Andrew + Emily // Minnehaha Falls Engagement

I’ve always loved engagement sessions. In fact, they might be one of my favorite parts of what we do. To put it simply, here are the main reasons I love them so much:

• We get to know the personalities of our couples better
  Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem showing up on your wedding day and completely just rocking it while making you feel like every shot is the hottest you can imagine; but I also love showing up already having the inside jokes from our engagement session and getting to hug you like we’ve known each other for years

• The camera gets a lot less scary
  One of the top things I hear from our couples is how they don’t like their picture being taken or that they are nervous. An engagement session is one of the best ways to overcome that! You’ll get to know us, our vibe, and that the camera is one of the most fun things to be around! I’m all about that candid, documentary style. It’s not about posing, because that’s what people hate the most. It’s about being in the moment and experiencing the moment together.

• Our couples have pictures that will be their profile pictures again when they feel like their profile picture shouldn’t be their wedding picture five years later.
  You might think this sounds crazy, but it’s true. Coming from a gal who has had the same Facebook profile picture for over two years, it’s great to have pictures that are timeless! Fun fact: my current FB profile pictures is the first picture Rick and I actually took together that wasn’t just with an iPhone and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to change it.

• It’s fun!
  Don’t believe me? Challenge accepted. Let’s do one together.

  - Jenny

Oh, want to hear it directly from a couple? Emily and Andrew were nice enough to share about their engagement session and their tips for couples while being right in the midst of wedding planning!

Emily + Andrew // Minnehaha Falls Engagement

How did you meet each other?

We started dating during our freshman/sophomore year of high school, fell in love and became each other's best friend. Our love story has been a fairy tale ever since. Not only did we grow up together, but we also grew our relationship and friendship along the way.

Everyone wants to know, how did Andrew propose?

After 7 years of dating, Andrew got down on one knee and asked me to marry him on a beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It was the beach proposal that every girl dreams about. His family was there to take pictures and celebrate us during that moment. Andrew and I have vacationed in Fort Lauderdale for the past couple of years and it has become our special spot. Ever since we first stepped on that beach together two years prior, Andrew knew that he was going to propose to me at this exact location.

What is one of your favorite memories from your engagement session?

One memory that Andrew and I will never forget is that the morning of our beautiful, fall engagement session, it started to snow. Amidst the cold temperatures, our love kept us warm. Throughout the engagement session, we were able to get caught up in the little moments, cuddle in tighter and let our love shine through. Rick and Jenny took our love story and not only celebrated it, but also made it come to life in the pictures that they took. These are pictures that we will cherish forever.    

How did you pick out your outfits?

We wanted our outfits to be timeless while not only representing us but also our personalities. Being the gentleman that Andrew is, he let me pick out my outfit and then chose one to match it. It was important to us that we had an outfit that was more formal, but then also an outfit that was cozy and fall-like. At the end of the day, I wanted our outfits to make us feel beautiful/handsome and coordinate well for a fall photo session.  

Let’s be honest, how is wedding planning going?

When wedding planning, it is so easy to get caught up in planning the perfect wedding and forget the true reason as to what this all is for - a celebration of our love and marriage! Andrew does a phenomenal job in balancing me out and putting the wedding planning process into perspective. This process has definitely made us grow closer together as a couple and has helped us to define what we value. Although there is always something to be working on in terms of designing the perfect wedding, Andrew grounds me and we have worked as a team to get to where we are today in the wedding planning process. 

How would you describe the overall vibe/style of your wedding?

The overall vibe/style of our wedding is industrial, chic, and rustic.

Any tips on dress shopping / saying yes to THE dress?

Shopping for my wedding dress is one of the fondest memories that I have of the whole wedding process.  Saying yes to THE dress that you will wear walking down the isle can be intimidating, but I firmly believe that it is important to wear a wedding dress that you feel beautiful in. Here are some of the lessons I learned in shopping for my wedding dress: 

• Do not judge a dress by how it looks on the hanger. Some of the most beautiful dresses do not look good on a hanger. 

• Do not get fixated on an idea of what you want your dress to look like before trying them on. The style of dress that I thought would look best on me and my body type did not look good at all. Trust the stylist that you are working with and their expertise of what will look the best on your body type. 

• Be vocal! If you know that you want something to be a part of your wedding dress (i.e. lace or shimmer) then say that these items are important to you. If you do not like the dress that you tried on, its okay! You are not hurting anyone’s feelings by saying that. 

• Shop for a wedding dress with people that love you and make you the center of attention on this day. Dress shopping should be about you, the bride! 

What is something you didn’t initially think of doing/having a part of your wedding, but are now excited you did?

One idea that was not initially part of our wedding plan was to have a harvest table go down the center of our venue for us (the bride and groom) and our wedding party to sit at during the dinner. We want our guests to feel as through they are a part of every moment with us and being at a harvest table will allow us to be close to all of our guests, family members, and celebrate our special day with them. As our wedding date quickly approaches, I am sure that there will be many more things that we did not initially think of doing/having that become a part of our special day. 

What is something you are most looking forward to for your wedding?

I am most looking forward to celebrating the love that we have for one another and for soaking up all of the little (and big) moments that we will have throughout the day. Some key moments include: 

• Getting ready with our wedding party

• Our first look

• Walking down the aisle and seeing my handsome groom’s expression

• Our first kiss as husband and wife

• Andrew wearing a wedding ring

• Celebrating with the people we love the most

• Eating our delicious wedding cake

• Getting to spend the rest of our lives with one another

Any tips or advice for couples planning 1) their engagement session or 2) their wedding?

Don’t compare yourself to what you see on social media. Everyone has their own definition/vision of perfect and this whole process is about the celebration of love. Find vendors that make your love story come to life and that celebrate this moment with you, because getting married is a once in a lifetime opportunity.  

Needless to say, Rick and I loved capturing their love during their engagement session. She is one the kindest humans we have met and we know their wedding is going to be perfect for them.