Engagement Pictures

When we booked our photographer we decided to swap the engagement shoot that came with our package for an extra hour on the wedding day.  We really only wanted engagement pictures to use for our save the dates, and I didn't think that was more important than an extra hour on the big day.

I am fortunate that one of my bridesmaids, Lemon, is a budding photographer.  (Side note - she has an amazing etiquette/lifestyle blog, Oh My Goodness Gracious.)  I knew she was getting to know her way around the camera and I figured she would want an opportunity to get some practice in.  I was a little nervous to ask her for such a huge favor but she could not have been more gracious about accepting the challenge.  It turns out that she asked a friend to do her engagement pictures!  I hope I get the chance to pay this forward since I am trying to become a bit of a photographer myself.

Tallahassee has a lot of beautiful locations but I only considered one - Maclay Gardens. 

I sent Lemon a few inspiration photos but basically told her she could direct us as she chose.  One of my inspirations needed a view from high up, so she brought a ladder to help us get that shot!  How great is she?  We had two outfits - one casual and one formal.

First up are the casual photos:

Funny story about that last one:  Mr. B didn't understand what I was trying to say when I explained the vision I had for it so I told him to just stand there.  I ran up behind him and jumped on his back.  There is an amazing picture of me mid-jump that I will refrain from posting here.  What, you want to see?  OK...

I should have used this on the Save the Date to see the reactions.

How beautiful is this space?  I have lived in Tallahassee for over two years and have spent almost half the year here for the previous five - why was this my first time here?!

We then changed into more formal outfits.  By this time, it was hot.  January in Tallahassee is still January in Florida.  My hair wasn't cooperating as much as it had been and we were starting to overheat.  I hope none of that is evident to anyone else, though!

Spoiler alert - none of these are the pictures we used on the save the date!  You'll have to sit tight for the final product (and the major headache that could have been avoided).  

Looking at these pictures reminds me of how much fun the three of us had that day.  I am so grateful that Lemon was willing to give us her time and talents.  Was it worth it to choose the extra hour on our wedding day instead of having a professional photographer for our engagement pictures?  I think so!  Did anyone else have a friend take their pictures?

(All photos personal, courtesy of Bridesmaid Lemon)