When Dawn & Matthew first started planning their engagement photos, we first chatted about the vibe they were dreaming of for their photos. They wanted the historic architecture and elegant vibe… cue: their Capitol building engagement session!
Photographing these two was ridiculously fun.
We laughed the whole session. They were so relaxed and trusted the vision for the session. As a destination wedding photographer, nothing means more to me than when couples place their trust in me to create beautiful images for them.
I have been a photographer for many years, and after photographing hundreds of couples I can confidently lead you through outfit selection, poses and various lighting situations.
This truly is my dream job! And you better believe Dawn & Matthew were my dream couple! From all the collaboration in prep, to following the prompts and relaxing into the session itself… we just had the best time!! And I’m forever obsessed with how these photos turned out!
When dreaming up their capitol building engagement session, we focused on two things first: the location & the outfits.
Couples who book with me know that we’re going to be a collaborative team and fully design a session that represents you. Whether we’re frolicking in Zion National Park, or running through the floods at the Salt Flats, or wandering a historic courthouse like these two: every session I photograph I am designing with you in mind.
Your photos should reflect your story & how you feel.
Your location is an anchor point for your session. So if you’re thinking about whether you should do a capitol building engagement session, here was our starting point:
- we wanted the old historic feel in the background
- the neutral backdrop with the white marble was visually wonderful for lighting
- we knew we’d have opportunities to use the grand staircase and balcony for photos
- we picked a place that looked good outside at golden hour, so we could have variety in the gallery
The second consideration with planning Dawn & Michael’s session was their outfits! They wanted to do two different looks, which I always encourage as a photographer.
Not only is a little mid-session outfit change always fun and re-invigorating creatively: it also provides variety in your gallery.
So if you’re using the photos for save the dates but also want to use images on your wedding website… you’ve got options!
For their first look we styled them with an elevated look for indoors at the courthouse. We picked fabrics and textures that gave a more polished feel. Dawn’s silk slip dress and Matthew’s suit (sans tie) was the perfect combo. And I loved her little nude heels!
After this look, they picked a more casual fit to wear during golden hour outside.
So once we’d gotten a few photos on the balcony in their original outfits we ducked back inside to change. When we got back outdoors, the sun was starting to set, and we got the dreamiest golden hour photos.
Their last outfit was perfect inspo for what to wear to your engagement session. They picked denim for their base, but Dawn wore a waffle knit top (BEAUTIFUL texture for images!) and Matthew wore a bold stripe, which added visual interest.
If you’re trying to figure out what to wear for your capitol building engagement photos: take this as your sign to save their outfits to your Pinterest board!
When considering your engagement photos, think about location and outfits. Think about the vibe you’re wanting to create.
Should you do a capitol building engagement session? Maybe! I absolutely love the vision that Dawn & Matthew shared. I loved how it came together!
But whatever vibe you’re looking for to tell the story of your fiancé era… I will help you pull together the details to create a session that is authentic to you.
If you’re interested in chatting more details, reach out to me here!
