What•I•Wore: Engagement Pictures Edition

Happy Saturday!!! Today I'm just going to dive right in and let you know all the things I learned through the process of planning for and shooting engagement pictures. Like most things in life... it wasn't quite as I had pictured. I had several outfit choices picked out, thought we would have all this time to get ready before, and that we would be in no rush: false. Our visit to see my grandparents and make wedding plans was a complete blur. We spent most of our time running around like crazy people and that didn't exclude our Sunday afternoon engagement pictures. 

Sunday started with church, then going to brunch at our wedding venue and meeting with the planner, then running straight home to grab our clothes and head out the door to the hour drive to where we were having photos done. I had three outfits in the car and the dress on that I wore to church that morning. Contrary to what I thought the weather would be like, we were dealing with 90 degree temps in early October: CRAZY! Needless to say, the cute sweater, scarf, and boots I had brought with me didn't get put to use.

Once I got over the fact that I wouldn't be having traditional fall engagement pictures, things fell into place. I kept my church dress on and changed into my metallic heels to jazz it up. As you can see the pictures with this look are the ones we liked most. I was a little disappointed that a lot of our pictures ended up looking similar, but the fact that I do like these so much totally makes up for it.

Then we moved into our next look, I had a lightweight tweed jacket from Jcrew with me and my favorite Gap jeans.  I knew I wanted some photos by the water, so I opted for something more casual as we changed scenery. While I was sweating bullets, I knew that I needed to use something that would translate the photos to a different season. I didn't get too hot during that last hour, but I definitely would schedule photos a little later in the year if we could do it all over again.

What I learned through this process: schedule your photos for a time with more definite weather (fall, spring, summer, winter... not the in between months), don't get too attached to your outfit choices, have your pinterest ideas with you (don't think that winging it will get you all the photos you want), don't be up tight (it will show in pictures), opt for a neutral palette for color choices (add a pop of color here and there to match your taste, but don't go crazy!), have a conversation with your photographer leading up to the appointment to discuss your wants and needs, and lastly wear what you are comfortable in!

Overall, I am pleased with our photos. We didn't get all the looks we wanted, we didn't have perfect weather, and my hair didn't always want to cooperate. We did have fun with them though and get to know our photographer better, and that's all that matters.

Now the big decision: what to use for Save the Dates???? Any ideas? Feel free to comment below with your favorite photo to help us in making a decision.

One more tidbit of info: WEDDING PLANNING IS NOT ALL BLISS, but when you keep that in mind and keep your head in the right place.... it becomes a lot easier to manage!

Have a great weekend & thanks for reading!!!

First Look:

Dress: Jcrew Factory

Belt: Target

Heels: Jcrew, similar

Watch: Michael Kors

Bracelet: Target

Second Look:

Jacket: Jcrew Factory, similar

Top: Jcrew, similar

Jeans: Gap

Flats: Jcrew Factory

PS- these images are property of Kelly Phillips Photography. Visit here for more photos and if you are in the Eastern Shore area in search of an amazing photographer!

Hunting for Foxes

Vest: TJMaxx, love this one || Sweater: Old Navy || Boots: Hunter via Nordstrom || 

Pants: Jcrew || Bracelet: Target: (only available in store at this time) || 

Watch: Michael Kors || Necklace: Jcrew || Lippie: Candy Yum Yum

I have been craving these boots FOREVER!!!! I don't know why I kept pushing them aside on my list of wants... but on our trip last week we stopped at Tyson's Corner and the one thing I was not leaving without was a pair of Hunters! I went in kind of leaning toward the hunter green color or poppy red, but when I started trying on I realized that with this being my first pair I wanted to go simple. I can tell you now that I am in LOVE! I actually do want another pair already (probably going to hold off until spring), but I am so happy I went with basic black! I do recommend going with the sponge (it's like 5 dollars, why not?) if you like a shiny look. With the boots being molded rubber, they grab everything, so you really have to keep them clean.

I've been a little negligent with blogging this past week. Life really caught up with me since we were gone for several days and I decided I needed a little break. I am; however, always very consistent with OOTD shares on instagram so feel free to follow along for daily updates. 

We had an amazing time on our trip last week! I will be doing a couple posts on what we were up to while away and also a post dedicated to "What to Wear" for engagement photos. I learned a lot through that process that I wish I had known, so I'm looking forward to passing that along. 

I hope you have a fabulous day and if you are off tomorrow as well to celebrate Mr. Columbus, Cheers!

thanks for reading!

Peplum

Top: Target|| Denim:Gap || Booties: Steven by Steve Madden ||

Bag: Tory Burch, similar || Sunnies: Forever 21, Similar ||

Watch: Michael Kors || Pearls: Jcrew || Bracelet: Tory Burch, similar

 

 

I've always been a sucker for peplum since the trend started so when I found this top last week at Target, I fell in love! It is almost identical to one I saw at Jcrew over the summer and came in at half the price.  Stripes in classic colors are always hard to say no to and I just think this top is so classic. Peplum can be difficult to pull off and to me it seems like the waist is always either too long or short and hits in all the wrong places. The peplum hem on this top is understated enough that it creates just enough shape to be a statement piece, but doesn't look overdone.

 

On the flipside, I haven't always been an ankle bootie fan. I feel like they typically create a shorter line and make your legs look stumpy. When I saw these at TjMaxx, the leather was so beautiful I thought I should just try them on for kicks (who doesn't like shoe shopping just for the heck of it?). I was almost floored when I found myself actually liking them! The dip in the front creates a longer line so the leg doesn't seem to stop right at the ankle. I don't think I'll be buying many more, but I am glad to find a flattering way to wear this trend.  

 

In life news: What a week!!! Luke and I are currently in Delaware visiting my grandparents and doing some wedding planning! It's been pretty jam-packed, but we have had a blast so far. We spent Sunday after church touring our venue and having our engagement pictures done. My grandparents are from the Eastern Shore of Maryland and recently moved within the last couple years to Delaware. Since I have so much history in their hometown, I decided I wanted our engagement photos to be taken there. We spent several hours moving from spot-to-spot and I think we captured some really great photos. Seeing Luke learn how to pose in pictures was definitely entertaining. I think that is something that a lot of guys struggle with and watching him warm up to the camera was really nice to see.

I hope you had an amazing weekend! We will be traveling back to Tennessee on Tuesday and would appreciate prayers for safe travels. (It's a 10 hour drive) I will also be doing a few posts on our travels and OOTD's so keep your eyes peeled!

 

Thanks for  reading!