New clients ALWAYS ask what a typical engagement session is like .While there are a few simple components that make a simple quickfire answer…like..we can help you choose a few locations that fit your personality, bring 3 outfits that you LOVE, get ready for my 101 questions, because I’m obsessed with getting to know peoples details…I love late afternoon light for my sessions….bring extra hairspray and lipstick b/c there might be alot of kissing…etc. etc… There are so many tiny moments beyond that, which ACTUALLY make up an engagement session. The moments that get us from point A to point B upon arrival. It starts with me sitting in my car waiting for my couple..as I apply my favorite Dr.Pepper lipsmacker lipgloss..giving myself a pep talk..gathering my gear, trying to forget any stress or insecurities I might be feeling that day about my messy hair or last minute choice of mismatched clothes….and then the butterflies start as I see my couple drive up in their car. Forgive my mile long run on sentence…but then the session goes a little like this. Brenden and Laura show up with a full back seat filled to the brim with shoes and clothes…Laura and I hug like highschool girls and squeal in a high pitched note, since this is the first time we have ever met in person…Brenden seems a little unsure about this whole engagement thing… and shrugs his shoulders a bit as I ask him what shirt he wants to wear…Laura pops the trunk and blushes as she shows me twenty more outfits..and I play dress up barbie for a sec and wish I could try on all the outfits she brought. We walk to our first spot and I assure them, that amidst the rubble and spiderwebs,..it WILL LOOK COOL in pics…I promise! I warn them that it is totally normal to feel a bit awkward for the first 15 minutes of taking pictures..with that…they step in to pose, and awkwardly laugh since they are not sure if they are doing the right thing…in return, I get the BEST smiles out of both of them (sometimes the greatest pictures stem from couples laughing because they have no idea what they are doing:) I stop for a moment and laugh, because Laura has told me SEVERAL times that she is the least photogenic person that she knows…and at this very moment…. Im thinking shes TOTALLY crazy..because she has no idea what a beauty she is. Before you know it..after 15 minutes…they are comfortable. Not just with me…but with eachother…in front of the camera, as if I am not there. THIS is one of my favorite moments in an engagement session. From then on, its just..amazing. Turns out Brenden and my hubby Jason used to work together at Hollister back in the day when we were first married…we take a walk down memory lane, and then I hear a bit of their “Story” and we talk wedding details since their wedding is in just a little over a week away….after a bit they change clothes, trample through weeds…kiss, flirt, laugh, strike a pose, walk, talk…kiss some more…and before you know it…..we’re done. Brenden smiles and says it was “Not so bad”….I know he had fun…even if he doesnt admit it:)…and that makes me happy…It’s easy to win over the girls, because what girl doesnt like taking pictures????..Its always the guys that I am trying to convince that taking pictures is not the worst thing in the world…This was pretty much one of my favorite sessions…because Brenden and Laura just LOVE & ADORE eachother…I know every couple does..thats why people get married… But you cant always FEEL it when you are with them..(you know what I mean?) We are shooting their wedding tomorrow…and we are SOOOO excited! Cant wait to meet all the people that are near and dear to them:) Brenden and Laura, THANK you for being truly a breeze to work with…you inspire me..and remind me what a blessing it is to have my job. See you tomorrow!!! XOXO
xo!
I have adored Shelly’s family since I was highschool..due to the fact that her older sister Bre and I used to have a little Bible study/mentorship thing going on…{My dear little Timmy..Freckles…CHEEESE!!!Thank you for referring Shelly to us!!!} I was always so impressed with how Bre and her younger sisters were this collection of ”beautiful souls”… these deep wells of spiritual sweetness and encouragement to literally everyone they met. The Pund family is in the business of raising AMAZING daughters..and Shelly is no exception!! I didnt get to meet Matt until the wedding day…he was this quiet gentle spirit…that quickly warmed up to us…especially once Shelly walked into the room.. (well, Barn actually:) Matt is in the army, and will be deployed sometime in the spring of next year..and will be gone for 9 months…..What a blessing to have been married THIS year right? I pray their minutes together until that time ..are bundled up in all the “togetherness” they can take:) Matt & Shelly–May these pictures help carry you through the peaks and valleys you face…..and always be a reminder of the best choice you ever made ..in choosing EACHOTHER..XOXO
We get to hear ALOT of love stories with this job….We met online, met in a bar, met in kindergarten, set up, neighbor, she was my barista, he was my lab partner, sat next to me in choir, shared a cubicle, met a dog park…etc. etc. We could seriously write a novel on the chance encounters that somehow narrow the universe down to the ONE that changes everything. Maybe I am a sucker for the simple plot that is strung throughout most romantic comedies on my netflix…the kind of love that sometimes others see before we even can… THE BEST FRIEND TURNED BOYFRIEND. Jill describes Ricky as the guy that was”The best friend type” that all the girls are “just” friends with…the one you tell all your secrets to..and who offers his shoulder to cry on when others boys are mean to you:) He was just this big teddy bear of cuddleness that crept his way into her heart. Before she knew it.. she had the “lightbulb” moment. HE was what she was looking for all along. When love can be so complicated…sometimes it is simpler than you think.
Nestled amidst the busy streets of San Francisco.. between crowded alley ways, parking meters, and gusty views of the bay…lies a quaint little apartment..housing this eclectic little duo of lovebirds. Tina and Ben wanted their engagement session to be a little slice of their everyday life…it was a breath of fresh air to skip throughout the streets, and leisurely follow them to little corners of the city that I had never seen before. {Ok…AND it was also refreshing to leave the city WITHOUT getting a parking ticket for some crazy reason..for reals!:} Tina and Ben are advocates for adventure.good food {yay Ben for being a chef}. and above all QUALITY time together. Their love is effortless…and Im head over heels excited for their wedding in a few short weeks!!
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