Another day, another sweet engagement shoot and love story to share! This time from the amazing Valerie Demo Photography! We first heard from and indulged in Valerie’s work a little over a week ago with this vintage picnic themed engagement shoot. Today, we get to sigh over this sweet UNC Chapel Hill engagement session of a couple very much in love.

Kellie and Zach met in the spring of 2009. Zach had just graduated from college while Kellie was finishing up her third year of graduate school. In June of the same year, both Zach and Kellie went on the same birthright trip to Israel with their sisters. Nothing Earth-shattering or special occurred between the two during their trip. They were merely just friends by the time they returned to the States.

A few months after returning home, Kellie and her sister decided to plan a little reunion in Washington D.C. to reconnect with some of the people who had also been on the trip. Zach was extremely reluctant to attend the reunion with his sister, but eventually went along in the end (after much convincing on his sister’s part).

They spent the day exploring D.C. and attending a Nationals game before heading back to one of the attendee’s houses for drinks. After several hours filled with drinks and laughter, everyone but Kellie and Zach had fallen asleep. (What a lovely coincidence.) They started talking and didn’t stop until the sun came up.

It didn’t take them long to realize that what they’d found in each other was something special and worth holding on to. After just a few weeks of long distance dating and a series of visits between Virginia Beach and Chapel Hill, Zach came to visit one week and simply never left. (Awww!)

One year later, in the spring of 2010, Kellie’s entire family gathered on the beautiful Hilton Head Island for Kellie’s father’s wedding. This was the moment Zach chose to propose to Kellie (with her father’s blessing, of course). One night, before dinner, Zach woke his soon-to-be fiancée from a nap. She turned sleepily to find him on bended knee, asking for her hand in marriage. (THAT is what we call a wake-up call, friends. Possibly the best of its kind. No, definitely the best of its kind.)

{Behind the Lens with Valerie Demo Photography} Kellie and Zach asked me to join them in Chapel Hill for their engagement session. It was a chance I jumped at because the UNC campus is GORGEOUS. That, and they are getting married in Virginia Beach, so having their engagement session in Chapel Hill was a nice way to tie in even more about their love story and relationship.

My main goal is to always try to make sessions effortless. With Kellie and Zach, it was just that. They are so completely comfortable with each other… “it” just happened. I try not to lead the posing too much, giving only minimal direction so that the photos still look natural in the end. I think they hit it out of the park! Of course, having all the gorgeous scenery around Chapel Hill to work with didn’t hurt, but what made this session a success to me was just how well Kellie and Zach mesh with each other. That definitely shines through in the photographs.

Indeed it does. :) A very happy Congratulations to Kellie and Zach who tied the knot on August 14th! We wish you both a lifetime of love and laughter together! Thank you for sharing your love story with all of us! And a big thank you to Valerie Demo Photography for sharing with us her talent and behind the lens insight once again!

Happy Thursday!

xoxo

If you’re looking for that special handmade look for your wedding but just don’t have the time or the wherewithal to do-it-yourself, look no further than the wonderful world of Etsy! Etsy is one of the best places to get, well, just about anything handmade and wedding related. Dresses, veils, jewelry, bouquets, favors and decor galore! You could literally style your whole wedding with the fabulous vendors of Etsy on your side! There’s even a section devoted just to weddings, making it super easy to find all related items. We browsed around and found a couple (a very, very small representation, really) of some of our favorites to incorporate into today’s inspiration board! Take a look!

Starting at the top, real men wear pink custom ties! And carry pretty glasses of lemonade! :) (Yours doesn’t? I bet he would if you asked nicely.) How lush and pretty does that bouquet look? Can you believe it’s made of silk blend flowers? Because it is! Gorgeous, right? No wedding is complete without a fabulous set of invites – we love the two seater bike! How about a chic burlap pillow for your manly little ring bearer? Burlap is manly, sort of, and very chic! To top it off, how about some yummy salted caramels in adorable muslin favor bags? The result is heaven on Earth! And delicious too!

What oh-so-fabulous things have you found on Etsy of late? Have you found something for your wedding? Tell us in the comments below!

Happy Wednesday!

xoxo

Row 1: Men’s Ties & Lemonade via Handmade by Emy | Florals via Morgann Hill Designs | Invitation via Paper + Pinafore

Row 2: Ring Bearer Pillow via Krumpets Designs | Salted Caramels via The Caramel Jar  | Muslin Favor Bags via Crafty Clementines

Color Swatches: Kiss Me Pink, Butter Yellow, Chic Burlap, Salted Caramel

Hello again and happy Monday! I have a sexy urban engagement shoot from Light Love Laughter Photography to share today! Laura and Orlando are an undeniably gorgeous couple. Their passion for each other literally sizzles right off the page screen. But more than that, it’s obvious just how much fun they have together. And not just the day of their engagement session, but every day. So, let’s learn a little more about their love story, shall we?

Laura and Orlando met at a bank. Laura’s mother, a regular customer, had seen Orlando many times and was convinced he was the perfect man for her daughter. (Gotta love a mother’s intuition.) One day, Laura accompanied her mother to the bank where she was promptly introduced to Orlando. The attraction was immediate. But they were both much too shy to venture past the usual pleasantries of a first meeting.

Recognizing that the two might need a bit more than a nudge, Laura’s mother took matters into her own hands. She casually mentioned the name of a really great Columbian restaurant she thought Orlando would enjoy the next time she was at the bank (sans Laura). She told him that she didn’t know the specific directions to get him there, but that her daughter did, and she’d have her call him with them.

When Laura finally called Orlando at the bank with the directions to the restaurant, Orlando told her her directions were much too confusing and she’d just have to accompany him to lunch to ensure he didn’t get lost. This impromptu lunch date became their first unofficial date. (Mother’s always get what they want.)

After nine wonderful months of courtship, Orlando proposed to Laura at Chateau Elan. Just before he asked her to be his wife, Orlando gifted Laura a book he had made of memories. It was filled with poems, photographs, and songs he had written just for her. It was a truly touching and memorable moment.

{Behind the Lens with Tessa Swarthout of Light Love Laughter Photography} I love engagement sessions! It’s a great way for me to get to know the couple outside the pressures, emotions, excitement, and craziness of wedding day. I love making them more than just “pretty pictures in a park” by taking the time before the session to get to know the couple. I try to bring out some of the unique details of their love story to incorporate into their engagement photos. Laura and Orlando are both wine lovers (in fact, he proposed in a vineyard), so having a little picnic and some wine in the park not only made for super cute pictures, but was also a nice reminder of that very special day when he asked her to marry him.

I was really excited from the very first conversation I had with Laura – she was SUPER excited about her wedding and about having me as her photographer. When we met for their session, I let them know that they didn’t need to worry about how they looked. That they should focus on enjoying the next couple of hours together – flirting, kissing, hugging and laughing. This session was about them spending time together. It was MY job to make sure they looked amazing. The pictures I took not only reflected that but the love they share for one another.

It took a little bit of time for the “camera jitters” to fade (as it always does), but before long we were all having such a great time. We nearly forgot it was an engagement session and not just an afternoon out, having lots of fun in the park. Their love is raw, natural and overflowing. The emotion in the pictures isn’t made up. It’s real and something they enjoy sharing every. single. day.

Laura and Orlando renewed their vows this past March. (Their first wedding was a spur of the moment, courthouse thing.) They waited three whole years to declare their love for each other (and say I do once more) before their family and friends. It was a day neither will ever forget.

Congratulations Laura and Orlando! We wish you an abundance of the love, laughter and passion you already share, in the many years still ahead of you! Thank you for sharing your love story with us! And a big thank you to Tessa of Light Love Laughter Photography (don’t you just love that?!) for sharing her talent and behind the lens insight today!

Happy Monday!

xoxo

*Photos taken at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia

A picture is worth a thousand words . . .

One Photographer. One Snapshot. One Quote.

One-thousand words and emotions.

“Sometimes a man hits upon a place to which he mysteriously feels that he belongs.” – W. Somerset Maugham

Photo Credit to Cristina G Photography

I seem to have a real knack for scheduling baseball-related engagement shoots at important times of the season without even realizing it. On opening day, I posted a beautiful baseball-themed engagement shoot. Now, as we’re heading into the playoffs, I have this totally fun engagement session from FlickFoto Photography from inside Citizens Bank Park – home to the Philadelphia Phillies! A completely awesome coincidence (unlike our baseball-themed wedding inspiration board this week – that was planned) that I am happy to share with all of you! So, let’s get to it play ball and get the lowdown on Laura and Rob’s love story! :)

Rob and Laura met in a rather interesting fashion during Laura’s freshman year of college in the fall of 2006. Rob’s fraternity was hosting their annual event called “The Toilet Sit.” (Crickets go chirp-chirp-chirp.) The Toilet Sit, which sounds really weird and gross (yes, yes, it does), is the fraternity’s way to raise money for The American Heart Association. They sit on a toilet in the middle of campus for 72 hours straight to raise money and awareness.

The night Rob was to take his shift on the toilet, was the same night Laura and a few of her sorority sisters decided to go down and show their support with pizza and Twister. Laura and Rob (still sitting on the toilet) spent the entire night talking. They made plans to hang out again later in the week and the rest is history.

From the very beginning, both Rob and Laura knew that what was between them was the real deal. They shared the same friends and interests and were even from the same area. (They were rivals in high school!) They spent many a late night together watching movies, going to parties, and of course, watching baseball. And when school and extracurricular activities became too much for Laura, Rob was there to patiently pick up the pieces and wipe her tears. He had complete confidence in her when she was lacking it and never once doubted her abilities. And when it came time for Rob to graduate in the summer of 2008, he signed up for more classes to delay their inevitable separation. (Aww!)

Two bachelors degrees and a masters degree later, Rob and Laura were officially done with college in May of 2010. Just before graduation though, they planned a vacation to Punta Cana for some good ol’ R&R before the next phase of their lives began. Little did Laura know they would be heading into the next phase engaged.

Rob was secretive all week. To the point of not checking his bag at the airport because he was afraid the engagement ring he’d hidden inside would be stolen. They spent their days on the beach, lounging by the pool sipping cocktails, and enjoying each other’s company.

One of the nights found Rob and Laura walking the beach hand-in-hand talking about this and that and how great it was to have gotten away together. Laura was looking out at the ocean when she realized Rob was no longer standing next to her. She turned to see where he was and found him down on one knee in the sand with the most gorgeous ring she’d ever seen. Looking back, Laura says it was a picture perfect start of something incredible. (I couldn’t agree more.)

{Behind the Lens with FlickFoto Photography} Honestly, I don’t even consider it work when I shoot an engagement session. It’s a great time getting to know the couples and photographing them in their favorite hang out spots. In Laura and Rob’s case, this was Citizen’s Bank Park.

In general, I try to keep the mood light while changing scenarios/poses and locations. I ask the couple questions so that I can capture natural smiles and glances and to keep the good vibes from the session moving along. One of the first questions I always ask is: How did you meet? Or, what’s your favorite thing about your husband/wife-to-be? It always brings smirks, smiles, and laughter from the couple – which is perfect for me.

In each session, my goal is to capture the couple happy and in love. No matter the location, or the clothing, every session is amazing to me. Laura and Rob were easy going and great to work with. My favorite images include their custom t-shirts with Taylor 20-12 (for their wedding year) on their backs.

How awesome is it that they were able to have their pictures taken in seemingly every nook and cranny of Phillies’ field?! On the field, in the dugout, at their very own season ticket seats. Awesome doesn’t even begin to cover it! And their custom made shirts are completely adorable!

Thank you Laura and Rob for sharing your love story with us today! We wish you so much love, luck, and laughter in your years ahead together! And a big thank you to Sarah of FlickFoto Photography for sharing this session and her talent with us!

Happy Friday!

xoxo