Kaylei & Troy

It's pretty cool when your friends ask you to be such a special part of their wedding day. It's even better when they ask you to also capture their engagement and are willing to do an evening sparkler photo! Kaylei & Troy decided to use the University of Stevens Point and Schmeekle Reserve as their engagement session backdrop. It was perfect for them! Sunshine, tall trees and wild flowers... couldn't ask for more!  Their love of baseball and the outdoors all came together wonderfully.

We are looking forward to their July wedding! Be on the lookout for more of these lovebirds!

Heather & Bryan

To say we loved Heather & Bryan's location choices would be a HUGE understatement! Heather's parents' backyard is gorgeous, complete with a rocky creek running through. The second location, their neighbor's yard, also had awesome backdrops to use. Rustic buildings, long grasses with trails winding through and wild flowers.... oh the wild flowers! Thank goodness for a little bug-spray and Bryan's willingness to meet his very first wood tick (you read that right... the first! - Bryan resides in California where they are lucky enough not to have to deal with them) Soon it will be this adorable couple's wedding day and we will be able to capture even more of their great smiles and sweet personalities. Did I mention we love our job? We do... oh we most certainly do!

Heather & Bryan, your big day can't come soon enough!

Tips & Tricks | Engagement Sessions

Engagement sessions. They are a time to be... ENGAGED, to be flirtatious and to have fun! Together we'll celebrate and capture the moments that make the two of you... YOU!  Let us start off by saying, we love looovvvve engagement sessions!! We get to know you and you get to know us all while laughing, smiling, talking and capturing your flirty little moments.  Engagement sessions most often are the very first time you are getting professional portraits taken together, so it's only natural that you may not know exactly what to to expect. We'll guide you through the session and pose you along the way making sure to snuggle you in close to your spouse-to-be! No matter what... we aim to get you as comfortable as possible with us, our cameras and your surroundings by the end of the session so that you are better prepared and more relaxed on your wedding day. After you finish reading our Tips -n- Tricks for Engagement Sessions we hope that we have put your mind at ease and you'll find that planning your session is a piece of cake - or pie - whichever you prefer  :) Often we get couples that ask questions like 'Where should we go?', 'What should we wear?', or 'Do we need to bring anything?'. The first question you should be asking yourselves is what makes you... you. Do you prefer the countryside or a city setting? What activities best suit you as a couple? We can mix up a couple of locations and props, but the beauty is to keep it simple. We want to focus on you and your love. You'll be amazed how the simplest things like a field, a willow or a downtown alley have to offer.

When choosing what to wear - Find outfits that fit your personality,  you are comfortable in and flatters your unique shape and size. It's easy to get 'matchy matchy' with each other. Avoid this by coordinating and complimenting each other's outfits in style, formality and color. This is a moment to remember so go a little bold! We love textures and layers. Once we start talking about your engagement session we'll share some of our favorite Pinterest boards and guide you through your decisions. Don't forget about the details! Add a bracelet, hat, scarf, tie, suspenders or blazer. Little details help bring out your personalities and add more 'fun' in your photos.

Make Up and Hair - Your engagement session is also a great time to do a trial run with your makeup artist and get your hair professionally done. This will be a nice boost of confidence and a way to check one more item off your wedding planning list! Also make sure to make it a date night! You're all dolled up and he is looking super handsome, so after your engagement session head out on the town and get as much out of that hair do and make-up as possible!

When picking your location - We encourage you to select a meaningful spot. Somewhere that is special to the two of you always results in better images. Locations don't have to be big venues; instead, places like grassy fields, downtown alleys, barns, orchards, wild prairies and woods offer thousands of photo opportunities. If you need suggestions because you are having trouble deciding, we would be happy to help. Keep in mind your session locations when putting your outfits together. Wearing the right shoes or packing shoes to walk in until we reach destinations, is something to consider. Also, often times, there may not be a place to change so think about what you may want to wear first.

The time of day -  The time of day is super important. Picking the right time of day will make the most of your location. We love shooting an hour and half prior to sunset. This helps to ensure we shoot during the golden hour, when the sun is at just the right height that it shines a warm and beautiful glow, making nearly every photo irresistable! Also super early morning sunrises are unique and add a romantic flair to your images. But make sure you are on time for the sunset sessions, because once the sun is down, it's down.

Finally, don't feel like you HAVE to bring props. If you have something special that the two of you share together and holds meaning, by all means bring it! With props we always suggest less is more. We want the images to be focused on you, not your props.

Now to bring it all together... check out these lovely couples that did an amazing job at picking outfits, locations and props:

Lindsay & Ted

These two are getting married! Lindsay & Ted are such an awesome couple to spend time with. We joined them in Big River Falls at a local park for a bit then headed to Lindsay’s Father’s childhood farm. Such fun, beautiful locations! We could have spent all day with them taking in the scenery. So excited to spend their special day with them! Let’s hope they get a little snow this November to give them the ultimate white wedding!

Steph & Randy

Steph & Randy wanted to incorporate their love of microbrews in their engagement session. So we decided to lay out a blanket in the soft grass, grab a cold brew or two and enjoy the sunshine! We adore the interactions between these lovers and we couldn’t have had more fun with them! We are so glad Steph found her ‘Printz’ and we can’t wait to share their wedding day with them next May.