'm still not sure exactly HOW the decision came about. I think it started with one photo and ended up evolving and growing and taking on a life of it's own.




This picture is from our engagement session with Jordana of Hazelnut photography. It just so happens that in most of our photos from that session, the feel is really purple and gray. And a color scheme was born.

I am not entirely sure when this decision was made... but I found that as I started to put things together... the decorations and the centerpieces... I was seeing a pattern of Purple and Gray. And Silver.

Since J is gone, I've been filling his room with all of the wedding stuff. I told him the other day that it looks like a Purple and Gray elf threw up all over his room. With sparkles.

I am so excited to see how it all comes together!

Boy and Girl take engagement pictures (part 1)

Boy proposes to Girl.
Girl says Yes.
Boy gets orders.
Girl wants pictures.

I became a photographer because I love pictures.
I have always been that girl with 10 million photos strewn around my room and hung on the wall in various frames; the girl who carries around her camera, says "PHOTO OP!" at every possible moment and snaps away.

So it is only natural that as J and I have dated and done fun things, there are always pictures. J on the other hand has never been the one to jump at the chance for a photo. But he has very quickly adjusted to my love of all things photo.

When I found out we had two weeks together before he deployed, I knew I wanted to try to take our engagement pictures during that time. I knew that we'd be getting married shortly after J got back, and I knew I'd be doing a lot of the planning while I was gone, so I wanted to be sure that I had photos to use as well.

So I asked my WONDERFULLY talented friend Jordana of Hazelnut Photography to do some photos for us. She was so amazing and flexible and worked with us and produced some AWESOME pictures! Like I am seriously soooo thrilled! As a photographer, choosing a photographer is a huge decision. Maybe one of the biggest. I knew I wanted Jordana to shoot some photos for us because I've seen her work and it's gorgeous. But I've also shot with her and I know HOW she works. And I love it. There is so much to a photographer other than just their images. The reason that photographers get the pictures they get is not only great talent and great tools, it is also the ability to interact and direct clients. When you are choosing a photographer... think about the whole experience... not just the finished product.

The other thing that I think is so important is to plan for your engagement session. That doesn't have to mean you have to have a theme and props (although those can really add a lot!) but think through what you are going to wear, how it will photograph. Think about little things that are special to the two of you. For our shoot, I knew right away that we wanted to incorporate one of J's motorcycles. It's something that is unique and something that we love to do together. I also knew that I didn't want us to be too matchy matchy, and I wanted something that would look like what we wear on a regular basis. It was also important to me that our clothes added to the photos but weren't the focus of them. Here are a few of my favorites from the motorcycle portion of our session.



















We did some special photos that were styled by the wonderful Carter and Cook Event Co, but I can't share those quite yet, but I promise you'll see them soon :)

Thanks to all the amazing people who made this shoot possible. It's so much fun to collaborate! Especially when it's with friends!

Girl gets crafty (part 1)

Boy gets deployed.
Girl wants pictures.
Boy agrees.
Girl starts planning.
Boy does training.
Girl gets crafty.

I am a DIY (do it yourself) kind of girl.
I love doing crafts and being creative.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I wanted something special and different for our engagement pictures. After talking with our planning/designing team extraordinaire, and with our fabulous photographer, we had a vision in mind. And LOTS of DIY projects!

Project #1: Bundles of love letters
We wanted this to have a dramatic impact. Which meant LOTS of letters. And bundles of letters. I had all kinds of letters from the time J has been away at trainings. But not enough. So I removed the letters from the envelopes (those are going to come into play later) and I replaced them with crumpled paper that was then folded to fit in the envelope.



I continued this process not only with the envelopes that had actually been mailed between us, but also with 2 boxes of blank envelopes. I used the blank envelopes between the ones that had been written on, to make the stacks look thicker. Then I tied the stacks of envelopes with twine.



At an antique show a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon this little treasure:



Old, vintage stamps. I made some of the blank envelopes into "prop" envelopes by writing on them and using these stamps.



I managed to make quite a large volume of these letters and it didn't cost me much at all. Here's the break down:

Vintage stamps: $2
Blank envelopes (2 boxes): $8
Spiral notebook paper: $4
twine: $3

TOTAL: $17


Project #2: Heart of letters
One of the photos that Ashlyn and Heather found for inspiration is FABULOUS!



We decided to do something similar. Remember the letters I mentioned above? The ones I took out of the envelopes? Those are going to be used to create the heart. I bought plain wood letters from Michael's for $1.40 a piece.



We chose the word "favorite" because before we said "I love you", we'd say "You're my favorite". It has significance to us. I painted the letters with grey paint.





I love the finished product!


Wood letters: $1.40 each ($11.20)
Paint: $1 each ($2)

TOTAL $13.20

I can't wait to see how Ashlyn and Heather pull it all together. I know this is going to be a fabulous shoot! More DIY projects and details coming soon!

Girl plans engagement session

Girl loves pictures.
Boy doesn't smile.
Girl makes boy laugh.
Boy smiles.
Photographer snaps away.

Engagement pictures.
It's part of my job as a wedding photographer... shooting engagement pictures.
I see so many different kinds of shoots and so many different engagement sessions on a regular basis that, like everything else for our wedding, I had about 10 million ideas running through my head.

I knew I wanted to take engagement pictures before J was deployed. I wanted to have them while he was gone, and I know I want to incorporate some into the wedding itself. Since I will be doing a lot of the planning while J is gone, I knew we needed to get them done before he left. Which left us 2 weeks that he was home on leave to work with.

First question.
Photographer.

You might think this would be the easiest decision ever since I am surrounded by amazing talent. But that is exactly the problem! The single biggest decision about our wedding (aside from the actual decision to get married) is who will shoot our wedding.

But since we don't have that 100% nailed down at this point (we do have some thoughts...) I decided to have my friend Jordana of Hazelnut photography shoot our engagement. She's wonderful. And I love her. And her photos! Seriously. If you've never seen her work, you should make sure to head over to her site (by clicking on her name) and check her out. There's a reason we picked her :)

Okay. So we chose a photographer for our engagement pictures. Now what?
I knew that I didn't want it just to be another photo shoot. I wanted it to be something that really showed out personalities and our relationship. I wanted it to be something that we could use for our wedding. I wanted it to be unique and fun.

Enter Carter and Cook Event Co.
We had already decided to hire them to do the design for our wedding, but when I started brainstorming for our engagement session I knew I wanted help.
So we emailed back and forth and came up with several ideas that represent us as a couple. Then Ashlyn and Heather came up with several different ideas.

This is what they sent me:


Sources:

1. http://www.lunaphotoblog.com/

2. unknown

3. The Notebook

4. www.poetichome.com

5. http://www.megfishphotography.com/

6. Stars:www.marthastewardweddings.com

7. http://www.agentbauer.com/stylists/lobjurulf

If any of the above photos are yours, please let me know!

It wasn't too hard to come to a decision as to what direction to go because they did such a fabulous job taking what I'd told them about us and making it into something that completely represented who we are as a couple. Here is what they had to say about the inspiration boards:

We think it's important to keep engagement sessions simple, fun, and about YOU, and not totally overdone. Two different looks I think can achieve what you're looking for. The novel below describes the images in further detail...

Look A Theme: Love Letters and Stars.

We're in love with this theme the most. There is so much symbolism in this shoot that it makes me giddy. Here's our thought...

Love letters are a symbolic idea and image of both you and J. It represents long distance love, the military, and something so darn sweet I can't get enough of it. So you write emails...or letters...or both, it is the IDEA of your long distance romance, and we feel so appropriate as to where you two are at in life at this moment.

Another look involving love letters would be to be near this heart [first photo on the storyboard]...or not, it can be an entirely different staged set up. A desk of some sort, or boxes, or something that has stacks and stacks of old 'love letters' tied up with beautiful strings. They can be stacked on the ground...in a drawer (like the photo you see on the bottom right)..anywhere. I love the theme of this look...and also the simplicity. Both very powerful.

Stars. So prior to you saying you wanted to shoot at the Observatory...we had a thought on stars. I really believe stars are a new, fresh, hot, & up and coming symbol that can and will be used in lots of new ways. We like them because it's different, and we like it because of what stars represent for you both.

The Cuban flag an the Army logo BOTH use a single star...which is very J, yet very pretty..like you. : )

How we use this, we're still playing with the idea, but that star garland on the top right is amazing. I like that it's pretty and sparkles and hangs down, not across. Creating something like this would be fantastic.

Shooting at the observatory is PERFECTION. The stars totally tie into this location, and your fun past date location. {Can you see why we're loving this?!}

I know you love the notebook. You're always tweeting about it, watching it (and...now reading it :). I love the Notebook era...and think that *if* you decided to go with this theme for your shoot...you both could look straight out of the 40's. You in a short dress like the one from the Notebook, and not sure how much J will love this..but a simple, and old school outfit..maybe a newsboy cap?

Look B Theme: Biker Chic.

We were having a hard time coming up with the exact look and feel for this one, so the story board is just a starting place, but I think this would be super hip. More old school, vintage biker. Your look can be street/hipster. {Which I'm sure J would love}. *Here* is where it would be FAB to for some awesome finds..old school bike goggles, helmets, etc.

Jeans, leather jackets, hipster street clothes would be a fun contrast here. {See attached biker photos}

Shooting along the PCH for this one would be SO pretty. Not sure how realistic that is...but the view would be different and cool. Haven't seen a shoot along that area really. Having the look be more editorial than staged would be the goal with this theme.

They had so many fantastic ideas, that we decided to kind of tie them all together and make one awesome shoot! I can't wait to share more about the people behind this shoot and of course, the pictures that resulted.

For any of you planning a wedding, I REALLY would encourage you to think through your engagement pictures. Coming from someone who is a photographer, and also a bride, the thought behind the photos can make the shoot. Putting something together that is unique and represents you as a couple will make your photos 10 times better!

I also LOVE what Ashlyn and Heather pointed out about the shoot: We think it's important to keep engagement sessions simple, fun, and about YOU, and not totally overdone

It's so easy to get caught up in details and almost overdo it. Or even to come up with a concept that just doesn't fit. The engagement session should really be YOU. Don't be afraid to discuss ahead of time with your photographer... send photos of wardrobe options, prop or theme ideas... give your photographer a chance to think through your shoot before you even get there!

Choose a location that is meaningful. It doesn't have to be trendy, or super fancy... it should be something of significance to you as a couple. The place you had your first date, where he proposed, or even where you will be getting married. All of these can be fun options.

Make sure you surround yourself with a team of people that you trust and that know what you want and your vision. Pick a photographer and a team of people that you get along with, have fun with and are comfortable with. You will get the best photos when you can trust the professionals and just relax and have fun.

Above all, be yourself. And relax. More times than I can even begin to mention, a couple I have photographed has wished that they had just relaxed from the beginning. This is definitely something that isn't so easy for me (or for J), but I can always see the point in the photos that I just relaxed and let loose. I NEVER have wished it was earlier.