Hi sweet friends!! Today is a very exciting day for me because Morgan and I are having our portraits taken for the first time professionally since our wedding! I know, I’m a photographer and so I should have been better about it than I am, but that’s okay! Today our sweet friend Anna is meeting us and I couldn’t be more excited!  This whole thing got me thinking a bit though because for the first time in a while, it’s my turn to get in front of the lens!

I had to prepare the same way that each of my couples do before their engagement session or anniversary session, and honestly, I forgot how fun but stressful it can be at times!  I mean, I had to plan out our outfits, figure out a location that was meaningful to us, and of course figure out a time that worked best for Anna and us!  So hear are a few tips and tricks that I came up with as I was prepping for this process:

1. Never forget to be  yourselves.  For me, it was so easy when I was planning out our outfits and our place to pick things that looked cute, but might not have truly represented us.  Sure a cute white tulle midi skirt would look super cute in photos, but I never wear tulle skirts and don’t plan on starting that trend right this second!  The same goes for Morgan.  As handsome as he would look in a nice tux in front of the steps of the Capital building in Washington, that’s so not us!  I think its easy to get caught up in the pretty and forget to be yourselves! So instead, just pick a pretty version of something that you would normally wear, haha!

2. Pick a place that’s important to you.  Morgan and I love to go hiking together, even if we don’t get to it as often as we would like to, and the place we’re getting our portraits taken at is beautiful and is also a trail that we like to walk together!  It makes it so much better than just a random place!  Your portraits should represent you, and if the location you choose has nothing to do with you or your story, that’s not a proper representation!

3. Have fun! I think its easy to feel nervous before you get in front of the camera! I do it for a living and I would be lying if the thought of being on the other side of the camera didn’t intimidate me a little! However, I know that tomorrow I get to have fun with my husband and that that’s the most important part of it all!

Finally, as a little throwback (even though it’s a Wednesday… we’ll just say I’m early for once) here is one of my favorite images from the last pictures we had taken of us before our wedding… our engagement session! Oh gosh, we look like such babies!!  Happy Wednesday, friends!