When couples book us as their wedding photographers we send them a little questionnaire. Its asks questions about how they met, fun things they enjoy doing together, and what they love about one another. We do this mostly to get to know the people in front of the lens, to watch for little things couples do together that is unique to them, anything from a look, to the way they hold hands or the way they laugh together. So far the questionnaires have been a great in helping us create more meaningful photographs for our couples. However, there is one thing we have noticed, something we hope to help change. We ask a question; “what is your ideal date night?” and honestly majority of the answers seem to reflect each couples current status, which is “we don’t have time for date nights, we are planning a wedding!”. Its so true! Ain’t nobody got time for that! Reading the answers from couples, it seems as though most of us are just happy sitting on the couch together in the same room in the months leading up to the wedding. We can all do a little better than that, so here’s a thought.
Why not treat the wedding planning process as a series of date nights? It is possible. From venue visits, to tastings and cake samplings, why not make the most of it. Dress up, hold hands, act like you want to be there, and turn the stressful experience of wedding planning into something new to experience as a couple.
Lindsay & Todd did just that. They are busy people, successful, career driven, and very, very much in love. At first they had no idea what they wanted to do for their engagement, and we attribute that to just not having a moment to really think about it. So after a bunch of emails and phone calls later we all decided on some unique locations, they chose an extended engagement session so they wouldn’t feel rushed. And then I asked them to dress up for half of the shoot. Really dress up. Lindsay was completely on board for wearing a gown and heels to a nature park, and Todd wore a suit. Then while they walked hand in hand through a forest looking as though they should be at a gala dinner, Lindsay said what I was hoping to hear “It feels like we are on a date!”. VICTORY!!!! That is exactly the point. We want to capture this amazing moment in your lives, and this time before you walk down the aisle is all about courtship, togetherness, and having fun.
So why not make your engagement session a date night? I challenge you all to enjoy your time together a little more, dress up and make plans, and really be present in these moments.
Luca, Ryan and I all attended this Cheltenham Badlands & Rockwood Ruins engagement session, while Luca worked way harder than we did, it felt awesome to be part of a team with this awesome couple. Luca will be Lindsay & Todd’s photographer on their wedding day, and we are so excited to see the memories he will capture for them. We hope you enjoy his beautiful work below.
Cheers
& Ryan
