Friends, you have never seen a sunset until you have seen it in the California hills! There is something extra special about the light in California, especially when you watch the last of the day’s rays sink below the trails in the distance and reflect itself on the brilliant water below. Fair warning: this is a long post! I have soooo many photos to share today from our time in Sacramento!
We’ve known Caitlin for years. When our girls were small children, Caitlin and her family lived down the street from us, and she spent a lot of time at our house. Now she’s all grown up and getting married (that makes me feel so old)! We were absolutely thrilled that she called us after she was engaged, although we wouldn’t have given her much of a choice, haha! We had to reschedule this engagement session due to a typical Memphis popup storm, but I’m so glad we did! The weather this day was bright and sunny, just like Caitlin’s smile!
These two are getting married on Saturday. Like, in two days. Like, in “get your act together and do the blog post already, Amy!” We are SO excited to witness the beginning of their new journey, and if it’s anything like their Memphis engagement session, we know the wedding is going to be fabulous!! In the meantime, we are so excited to share their engagement session!
Oh, you guys! I am SO over-the-moon excited to share this session today! I can’t tell you how long I’ve been wanting to photograph a couple in a canoe. In formal clothes. In the lake. At sunset! It takes a special, adventurous couple to give us the trust and freedom for this type of shoot, and we found it in Val and Reed! They were not afraid of getting a little wet, and just WAIT until you see them standing up in the canoe! This one was one of our favorites for so many reasons!
We are officially done with weddings for 2016! We will still be busy the next few months with lots happening behind the scenes and time spent on re-energizing for next year, but we are tickled pink to end this year’s wedding season with a bang! We have been on pins and needles for this wedding, this celebration, this couple, ever since their Nashville engagement session! And once you see our recap of their day, we know you’ll understand why!
Instead of flowers, he brought her a gold star. Everyone does flowers. Cody wanted to impress Tiffany, and give her something that would last and that she would remember. And, okay, maybe he was trying to get a laugh out of her too. Cody is a funny guy, laid-back and lighthearted, and girls love a guy who can make them laugh. It worked, as Tiffany has been charmed by him since the beginning!
Anthony and I had been planning this for months. We even had super secret code words and hand gestures. Just like real spies. But when the day arrived, and then THE MOMENT, I think we were just as nervous as he was! Maybe more. See, Anthony knew he would be marrying Shavonn. He couldn’t imagine a life without her. So he planned to ask her to be his wife. On camera! Our cameras.
“All in.” That’s what I always remember when I think about Erica. It has been over a YEAR since we first met with her and her lovely mom. That first time we spoke, sipping coffee, we all just hit it off perfectly. The more we talked about her wedding plans, the more excited we all got! At the end of the meeting, Erica turned to her mom and said, “What do you think?” Her mom gazed back at her and said, “Let’s do it! I’m all in.” And I fell in love with them both.
There are so many things to love about an engagement session! But one of our very favorite things about them is that we get some one on one time with our couples, and really get to know them better on a personal level. Not only does this make us better equipped to photograph them on their wedding day, but it starts building a relationship so that we can truly call them friends later! It had been awhile since we first met with Taylor and George, so we were eager to hang out with them and learn more about how they love. We were in for such a treat!
They don’t do serious. They don’t do sadness or tears (except happy ones!). They don’t do drama, or too much, or too little. They never stop talking. They never stop laughing. And these are only a FEW of the reasons we love Erin and Donny so much! Their officiant described them best during their wedding ceremony when he said, “Not only do Erin and Donny LOVE each other, but they sure do LIKE each other a lot! And they like doing life together.” Yes. That.