Sneak Peek: Our Engagement Photos
Ahhh! Most of you know Chris and I got engaged in December—we’re going on 10 months! While it’s been great not to feel rushed in wedding planning, it’s exciting to have some of the major milestones start to happen! Getting our engagement photos back really made it feel like we’re GETTING MARRIED.
A one-hour engagement session was included in the wedding photography package we purchased, so we obviously took advantage and took some pics for our save the dates! Our session was a few weeks ago after work, on a Monday. I briefly debated whether this was a good idea (we all know how Mondays can be), but it was too late to reschedule by the time it dawned on me that people actually take time off from work and get their hair and makeup done by professionals for this occasion. Needless to say, I didn’t do any of those things, but I kind of like it better that way—more natural. I DID, however, bring my makeup bag to work to sweep away that 5:00 PM pallor.
We decided on Lake Harriet in Minneapolis for the location since we spend a lot of time at the lake in the summers. I didn’t want the location to play a huge role in the photos, and I think it ended up being a good choice. We got the dock and lakeside shots I wanted, plus there’s greenery, a cement covered bridge that provided a cool urban feel and a streetcar station if you’re into that—a good variety of backdrops.
As we got started, Chris was kind of nervous (not a fan of people looking on while we kiss and pose), but our photographer was very relaxed and good about making the whole thing seem low-key. Having taken a photo or two for the blog in my day, I wasn’t too concerned about strangers staring, but did have to exercise some restraint in not asking to see any of the shots during the session and trusting that there would be some that I liked! When our photographer suggested we head over to the area with the cement wall, for example, I wasn’t super enthused, but those ended up being some of my favorite photos. Pro tip: trust your photographer. But also don’t spend too much time doing weird pose-y things that aren’t YOU (like twirling—some people can pull it off, but not us!). Anyway, overall it was a success. We were both breaking down a little bit towards the end (taking photos for an hour is a long time!), and promptly devoured heaping portions of pasta and bread when we got home (#sorrynotsorry).
Deciding what to wear was actually the hardest part of the whole thing. I debated between formal and casual, jumpsuit and jeans, and searched for a month or so to find something WHITE or flowy and ethereal (and flattering)—all the stuff you’re supposed to be as a bride—but nothing looked right or felt right. I finally settled on an easy black midi which felt simple, classic and feminine. For Chris, we picked out something clean-cut but casual from his closet—stuff he wears every day, including the Chuck Taylors he was wearing when we met. We both felt like ourselves, which felt right!
Keep an eye on your mailboxes (and inboxes) to see the photo we picked for our save the dates!
What I wore: Rib Knit Sheath Dress (on sale!) | Ankle Strap Sandals (favorites forever and ever all-time—I have them in black leather and classic nude, and they’re so versatile. They’re perfect for every dressy occasion and I wear them to work all the time without feeling too glam-ed up.)
