When we met Peyton & Andrew at Starbucks for the first time to talk wedding plans, it kind of felt surreal for us. When we left we felt like they were too good to be true. They were adorable beyond normal, they radiated love for each other and here it was August, 2018 and the plans for the wedding were nearly done!! DONE!!?? Their wedding isn’t until May 2019!! I mean, who were these people! We were so nervous for a few days until it was confirmed that they wanted US to be their photographers!! Yes, we did a happy dance!
A couple of long weeks later we scheduled the engagement session. We sent Peyton the style guide, as we do for all of our brides-to-be (hoping that they read it thoroughly) and she did what we hope all of our girls do…. she went shopping and texted us pictures of outfits asking for our advice!!! We LOVE when our girls do this! 1. It means she really read it and 2. She really wanted our opinion on what to wear!! And what she picked was spot on! She even sent pix of Andrews coordinating choices. We then started to count down the days!
On an absolutely beautiful September summer Saturday afternoon, we met Peyton and Andrew so that we could follow them to “the farm”. We knew that the the farm we would be shooting at was owned by a family friend and that it would be the same location for the wedding. What we didn’t know is that it is owned by Mr. Lyman Lovejoy of Lovejoy Realty! This “farm” is actually a gorgeous spread of rolling hills, giant oaks, rows of crepe myrtles, ponds everywhere, fields of lush green grass with just the right height for dreamy pictures….all in all, a photographers dreamland! Mr. Lovejoy was there to greet us and we had the honor of chatting it up with him and let us just say that this man was the kindest, most down to earth, southern gentleman there ever was! And so funny!! His two little pups, Rascal & Red took a liking to us and decided to hang with us for the entire afternoon, which was perfectly fine with us!
After we mapped out our plan of where to shoot, we got the ball rolling. As with many of our couples, Peyton and (especially) Andrew were a little nervous. We gave the run down on what to expect and how easy it all is, hoping to ease their nerves. Then the magic began to happen! They were naturals! With their sense of humor, their beautiful faces and contagious laugh, the session was off to a great start! Andrew may have taken a few extra minutes to warm up to all the posing ideas, lol, especially when we told him we needed him to take off his boots and socks, hahaha. But he didn’t put up an argument! He trusted that we knew what we were doing and did as we asked. And as you can see in the images below, we hit pay dirt! They also mentioned that they hoped there wouldn’t be many/any serious expressions needed because they weren’t sure they could pull that off. Well, when you have a couple that can’t stop laughing and smiling, why in the world would we want serious???? We love happy faces! Although, we did get a few “serious” shots and they were on fire!
As the afternoon progressed, they became even more comfortable and we believe that we could have spent so much more time with them had the sun not set when it did! The love between these two is so clear! They have a spirit that surrounds them and makes them glow!
Engagement sessions are so very important! We were able to spend 2 straight hours with Peyton & Andrew. Just the 4 of us (and rascal & Red). We talked, we laughed, we learned so much about them and they in turn, learned about us. We learned how they interact with each other and they learned what to expect from us. We obviously talked about the wedding day, but we also talked about hunting, fishing (Andrew is an avid fisherman), and a little football and golf. Peyton quoted Mean Girls (immediate connection there!) and a little about the happenings at the school where she teaches, Odenville Elementary. Our point here is that we have formed a relationship with Peyton and Andrew. So when May 4, 2019 rolls around, we will meet as old friends and the photography end of it will be easy breezy! Our connection is now sealed and therefore their wedding day pix will reflect their ease with us and their joy in their new beginning.
As we were saying our good byes, Andrew uttered the phrase that always ends our sessions with the feeling of complete and total satisfaction, “that wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be”. THAT is the most rewarding compliment from a groom-to-be!
Thank you so, so much Peyton & Andrew, for choosing us to illustrate your love story! We love you guys!
Katie & Cindy
