Photography by Melissa and Gary Photography
This was one of the parts I was most excited about! We have not had pictures done together in YEARS... I legit think it was high school. Yikes.
From planning outfits, locations, and communicating with our photographers, this entire process felt like a breeze! With that being said, here are some questions you may have right now and my best tips for you as you work through it all!
Do I need engagement pictures?
Honestly, no. It is not necessary by any means! I have realized that a lot of photographers do not include a shoot in their packages (which is a real bummer in my mind) BUT I highly recommend doing one. Not only does it get you all acquainted with the photographers, you all get used to posing with one another. These pictures were way more personal and PDA filled than we usually do when we are posing for a picture with a beer... and I think we all want those super romantic and dreamy pictures on the wedding day! Not only are they great practice (and great keepsakes of such an exciting time in your lives), they are even better for your save the dates!
Where should we shoot? What should I wear?
Alright, here is where things get tricky. You need to figure out if your photographers are willing to travel before you get all excited to go somewhere else besides your location. The only place Tyler and I wanted to potentially take our engagement pictures was Indiana University but we opted out of it and decided to take pictures at home since this is a new chapter starting here for us. After we chose to stay in the Louisville area I narrowed down the "vibe" I wanted for our Save the Dates. I knew I wanted something super classy to use and that helped me choose to go with a beautiful and more quiet part of downtown Louisville for our pictures. I also wanted some more rural and casual looking photos (so that we covered all bases) and that helped narrow us down to some parks in the area.
From there, it was finding outfits. I started with what Tyler had because that was easiest for me. He has a navy suit that I LOVE and wanted to use in the dressier look. I knew that if I did navy, I would have to find a dress to compliment it without overpowering it. Black was immediately off the table. I considered white for a second because I am a sucker for anything white and cream based, but decided against it. Felt "too bridal" for what I was wanting these to be. That's when I decided on finding a light blue dress. It felt elegant and timeless to me. I looked everywhere trying to find a classy, midi, light blue dress and I finally found one at LuLu's! I was obsessed with the way it looked and how well the color complimented Tyler's suit.
For our more casual look... we went super casual. We probably could have done a little more but I wanted this to be so simple that it didn't take away from us. I started with the plain shirts Tyler had and then chose my outfit around it. It felt so much like us to be wearing those outfits and shoes and for that, I am SO glad I stuck with the casual vibe as our second look.
All in all, choose what feels like YOU all. At the end of the day, that is when you will feel most comfortable and when your photos will turn out the best!
We aren't good at posing together... should we practice?
Everyone is different when it comes to what you want out of these pictures. Some people get hyper focused on getting just standing and smiling pictures for the save the date and that is perfectly fine if that is you! For us, we are loving this exciting chapter of life and we wanted to capture it. I specifically wanted these pictures to be ones that we could pull out in 25 years and smile at how in love and over the moon we were (and to look back and see how much more we have fallen in love over time). *Happy tear just thinking about it* Our photographers didn't want to capture just posed photos. Instead, they captured us being us. Laughing, goofing off, the way we look at one another, everything. And I am more obsessed with the way they turned out than I ever thought I could be.
I hope that these tips help you as you begin to plan your engagement pictures! I cannot recommend them enough! If you are still looking for phenomenal photographers in the Kentuckiana area, check out Melissa and Gary Photography. We are so lucky to have the best of the best as our paparazzi for our big day! Now here is more of the magic they shot for us!
