More Fall Photos!

(Warning: photo-heavy post ahead!)

Brendan and I chose to have our engagement shoot in the fall, just about one year before the wedding. Although we thought about maybe wanting to have some pictures in a different season, we both really love the fall, and we wanted some shots outside in our normal clothes.

Like many brides-to-be, I am taking every possible chance to wear white (or something like white) – I usually wear a lot of bright colors and black, so it’s something new for me! For our engagement shoot, we went with two outfits, one casual and one a bit dressier. We matched the outfits to fit our two locations, and we got the ok from our photographer before choosing our outfits – she gave us guidance and a few tips (like lighter shirts photograph better than dark – who knew?). I also took the opportunity to have my hair and makeup done – unfortunately, it was too early in the game for my hair and makeup trials, so I just headed over to the nearest Ulta to get all pretty.

We started our shoot at a local orchard, Meadowbrook Farm, where we set up a little picnic. I fell in love with picnic-themed shoots a while ago, and now was our chance to bring ours to life. We also had a chance to use some of the things we will have at our wedding – you’ll see them later, I promise!

(All photos copyright Samantha Melanson Photography)

Tip - if you want to use a photo with a "thank you" banner for your thank you cards, take the shots at your engagement shoot - so much easier than trying to remember during the wedding!

The first few shots were a little bit awkward – how often do you hold hands and kiss in front of the camera? But this is exactly what an engagement shoot is for – we warmed up to Samantha, and she got a feel for what works for us. As we moved on to our picnic setup, we had a blast!

After this part of the shoot, we realized just how late we were running – we wanted to make it to our other spot, the Old Stone Church, in time for sunset. We raced to change our clothes and drive over to the reservoir.

Obligatory artsy-fartsy shot!

We chose to take pictures at the Stone Church because of the beautiful fall landscape around the area, and the colors did not disappoint. We are thrilled with all of our pictures from there!

As we passed sunset, we snuck in a few more pictures near the church, taking advantage of the beautiful architecture.

And finally, the last shots of the night incorporated another set of props – glow sticks in jars. They were supposed to look like fireflies, and I’m not sure if they did – but they sure did look cool!

Overall, we are thrilled with our engagement pictures. We weren’t 100% sold on having them, but now that we see them, we are so glad we do.

Did you have fun at your engagement shoot? Did you pick the same season as your wedding, or go for a different season?