This engagement session is a literal fall dream- the fall colors were in full swing, the cider was perfectly chilled, and the donuts were fresh. I couldn’t have asked for better weather and I’m so happy Kelsy and Matt had time in their busy schedules for their engagement session.
Engagement Session Process
As soon as my couples have officially booked with me, we schedule their engagement session. I always send a little “congratulations and thanks for booking” email with a questionnaire. This initial questionnaire is meant for me to get to know you better. If possible, I always try to incorporate my couple’s love story into their engagement photos. I think it just adds an extra special touch when you use those photos later either as your save the dates or as wedding decor. I personally used our engagement photos as our wedding guest book. We encouraged our friends and family to write us messages throughout the album I made and we love looking back on it- plus it doubles as a nice decorative book for our coffee table!
When choosing a location for your engagement photos, I always offer suggestions if my couple’s are a little stumped on where to go. If you know 100% where you want to go, that’s totally fine! Sometimes though it’s a struggle to find the right location. My questionnaire includes a couple questions asking what you prefer in terms of background- cityscapes, forest, farm, coffeeshop, etc. I also ask if you have any favorite dates we can recreate. When choosing Blake’s for their engagement photos, Kelsy already knew she wanted a natural setting since her and Matt like to enjoy the outdoors. We decided to take full advantage of the fall season and hit up Blake’s Cider Mill. I’m a huge Blake’s fan. My husband and I get our fresh produce from them every summer and in the fall my husband stops by on his way home from work to pick up some donuts and cider. No cider compares to Blake’s for us! I also love to attend the Lavender and Sunflower festivals every year. Sometimes I do family photos in the fields when they are open! For the first time, Blake opened up the orchard early for those wanting photos with all the apple blossoms. I took the sweetest family photos during this event!
Photos in the Orchard
Kelsy, Matt, and I started our session in the orchard. We drove through the Blake’s U-Pick and found the last remaining grove of apple trees with apples on them. The trees were so green and a lot of the apples were higher up on the trees. We were really testing Matt’s ability to reach them! We spent the first half of our session in the grove walking through the trees and picking apples. We filled an entire bag full of apples in between poses and prompts. It was a really cute date to document!
Photos at the Cider Mill
The second half of our engagement session happened at the Cider Mill part of Blake’s. We drove out of the U-Pick area and walked to the Cider Mill. Unfortunately, The Tasting Room at Blake’s was absolutely packed so we weren’t able to utilize the bar for some cute cocktail photos. We were able to get some donuts and cider though. I think my favorite photos from this session are the ones of Kelsy and Matt laughing while sitting outside of the Cider Mill. We were chatting and making jokes and they felt awkward eating a donut in front of my camera, but it made the cutest photos. It’s totally normal to feel awkward, and in all honesty I would probably feel awkward, too. Laughing is usually the best way to go about it because it ends up looking so natural!
After the Engagement Session
So what happens after? Well I always send sneak peeks for engagement sessions within 24 hours of the session. Once your session is completely edited (usually within a few weeks), the gallery is sent via email to you. I send all my session and wedding galleries using the same platform so this is a great opportunity for you to get acquainted with this platform. You’ll have the ability to download all of your photos at once to a phone or computer or onto Google Photos or Dropbox (a feature every single client has told me they love). You can create a favorites list and order prints directly through your gallery, too. I love that it’s so easy for everyone to use.
At this point, I assist my couples as needed throughout their wedding planning process. Sometimes engagement sessions happen a year out from your wedding and sometimes they happen closer to your wedding day. I’m happy to offer advice to any of the couples that ask. I know people can bombard you with advice and suggestions so I try really hard not to give advice on things outside of wedding photography unless explicitly asked. I usually do a quarterly check in with all couples to make sure they know I’m there as a resource and to see if I can assist with anything.
At about 30 days out from your wedding day, I send a check in email with another questionnaire. This questionnaire is different from the one I send when you book. This questionnaire focuses on the most important parts of your wedding day. Here’s where you tell me of any special surprises planned like gift giving, your plan for dances of the night, if you want a first look, etc. There’s even a spot for you to send a Pinterest link to any mood boards you have. I use the answers from the questionnaire to draft your photography timeline for the day. I also make a list of important family photos you’d like to take after your ceremony and I have a special shot list. I do have a standard shot list I use (think tablescapes, gown, ceremony kiss), but usually my couples like to add to this list with sentimental items they may have. For example, when I got married I had a necklace from my dad I really wanted incorporated into photos. He passed well before my wedding day so it was just a little something special to me. I like to do a Zoom or phone call to go over the first draft of your timeline and these lists together. If you have a wedding planner, I may do this with them instead of you!
And finally, on the day of we execute the plan. We make any last minute changes work and we celebrate your love.
