Bridal Photography and the Best Venue for such...

I just adore a Bridal Photography Session. There is nothing more special to me than a girl dressing up in the most beautiful wedding dress she could behold and getting her hair and makeup done to have some of the most special photographs taken in her life! We ain't talking about Glamour Shots, ladies and gentlemen!! This is way cooler than that! Plus the moms that come along for the event and the best friends or the aunts, it just makes everything so much more special to have our loved ones with us on these special moments.

The whole thing is just wonderful to me! I love finding the perfect spot for each bride as well... asking them their desires and hopes for the bridal session is always a part of it all. Plus when the summer creeps into Louisiana there's nothing nice about our heat so we always have to keep that in mind. Indoor/outdoor locations and venues are ideal. And when I talked to Hollyn, we both agreed that Nottoway Plantation was the venue for her session!

The thing with bridal sessions is you want your client to feel like a princess. They should. It's like the right of every bride- to be the beautiful princess of every aspect of their wedding. So I really try to allow the bride to choose whatever it is she would like to accomplish with her session. Hollyn was a great bride! Her expectations were all perfect and in line with what my thoughts were. She even had some beautiful ideas of her own in the White Ballroom at Nottoway. Such as this photograph. 

And she let me execute so many of my little photography desires and let me just create... 

Quite frankly, you can't take a bad image at Nottoway. There are so many aspects of this venue that are breathtaking and ideal for weddings, engagements and bridal sessions. I just swoon over all the classic and priceless details... 

Once the sun started setting, we headed outdoors to capture some of those "Golden Hour" shots that photographers talk about. 

I will tell you this: my absolute favorite shot is a backlit shot. I absolutely ADORE a backlit shot. I actually aim to get at least a couple during any session whether that's family or wedding related. To me, I am admirer of light. I love the whole idea of it, symbolism and effects so it's only natural that I am so drawn to these shots. 

If you know anything about Nottoway Plantation then you know they have the most majestic of oak trees there... This is one of the Southern charms that is a must to include in any session... I kind of couldn't stop photographing either so we headed over to the trees and made some gorgeous images. 

I just adored this session!!! 

We ended up at the cabins you can rent for the weekends and allowed Hollyn to catch the sun setting. It was glorious!! 

There is nothing not magical about this venue and the effects it produces! It was so hard to leave that little slice of heaven on Earth. All the staff were so friendly and accommodating and the setting is breathtaking. I can't wait to go back this month for some Engagement photos! 

And she is happily living happily ever after. 

Mandeville, Louisiana Engagement Session

Congratulations to Carly + Sam! 

I don't even want to remember precisely when this session was because it was too many weeks ago!! Natty has been down for the count with my first trimester so this is later than I would prefer but it was too terribly perfect for me not to share! 

The couple was referred from another friend whose wedding I shot last fall. That couple also was a joy to photograph and their friends were no disappointment. 

I always say that the backdrops do not even matter as long as the couple has their mojo. And there is nothing truer that I have found.

Carly and Sam have mojo for all the world! 

When we talked about photos it was mainly in reference to the clothing choices but man did they bring so much more than their fashion to the shoot! Carly is like a magnet! You just wanted to hang out with her and it made it terribly easy to capture their relationship and personalities. A complete joy to work with!  

The two were a perfect match. Both engineer brains and fancy great looks! They complimented one another without even trying- Carly keeping Sam laughing and Sam keeping Carly reminded that she was on a photoshoot :) 

It was perfect. We went to Mandeville, where they both have family and roots, and were able to complete our whole session at Fountainbleu State Park by the waterfront and towards the back by the oaks. The morning was as freezing as January gets for Louisiana and it was so perfectly overcast it allowed for a terribly dreamy morning for photographing. 

Do you see that face?! I want to bottle that goodness up!! I felt more as if I was at a party with the two instead of photographing them. 

They let me do my artsy shots as well! I am a sucker for a lovely silhouette. 

 I had the thought when we were heading to the oak tree area that we should not do the typical shots for couples. Carly said no piggyback rides and I immediately smiled knowing they would look perfect for a shoulder ride and she grinned ear to ear in complete satisfaction! 

Sam was such a trooper and we got some gorgeous things. Who doesn't love Louisiana oak tree groves and shoulder rides on their fiancé. Precisely! 

I was as smitten with their images as I believe they were! 

Picture magic happens with couple mojo!

Baton Rouge Highland Road Engagement Photography Session

Congrats to Meagan + Joshua!

I can't wait to document this darling couple's wedding day in April! Being a wedding photographer is SO MUCH FUN!!! Working with all sorts of dynamic couples, helping them to document their love beautifully, and getting to know the details that make their worlds up! 

Getting Meg and Joshua's images for their Engagement Session was nothing short of amazing!!! Let me tell you, Joshua doesn't have a serious bone in his body and it made for a very fun and lively photo session! We went to Highland Rd park area to shoot their shots because she mentioned liking outdoors and pretty areas! Haha... I just ran with it all and we spent lots of time at LSUs Hilltop Arboretum. 

The fall colors were on point and the weather was close to cold- as close to cold as Louisiana gets- so it made for an awesome time for all of us! 

Joshua has that awesome bulldog look that I think my hubs inherited as well!!! It goes awesome with his bearded manly face! 

Engagements are probably a favorite thing for me to shoot. It's so fun to get to know the couple's that have trusted me with their greatest day and I love hearing the stories of how they met, fell in love and the proposal. 

For these two, it was all history after first meeting. Love at the first sight kind of deal. 

And the big question was hard to keep quiet!!! Meagan was hook, line and sinker the moment they began dating! And Joshua made sure he blessed his girl's socks off! 

So here's to LOVE and finding the one that makes all of our days that much better!! 

Baton Rouge Downtown Engagement Session

Congrats to Meg and Brian!!! 

Love is definitely in the air with these two: chemistry if I have ever seen it!! Love a couple that makes love seem so easy, pure and all natural! This darling couple asked me for an Engagement Session for their marriage that is coming up in January 2017! 

I asked her what she was looking for and she gave me loads to run with! Like a girl that knows what she wants! Classic was her number one. So I made arrangements to start at the Old Governor's Mansion downtown Baton Rouge.

We shot several frames with them in the open ballroom. There were tourists coming through at every point of the session so it was a tad difficult to warm them up with an audience but we managed! 

Next I brought them in front of the Shaw Center to really just let the couple be themselves. We had fun joking, dancing and twirling. They made it super easy to capture their easy-going selves as we just let them be themselves!

I am quite convinced that this duo could be on the cover of a magazine! Look at that hotness?! They made my job wayyyy too easy! Bless them! We got several images of them in their classic look and then we had a little wardrobe change for them to get cozy and warmed up in front of my camera! 

As you can see, it's very easy for these two to be captured. It might have been the drinks mom brought or it might be their crazylove for one another, either way, it was a blast and I think we captured the heart of who they were 100%! 

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It's proposal season!! If you know anyone that just got engaged be sure to send them my info!! 

Happy mid-January!!