Our Engagement Shoot

Have I mentioned I'm planning my own wedding? 

I'm a bit of a control freak, but I have reasons behind it! My older sister hired an event planner and paid $5,000 of her budget on this woman. SHE DID NOTHING! She sent my sister contacts and made her book her own appointments and go alone...and while I know there are phenomenal planners out there, I preferred not to take a risk. I kept that same mindset with my engagement photos. I did them all myself. Not only does it save you mega $$$$ but you get to keep as many as you'd like and be in charge of your own shoot.

I went for four looks - spring, summer, formal and casual. We decided to take them at the beach (Pensacola, FL) because that's where I grew up. The beaches are gorgeous and the town is historic.

I have a few pointers for you all when creating your engagement photos.

Plan ahead! 

Pick 3-4 outfits for yourself and make sure they match your scene. I went with an old Hollywood style swimsuit and hat to match my wedding theme, a seafoam maxi dress, a blush pink skirt and a black dress. 

Next, pick your fiances outfits. 

Make sure they match your vision. For example: had I picked swim trunks to go with my black swimsuit, it would have taken the formality and old-school feel out of our image. Make sure you run the look through your head before you choose. Coordinate your colors but be sure not to be too matchy-matchy because it can come off as unoriginal and even quirky (not good for engagement photos).

Pick your props! 

What looks would you like to accomplish for your shoot? Is it beachy? Why not use shells! Is it formal? Use champagne! Have a thoroughly thought-out vision of your shoot to plan what props will work.

Get a ring shot. 

Your groom-to-be worked hard to get you that rock. Show it off!

Mix it up! 

Make sure you get a variety of different angles, perspectives and times of day. Having variety helps the photos stand out! When they all look the same, they don't draw as much attention. It's your day and your groom...you should have all eyes on you!

Make it fun! 

Headshots and smiles are perfect for frames and save the dates, but it's great to have fun photos of your significant other and yourself to remember the day. We did several shots of Garrett "chasing" me. While it felt a little awkward to do, the pictures came out great and serve as a fun memory.

Use architecture. 

There is beauty all around you. Play off of anything beautiful you see and don't be intimidated by people around you. In the above photo, we had an audience. We felt a bit awkward at first, but we sucked it up. If we turned the camera 90 degrees, you'd see 50 people standing around watching and a dead fish on the shore. Create that romance in your photos regardless of your surroundings.

Get a sunset image. 

Plan ahead and set your camera setting for the sky. They will always come out romantic. If your weather app tells you the sen will set at 7:52 pm, get there by 7:15. It takes a minute to set up, and in some cases the sun will set very quickly. We only got about 6 good pictures before the sun went down.

I hope these help you gain inspiration and some pointers to help your engagement photos be as wonderful as you! Please comment below if you have any additional questions.

Best of luck,

Bridesmaid Boxes - Pop the Question!

Hello lovely ladies! 

If you're like me, you recently became engaged and you are trying to figure out all of the etiquette and timelines for your wedding in a short period of time on top of choosing your bridal party, color scheme and more...pretty overwhelming, right? With Pinterest ideas galore, it's easy to get lost in the idea overload and have trouble pinning down one idea that works for you (pun intended).

I've gone somewhat out of order of what most wedding planners would recommend and it has worked really well for me. Let me explain..

Right after Garrett, my fiance, popped the question I knew I wanted a spring wedding. Garrett proposed in August which meant I didn't have much time to play around if I wanted my date to be in the spring of the following year. 

We want to have our wedding in Atlanta because that's where my fiance grew up and where we live now. It's easy to get here whether you drive or fly and it has so much to offer! I quickly realized other brides are aware of this... when I began calling venues, they were telling me 2017 was totally booked! I was heartbroken!

Lucky for me, I have a few girlfriends who were recently married and had a fresh perspective on timelines. For example, wedding dresses can take up to 8 months to receive in some cases (what the?!), venues should be booked 12 months out...the list goes on.

I decided to get my dress first. To most people, this is pretty untraditional and maybe silly, but I feel that the dress sets the stage for the entire wedding. Your dress should match your venue, flowers, invitations, and overall theme.

My theme is going to be old Hollywood circa 1940. Can I tell you how many terrible representations of a similar theme I've seen? It's awful! I believe it's time to give this theme some justice and respect it deserves.

Why 1940 old Hollywood you may ask? Well, I have a love for old movies. I always have. I grew up in performing arts as a singer and dancer and was always participating in Broadway-style plays. When I was sick from school, my mother would take me to the local library to rent old musicals like Funny Girl and Singing in the Rain on VHS. I'm in love with old movies - so it was fitting that my own wedding replicate an old Hollywood romance where I'll play leading lady in a love story of our own.

For my bridal party, I wanted to keep the number small and intimate. I'm also a fan of symmetry, so I decided on four girls (two on each side of me). 

Having a smaller bridal party means getting to splurge a little more on your favorite girls who will stand by your side! For my "Pop the Question" boxes I purchased the nail polish I'd like them to wear for our wedding day, one of my favorite champagnes - LaMarca (something blue might I add), a straw to drink right from the mini bottle, champagne infused gummy bears from Sugarfina, and earrings. I got these adorable gold foil bridesmaid tags from HomeGoods for just $3! If you haven't looked there for cute paper goods, I suggest you do! They have lots to choose from.

I purchased the boxes from Michaels for $5.00 each and the paint from Target for $2.00. The Essie polish is Topless and Barefoot (LOL).

  

You don't necessarily have to keep in line with your wedding theme for your boxes. Have fun with it! I wanted to use blue for a "something blue" idea, even though the color will not be used for my actual wedding. I painted my boxes a pearlescent blue with a sponge roller from a craft store. Make sure you keep the box open as it dries. My first box had to go in the trash because the paint sealed it closed!

For tighter areas like edges and corners, I used a small paint brush.

Finally, to complete the look, I found these adorable jewelled letters from Michaels in the sticker section for scrapbooks. I matched the jewel accents around the letter to fit the personality of the bridesmaid I was giving it to! (link for letters)

For the inside, I placed the champagne bottle in the center. So that the bridesmaids would know my color scheme, I went to Home Depot and grabbed a few paint swatches and tied them together with twine by punching a hole in the top right corner. I taped the bridesmaid tag to the top of the box on the interior to keep an element of surprise. I assure you they were! The champagne gummies didn't last long! Infused with Dom Perignon, they are non-alcoholic so they're also great if your friend doesn't/can't drink alcohol!

Prosecco gummies / Essie polish / Straws / Boxes / Bridesmaid tags / Earrings

I hope you enjoyed this quick tutorial on how to put together a bridesmaid box! Stay tuned for more cute DIY ways to put together details for your own special day!