Romantic country engagement session for two high-school sweethearts…
Choosing Their Venue & Wedding Photographer
Lily and Kevin’s wedding venue, the Omni at Bedford Springs is not only one of my very favorite wedding venues, but also one of my favorite places to be– one where my husband and I have celebrated our anniversary, I have celebrated my birthday with my family and even taken several trips there with my friends (the spa is amazing!). Guys *I cannot wait* for your wedding there!
Lily explained, “I found Lisa while searching for wedding photographers who had previously worked at the Omni in Bedford Springs. I absolutely fell in love with her photos! Kevin and I *do not* like getting our pictures taken. We were looking for a photographer who would make us feel comfortable. Lisa has so much great experience and such a wonderful personality. She knows what looks good and was able to help us and give us ideas, all we had to do was trust her which was easy, as we had full confidence in her and her abilities.”
Aw, thank you! You two definitely look comfortable here…
Playful and sweet with a little bit of edge…
I found myself gravitating towards two distinct feels during the session– one was very soft and romantic and sweet, the next was a little rock-and-roll, sexy, playful with a little bit of edge…
There was this old jeep with a worn bullet hole in the windshield. I took a pretty, romantic ring shot on hydrangeas, but there is something about this one that shoots right to the heart of things. I love playing like this with images!
Highschool Sweethearts
Lily said “Kevin and I met freshman year of high school in English class. Immediately, there was a connection between the two of us. I just always wanted to spend time with him. He made me so happy.”
Falling in love…
Kevin added, “We started out as good friends, just hanging out together and spending time together. We started building our relationship from there, and it got stronger in time. Before I knew it, we had been together for almost a year and I realized that I was falling in love with her.”
This is that jeep again, guys– so cool, right? I love playing with reflections!
Laughing & enjoying the little things…
Lily continued, “What I love most about Kevin is that he is always there for me whenever I need him. He has been by my side so long and will be forever, now. He makes me laugh and always makes sure I never take life too seriously.”
I wanted to really show off the warm, vibrant colors of the summer foliage and softened it all up using a shallow depth of field.
The Farmhouse
Kevin explained, “Lily grew up spending summers in her parents’ cabin, building memories with her family. Her family has always gotten their family pictures there in the past, Lily even had her high school graduation pictures taken there, as well. Her dad is thinking about selling the cabin and Lily thought it would be great to have these pictures taken there to keep as memories.”
I loved all of the touches of Americana throughout, and the sweetness of swinging barefoot on the front porch:
Getting comfortable, when pictures aren’t their “thing”
Lily added, “Kevin and I just wanted it to be very relaxed and natural. As we mentioned before, we both aren’t fond of getting our pictures taken so we wanted it to be very easy and simple. You really helped us so much with that. You have a great, calming personality and know what you are doing. You helped us to relax and be ourselves.”
This bed of clover was the perfect place for them to cool off and relax in the summer breeze…
9 Years & Going Strong
Lily added, “Kevin and I have been together for almost 9 years now. Not a day has gone by that I haven’t spoken to him or been with him and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
There is something about the time-wrong jeep that fits here for me…
Best Friends
Lily shared, “Underneath it all, Kevin is my best friend. I think that we work so well together because of just that – we truly are best friends.”
I have a cool idea for this one… how cool would it be as a canvas, then you could put photos beneath it of them sitting on benches together through the years…
A little Privacy…
I love to play with little windows and give people privacy to do their own thang during an engagement session. Here the two hung out in the shade and I gave them their space, shooting through a little window. I love the organic feel of the building and the shot.
Their Engagement Story
Kevin shared, “We were having drinks at happy hour at Lily’s favorite beach bar in the Bahamas. Lily’s family has been vacationing there since she was young. It has always been Lily’s most favorite place in the world. We went to the Bahamas with Lily’s family, she had no idea that my family was there as well.”
He laughed, “I had to get her down to the beach to propose somehow, so I said I was feeling sick (haha) and asked her to walk down to the water to put our feet in and cool off. Without hesitation, Lily got up and asked if I was okay and walked down to the water with me. I had to stall while my entire family walked up the long path to the bar that overlooked the beach. I looked up at the bar and saw my parents standing there, so I turned and grabbed Lily’s hand and got down on one knee.”
He smiled, “Lily kept saying ‘Are you kidding me?’ She was so surprised. I wasn’t able to say much other than tell her how much I love her and ask her to marry me. She said yes, got down on her knees to hug me, and both of our family came down to the beach to celebrate!”
Lily and Kevin, thank you so much for choosing to have me photograph your wedding and engagement! It has been such a pleasure getting to know you two and to capture your story in words and photographs. This is just a sample of a few of my favorite shots, there are about 50 more coming your way over the next few days! Please feel free to share this blog post with your loved ones! I can’t wait to be there for your Omni wedding in Bedford Springs!