Hi everyone! Welcome back to my blog 🙂 I'm so excited that you all are loving this wedding series as much as I am. It's been such a fun journey to share and we are only just getting started!
This blog post is part two to the first one (here) where I talked about what I wore. For this read, I would love to share how Preston and I came to the decision on the location we did as well as some tips to help you figure out what location is best for you and your significant other. Let's get into it!
For those of you that don't know, Preston and I are located in the Dallas/Fort Worth area so when it came to planning for our engagement photos I had to think pretty hard about where we wanted to go. I knew I wanted something out in nature and well.. in a big city that can be pretty hard to find. I'm originally from Oklahoma and remembered the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. I knew it would be the perfect spot!
Preston and I chose that particular location because I feel as though it describes us best as a couple. He absolutely loves nature and doing activities outside. Nature to me is absolutely beautiful! I love to just stand there and take it all in. It's so freeing in a way.
When I started to plan everything out I of course wanted to discuss with Madison Katlin (our photographer) the logistics. Funny story, I completely mapped the wrong place. I originally told Preston it would only be about an hour drive, three outfits and we would start at sunset. Well.. the day of the shoot I realized it was a total of 3 hours away. Then shooting three looks, starting at sunset and the drive back. Safe to say we didn't get home until 11pm. I'm so thankful Preston is so patient because that probably would have annoyed anyone else. He just went with it and it was such a fun evening!
For us, it was a pretty easy decision on where we wanted to go BUT if you need help picking a location, here are some things to ask yourself and/or think about.
- How would you describe you and your partner? Are you nature lovers, city goers, adventurers, homebodies, etc. Ideas could be the mountains, the beach, a rooftop looking out to the city, a chic/cool bar, your home, studio style, rent a cool/classy car. There are a ton more ideas but there's just a few!
- What are your favorite activities to do with each other?
- Take into account where you live
- Did you both meet in college? Are you highschool sweethearts? Maybe take in to account how/where you met. Photos there could be really cute and bring back all those amazing first memories!
- If you plan to travel, where is a favorite spot or place that you both love? A place you have traveled that has a bunch of memories?
- Didn't get a photographer for your actual engagement? Travel to where the proposal took place!
- If you're traveling to just a random beautiful spot then yes girl! Do you! You've probably already got this photoshoot thing figured out 😉
- Still a little lost? Start making a mood board! Save all your favorite engagement session inspiration photos on pinterest and by looking at your folder it may become more clear on the direction you're headed.
YAY! You've just chosen your desired location 🙂 Head on over to my 'What I Wore' blog post to now decide what you're going to wear. Quick tips for choosing your outfits
- Definitely do something white! Duh!
- Choose something flowy if you're going to be outside (ex. mountains, a beach or a rooftop). Movement is everything!
- Go tight and sleek for a city chic vibe
- Outfits to think about - dressy, casual and an in between
- When in doubt, choose neutrals
- Say no to distracting patterns. You want these photos to be about you 🙂
- Want some sort of color? Choose earthy tones!
- Choose clothing you and your significant other either already have or you absolutely know you'll love/wear it. You don't want to look uncomfortable in your photos. Trust. It will show!
Lastly, have fun with it! These photos are supposed to describe you both to the core. To show your love through a photo. Don't be afraid to show a little PDA, joke around with each other and etc. Those none posed moments are most likely going to be your favorites 🙂
photos by Madison Katlin Photography
Thanks so much for reading! Stay tuned for all the wedding content to come!
