Engagement Photoshoot: Part One

I cannot believe I am finally able to share these photos with all of you! It just occurred to me that it’s been over a year since we took these – how is that possible!? Andrew and I took our engagement photos with our wedding photographer, Charissa Magno and her husband Pat, last September. As a quick backstory, I met Charissa at a friend’s birthday party (shout out to Kay for bringing us together!) before Andrew and I were even engaged. We talked about the fact that she was a wedding photographer, I even showed her engagement rings I liked, and we instantly clicked. It literally felt like we had been friends for years – she’s the sweetest! Fast forward to a few months later when Andrew and I were officially engaged and in the thick of wedding planning. We knew we had to choose a wedding photographer and Charissa instantly came to mind. Not only did I love her as a person, her work was everything. So it was pretty much a no-brainer. We immediately booked Charissa and Pat for our wedding and engagement shoot.

Charissa and I chatted about all things photos before the big shoot and she suggested the sand dunes in Glamis, CA as a possible location. I immediately jumped at the opportunity, trusted her vision and the rest is history – we stopped at a few different spots along the way and had our dream engagement photoshoot. On the day of the shoot, all four of us went on a mini road trip to destinations for these photos. None of us knew each other very well – Andrew had never even met either of them – so you’d think it would be a long, awkward drive but it wasn’t at all. It was like we’d known each other forever; we were laughing and joking around the entire time. Since there are so many swoon-worthy photos, today I will just show you the first half, that were taken in/around Julian, CA, which is just about an hour outside of San Diego. If you want to take your photos here, the lake is called Lake Cuyamaca.

Even though I take photos fairly often for the blog, this was the first photoshoot Andrew and I had ever done together so we didn’t really know what to expect. Like most men, Andrew had no clue how to pose or what a photoshoot would even be like. Us girls get a liiiittle bit more practice with Instagram and MySpace (does that make me sound old?!) but it’s still much different being part of a professional photoshoot. Our photographer Charissa made it so easy for both of us. She literally gave us every single pose – nothing cheesy, thank goodness – and we didn’t have to think at all. We were so comfortable and natural the entire time and it definitely shows in the photos. When you’re looking for a photographer, find someone that you both click with and will feel comfortable with – it will make the experience much more enjoyable and the photos will be better, trust me.

When it came to the styling for this shoot, I wanted us to both look like an elevated version of ourselves. Obviously we aren’t typically in the wilderness in a full suit and Louboutin heels but this was our engagement photoshoot so obviously we had to glam it up. The vibe for our outfits was fresh but formal. I also wanted to be sure we coordinated without fully matching. Find colors that compliment each other – I loved the way the white popped against Andrew’s navy suit. He wore a basic white button down underneath the call back the crisp white of my dress – just that small detail is enough to make your looks coordinate without trying too hard.

Shop Our Looks:

My dress is sold out but I linked a bunch of other ones I love!

Make sure you check back in on Monday! I will be posting the other portion of our engagement photos. Trust me, they are EPIC!