Engagement photos.
I almost didn’t do them.
I didn’t know what to do with them, had no intention of using them so wasn’t sure I wanted to waste our time and the photographers time taking photos. Since my surgery in November left me somewhat immobile, we decided to wait a few months which put us in the dead of what was suppose to be a Minnesota winter. I had no visions for our engagement photos so the thought of taking photos outside in white fluffy snow made no difference to me. In February, I started getting antsy and decided I wanted photos – I wanted to capture who we were, now, before we got married. I wanted to capture the love we feel for each other. I wanted to capture us.
Unfortunately, Minnesota has gotten a very limited amount of snow this winter leaving everything brown and dead-looking. Not picturesque. We tried to wait it out, hoping for a huge snow storm but got nothing.
So we did it anyway. We wanted very non-traditional. No hand-holding in a forest. No cheesy sitting next to each other, smiling & looking at the camera. No poses.
We went mid-week, after work. Instead of going to a park, or somewhere flowery, we went uptown. To the alleys. To the streets. To the restaurant where we had our first date.
And then, well, we just acted like us.
For more engagement photos, click HERE. Special thanks to Stuart, our photographer, who both Carlos and I highly recommend.
Wedding countdown: five months!
{ 54 comments… read them below or add one }
I love these.
they completely capture your spirit.
The last one is the sweetest!
You look so happy and beautiful!
I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE the next to last one you posted. The lampost with the oncoming headlights. They are all good..but that one is just eyecatching!
I am glad you did them! They are wonderful.
Beautiful photographs. Beautiful couple. Congratulations.
Adorable!!!
Just gorgeous!!! I love every single one of them!!
Your engagement photos are …AMAZING!!!! Gorgeous! What a wonderful exciting time in your life! Congratulations.
Hi Jen, great photos! I’m a wedding photographer, so may I offer a couple of suggestions on how you might use your engagement photos?
2 things I often suggest to my clients when pitching the idea of engagement photos are:
#1: Have a custom album made, featuring your engagement photos, with plenty of blank space on each page. Use this as your custom Guest Book for your wedding. Ask your guests to sign it, and maybe leave a little personal note or marriage advice. You’re probably planning on buying a “Guest Book” anyway, but this one would be much more personal and makes a great keepsake. Also, it’s a way for you to “show off” your engagement photos that people might not otherwise see (so you’re getting more of your money’s worth out of your engagement photos).
#2: Pick your favorite engagement photo and have it blown up as a 12×18 or so, and have it matted and framed. Take the glass out of the frame, so it’s just the photo and the matting. At your wedding reception, put it on a table near the entrance, with some fine-tipped Sharpie pens around it. Have your guests sign the matting around the photo, and after the wedding, put the glass back in the frame and hang it up in your home.
I’ve done both of these ideas for several clients, and they love them.
Thanks so much for the fun idea’s, Kevin! I think maybe I’ll order a photo album from online so people can look through it at the reception. I’ve done it before and they are so easy!
I like the the 1st idea even though I did the 2nd one for my wedding ;o)
Perfection!
I love the photos, I love how real and happy you both are. They are amazing! I also love the ideas that were given on what to do with the photos! Amazing!
Sounds like a total bargain!I may have been shoawmet facetious last night, but GAME’s a basket-case. You’d have to be mad to want to buy it in it’s current state.
Beautiful!
We never did engagement photos because we felt the same way – what do you do with them?
However, I like how you said, “I wanted to capture who we were, now, before we got married. I wanted to capture the love we feel for each other. I wanted to capture us.”
Now I wish we did! (Although I am thinner now.
These photos are great. I’m sure you are happy you did them!
Cheers~
I loved every single one of them ! So natural, so much happiness : I love it !
Jen,
those are lovely. as a photographer, i don’t think you’ll ever be sorry you had photos taken, but you might be sorry if you didn’t. i second what Kevin said, both of his ideas would be a great way to use these.
and i can’t pick a favorite.
Beautiful!!
I LOVE these pictures! They are absolutely beautiful and capture the love between you perfectly.
LOve them Jen!!! Can’t wait for the wedding!
The one with you and Carlos sitting side by side in a booth is touching…and REALLY cool! This makes me want to get pictures done (even though I’m not engaged anymore; married for 5 years)!
Best engagement photos EVER! Your love for each other is so very photogenic.
These photos are just awesome!!! Thanks for sharing!
Jen and Carlos, you guys are a cute couple and the love shines thru you when your together. Cant wait to see you walk down the isle and will be pround to be there to give you to this great guy!
Love you guys
Dad
Thank you so much, dad. It’s been a crazy couple of years but your support really means a lot to me. Love you too
Awesome pictures!!!
You and Carlos look amazing in your photos.
From what I’ve heard about engagement photos the real purpose now is to get the two of you comfortable having your photos taken together. That way they look amazing on your wedding day.
I love reading your posts here but think that if you and Carlos are free sometime the four of us should have dinner or something. Just have Carlos give me a call if you guys ever have free time.
Your’s is the only blog I’ve ever really kept reading.
Again, Beautiful photos!
You guys are beyond adorable!
Love these photos. You guys are a great couple – and these shots really capture your love for each other. You both look great btw, very stylish!
Thanks for sharing! I loved all of them. One that stood out to me was the one where you guys are hugging and you can’t see your faces. It’s artsy and it made me teary-eyed thinking you were probably missing your mom.
Great photos. Best engagement set I’ve ever seen!
Love ‘em! Makes me want to get married all over again.
They are beautiful. Just the style of engagement photos I love seeing.
I have to be honest, I tend to loath engagement photos. They tend to seem very fake and overly cheesy and dont capture who the people are, they could usually be any generic couple, but I LOVE yours! I love that they capture you as a couple! I love that they aren’t some cheesy, scenic, photoshop-y, gag me with a spoon fluff! I love love love them!
Also-I’ve been to several weddings where they did Kevin’s idea with the pic in a large matt for people to sign, it’s a really fun idea for a guest “book” and something you’ll be more likely to keep. You can hangout it in your awesome basement!
We didn’t do engagement photos, I just had no idea what we’d do with them and we were already on a tight budget so we skipped them. I love these though – and I love that they’re not the “hand holding in a forest”! My fave is the second to the bottom – love the shot.
Absolutely beautiful!!!
How pretty! I love it! You look so happy!!
Congrats!!!
I’m getting married this fall and I was thinking the exact same thing – not sure what to do with engagement pics. But, it’s part of our photog package, so thought we’d do it, too. I love how yours turned out and now I’m more excited about it than before. Yay!! Congrats- these are fantastic!
These are amazing! What a great looking couple. Congrats!
What nice pictures. I can see why Carlos is always smiling. He has you!! I love you in your white jacket leaning on him on the sidewalk. You two were def made for each other.
I wish you both much love and happiness. My wedding for Shelly and i are 3 months away.. Woo Hoo cant wait either..
Awww Jen you brought tears to my eyes. I’ve been following you for a few years now from “Down Under” and so happy for you two. Photos are gorgeous n romantic xox Love n blessings now and always!
Absolutely WONDERFUL pictures!
Stunning. Absolutely stunning.
Snow is very overrated. You definitely didn’t need snow to have beautiful photos. These are sublime.
you two are so cute together.
Fabulous photographs. You both look so happy.
Wow, Jen, these are FANTASTIC!!! Thank you so much for sharing them!
Very nice!
Hi, Jen! I just discovered this site and I love it! I also fell in love with your pics. My daughter is getting married June 2 – I’ll show them to her – they’ll be great inspiration for wedding poses!
Anyway, I am currently a fatgirl. Wanted desperately be thin for wedding and now have to accept my fatgirl status for the big day. Makes me feel like a real failure.
Anyway, I have a blog you may enjoy: http://www.walking-into-life@blotspot.com
I find you inspirational. Hoping I can become a prior fatgirl, too.
Bee-yoo-tee-full on several levels!!
again white woman with black man.poor white mens and black womens.black rase will swolow the whites.white race extinction.
Beautiful photos.
ALL you can see is love. Put a smile on my face, and hope in my heart that maybe it’s out there for me too.
Shine on <3