Brenna & Josh // Engagement Shoot

Engagements. It is really an exciting moment when two people consciously decide to move forward in life together side by side. There is a lot of hope, curiosity, adventure and a sense of security that comes from becoming engaged. It truly is an unforgettable moment of your life when the words "Will you marry me" or some version of that is expressed by your love one.

There aren't any rules on how long you should be engaged for, whether it is a few months, a year or multiple years. What is important during this time is deciding how to create a space to celebrate your milestone in a form that is most authentic to who you two are. I know from experience and working in the wedding industry that it can be really easy to get caught up in looking up inspiration photos online and want to incorporate ALL THE DETAILS of everything you see and love. It can be super overwhelming and distracting from the main objective, which at the end of the day, is celebrating your commitment to each other with those who love you.

Surprisingly, that is why I think engagement photos are a great step towards helping you decide how to plan your wedding. In a way, engagement photo sessions allow you to explore and share who you are as a couple without too much of a commitment to a particular style or theme. With the options to have different looks, you could explore 2-3 different styles and see what resonates with you the most.

In May of this year, Brenna and Josh shot their engagement photos with my dear friend and colleague, Emily Magers, out in the sand dunes in Glamis, CA. What I really admire about this shoot was that they found a location that had a landscape that gave their shoot textures and tones that complemented their overall vision. Whether it is in the mountains, on the beach, at your favorite hotel and even at home, finding a location that will highlight your personalities and interest is important to consider. I personally love backdrops that are in natural spaces, such as the desert or mountains. Not only do you have a backdrop that gives your shoot personality influenced by nature, you also get some more flexibility to explore because there aren't too may people around.

For Brenna and Josh's engagement shoot, they went for a desert, bohemian influence where they purchased items that would be great for their shoot, but also to re-purpose and use in their home. I love when items used either at an engagement shoot or even at your wedding can be used again in your daily lives. It is definitely something to consider if you are interested in investing your money in upgrading your home after the wedding versus renting furniture.

\\ Flower Crowns //

I have done numerous crowns for engagement shoots and for many of my gals, it is usually their first time wearing one. What is great about trying on a flower crown for your engagement shoot, especially if it is your first time, is that you can really get a good feel on how it wears on your head to see if you would like to wear one on your wedding day. Also, if you do want to wear a flower crown, but know it may not be something you want to have for your wedding, having it for the engagement shoot is a perfect time to incorporate it into your wedding process.

For Brenna, knowing that they were going to have some rich burgundy, yellow and pink tones, the crown created for her had a lot of foliage with pops of color throughout the crown. Especially in the desert that has a monotone color of sand tan, colors that work really well with that landscape tend to be greens and rich tones of color, such as yellow, reds and oranges.

For the garland, we kept it mostly with foliage with some pops of pink. They were really subtle, so all you can see is the greenery from afar, but what is nice about the garland is that sometimes you don't need it to be decked out in flowers in order to make your photos stand out even more. That is the thing about flowers and foliage...it is finding a nice balance of simplicity and complexity. Sometimes the complex part of the whole thing is knowing when to be simple...how ironic right :)

The flower arrangement was designed with similar tones and texture, but a little more wild to create an earthy, unpolished look. I love asymmetrical designs. Something about things not being perfect really resonates with me and so I see that come out in my designs for flower crowns, flower arrangements and garlands.

What I love about Brenna and Josh's engagement photos is that even though they had some styled pieces to their shoot, their affection and playfulness with each other radiates over all the styled details...and I love that. The flowers, the decor and at times, even the landscape are just complementary accents to their love for one another. When you have the rooted energy of love and appreciation for one another, the rest of the details will come together on their own to highlight you as a couple.