Proof We're Engaged

I'm not sure when engagement photo sessions became a thing. I mean, none of our parents have engagement photos, right? But, I assure you, in 2015, they are definitely a thing. In fact, when Wheat and I started looking around for potential photographers, the engagement session was just part of the wedding package for many vendors, an added bonus you get for the cringe-worthy fortune you spend. I think I blame Pinterest for the most part, but I also blame Facebook because whenever I see a new engagement album on my feed, I'm drawn in like a moth to the flame. Even if it's someone I haven't seen since carving pumpkins in second-grade Girl Scouts, I must analyze each and every one of their photos with doe-eyed admiration and make mental notes of poses and outfits I like...as if I could dream of recreating them.

Needless to say, I was a bit nervous about my own photo shoot. Anyone that knows me at all knows that I'm a picture person, but I'm usually the one behind the camera. The second the date was set for our shoot, I started to panic. What do I wear? How do I lose twenty pounds in a week? What is he wearing? Will we clash? What if it rains? What if I'm burning up and my face is bright red? Should I get a pedicure? Will the photographer know good poses? Should I come with suggestions? Where will we change clothes? Basically, I melted down into the worst, most annoying version of myself.

...and after we got our finished pictures back on Sunday, I realized that all of the worrying was for nothing. The pictures are absolutely wonderful. Not because we look so gorgeous or I'm finally content with my weight (I'm not at all), but because we look so happy and so, so in love.

All of our wedding festivities are taking place in Cincinnati, so we wanted our engagement pictures to capture the city where we met, the city where we live, and the city where we fell in love. Fortunately, our photographers, who are based in Indianapolis, were willing to drive to Cincinnati for the wedding at no extra charge. So, we settled on the canal and White River State Park as the setting for our pictures and I'm so happy we did. This has become such a meaningful place to us and it served as the perfect setting for our pictures.

The shoot lasted about two and a half hours and consisted of two outfit changes, extremely red faces due to the heat and mugginess, lots of wind and hair fixing, several location changes, lots of stares as I walked around in a dress carrying a hockey stick, and cheeks that hurt from smiling so much. Did I feel awkward? Absolutely. But our photographer (Andy at Blissful Kiss Photography) is really awesome, encouraging, and told us exactly what to do...except the tie pull. That was all me. He also kept telling me to lift my chin, so I know he has my best interest at heart.

More than anything, the experience was an excuse to hold hands, kiss, and stare at my best friend for a few hours, which honestly didn't feel too out of the ordinary. I hope these pictures showcase how we feel about each other, even when one of us is throwing a temper tantrum about our favorite team losing. And even though there are no foot shots (partially due to my one-sided sunburn from the Indy 500), it was still the perfect excuse for a pedicure.