Blog : Engagement

Have I told you how much I love styled sessions… Well here is an engagement session set in the snow!

The couples love story from Kiarna.
“We met at a local pub in town. Josh was talking to a mutual friend of ours. I thought he was really cute, and had never seen him around before. So I went up to our mutual friend just to get introduced to Josh. We hit it off really well and talked all night. We left without exchanging numbers though. I went home that night and told my Mum that I had found my future husband. I told her ‘I’m going to marry that Jake Smith’ (I thought his name was Jake). We didn’t see each other again for about 6 months until we ran into each other at the pub again. A week later we were “going out” – Josh came to see me in my lunch break at work one day. He was really nervous, ran out of things to say and accidentally asked me out (he informed me of this 3 years later). 7 years on and we’re now engaged.

He proposed on the front verandah of our house. It was just the two of us there, enjoying a quiet drink together. It was very simple, but very sweet, and very Josh. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. He surprised me with one of my mother’s rings that he had taken and had re-made. I love it so much as my mother had sadly passed away 5 years ago and so it is extremely meaningful to me.

Josh grew up in the country in the Snowy Mountains, and has lived in the same small town all of his life. I grew up on the Gold Coast and miss the city life – but am happy to trade the coastal lifestyle to be with Josh. We’re very different, but balance each other out perfectly. We can’t imagine life without each other in it.” Kiarna said so beautifully.

And guess what!!!
I am sooooo super excited for them, they have won “Marry in the Morning” with Sunrise, $100,000 wedding thanks to Hayman Island and Qantas. If your up early keep your eye on Sunrise, I think it is going to be around October 19th… But not totally sure!!

Huge congratulations Kiarna + Josh xx

Dress: Addiction Clothing Albury
Hair: Chelby Wellington
Makeup: Jeanlouise Essential Beauty
Table setting: Rosie Pose Event Hire
Cake: Sweet love cake couture
Flowers: Fallon Hamilton + 4am Sydney market visit in high vis

Have I told you all before that styled engagement shoots are my favourites!! Well they totally are!! I love the extra work that goes into them which mean more details and more pretty things!!

If you’re a bride to be and find yourself a little anxious about how your groom is going to react to this whole “picture” thing, you’re not alone. We receive so many emails from brides to be who are worried that their groom won’t be into it and I have great news for you…. you both are way more photogenic than you think!

We are constantly surprising couples by discovering their hidden modeling skills and our most common response from our JNGrooms is “That wasn’t as bad at all! It was actually fun.” Boom! Mission accomplished! When the groom says that taking pictures was FUN, we have done our job well! Your engagement session is supposed to be fun and relaxed and not forced or awkward. As you prepare for your shoot, there are a few things that you can do to help your groom know what to expect.

First of all, I highly recommend sitting down with your guy and showing him 2-3 of your favorite engagement sessions that I have photographed. Spend some time together scrolling through a few blog posts, this will allow him to gauge what his expectations should be. I also recommend that you allow for plenty of time to get to your shoot! There is nothing worse than when a couple shows up late and they have been arguing in the car! That is definitely going to put your groom in a bad mood! Last but not least, remember to have patience with him and don’t assume that he’s not going to have a good time…

I think both of you’ll be surprised how much you will enjoy your session and walk away saying, what was I stressing about, we actually had so much fun?!

Huge thank you to vendors:
Dress: Addiction Albury 
Hair: Chelby Wellington
Makeup: Jeanlousie Essential Beauty
Flowers: 4am visit to the Sydney flower markets and the skills of Fallon xx

An engagement session comes standard in most wedding photography packages these days, well with me anyway, and for good reason. It not only gives you chance to get to know your photographer in their professional role, but also offers the opportunity to try out your wedding make up/hair/tan, photography locations (or somewhere entirely different), but most importantly, get comfortable in front of the camera.

An engagement shoot is all about the fun – there is no pressure to get certain shots, be anywhere at a certain time, or trying to round up other people in the family. It is just you, your lover, the photographer and the blissful feeling of love and anticipation for the future. That’s why engagement photos are so natural and joyful.

I’ve put together my top 4 tips for engagement shoots – and I can’t wait to join you for your engagement photos.

1 – Test out your wedding day tan; if you’re the fake tan kinda girl, an eshoot is the best time to test out how it is going to look for the camera. You can’t edit out fake tan! (Well you can but it is going to cost you a tonne)  I have a good rant about that here.  Having your hair and make up trial on the same day is not only a great test for your photos, but a nice way to spend the day. And while you’re looking so smashing, go out for tea afterwards.

2 – Don’t ‘match’ your outfits, but complement them. If he’s wearing a patterned shirt, pick a colour from it and use that in your accessories. Wear complimenting colours, but don’t think that you both have to wear jeans and white top, and not funk it up with your own style. Your bright pink heels with his pink and blue checked shirt? Adorable.

3 – There are things to avoid though; go for cream over white, avoid big prints in the centre of a t-shirt, also avoid thin stripes, and only wear what you feel comfortable in!

4 – Use your photos as unique save the date cards or even thank you cards for people who have sent you gifts and congratulations on your engagement. I’ve had a lot of fun working with brides for the save the date card designs, using their engagement photos.

When you choose to have an engagement shoot, you really are just celebrating this fantastic time in your lives, and taking the opportunity to capture it in beautiful photographs. You’re making a good choice!

Kaitlin and Sam had their engagement shoot in the lead up to their wedding day and it was so much fun that we were wiping the tears from our eyes after laughing so much. We went to Pioneer Park and then to the beach, and had a stack of fun taking photos to celebrate their engagement.

“We met at school, dated when we were 13 years old, but as life gets busy we broke up. Four years later I was in Adelaide at boarding school and Sam was at trade school, we decided to catch up as it had been a long time. Our first date was at the Hogs Breath where Sam had called me up and asked if I would like to go with him and his mum!”

Without Sam’s mum as the third wheel, their next date on Valentines Day was the beginning of their forever story. “He took me to the movies, bought me lots of new things and dinner. Two days later he asked me if I would be his girlfriend.”

It didn’t take long for the high school sweethearts to realise this was it for them. “I knew he was the one, as I have never been so crazy about anyone. He is the only one I want to go to when things are bad.”

“I decided she was the one when I realised we had the same mentality.”

Her curious nature nearly got the better of Kaitlin when it came to the proposal. As she tends to do around her birthday and Christmas time, she started snooping about what her present might be. She knew Sam had been talking to her best friend about something, but her friend told her to leave it alone. Persistent Kaitlin then got her friend stuck into the booze, and tried to get it out of her. “She told me he was getting me a new bike for my birthday and just wanted to know what sort to get me. So I knew what my present was going to be and I left it alone.”

But she didn’t know! Sam got up at Kaitlin’s 21st birthday and said a beautiful speech. “Even that part was a surprise, because he doesn’t’ like talking in front of lots of people!”. He spoke about their relationship and the next thing Kaitlin knew, he was down on one knee in front of her.

“I was planning on proposing to Kaitlin for 2 months and decided to surprise her at her birthday, in front of all of her friends and family.”

Of course she said yes, which is why I got the chance to take their engagement photos as part of their wedding photography package. “The think I love most about Sam is how easy going he is, he can make friends anywhere with anyone. I love his amazing (sometimes annoying) personality and the way he can make me go from being upset to happy in 3 seconds.”

“I can be comfortable in front of Kaitlin, and she makes me laugh.”

There were lots of laughs at their engagement photo shoot, which was perfect for their natural photos that they can enjoy in the lead up to their wedding later this year.  “I’m looking forward to seeing all of our friends and family enjoying the day as much as we are – and wearing my pretty dress!” We can’t wait either.