The Crafting Accountant: Our Engagement Photo Shoot

So I start this post by saying Tina at Tina Mortela Photography is one patient lady!

Tina is a good friend of mine. As soon as we got engaged, I knew she would take our pictures. She was just as excited to take the pictures, as I was to be engaged! She knew Hubby was proposing before I did! He even showed her the ring!

Anywho, my grand idea was to do a sunrise photo shoot at the top of Mount Monadnock. Yes, it's ok to think I'm crazy. Because all of NH Fish and Game thought I was also. Because the mountain is a state park, they need a ranger up there to open the mountain outside of business hours, and they wanted $150 and a 3 week turn around time to schedule someone.

Yeah right. On to the next idea...

I, once again, spent hours online looking for locations. I found the Robert Frost Farm in Derry, NH. Still, an hour drive, but Tina was willing to tag along. "Can it still be a sunrise photo shoot?" I ask. Tina is game, as long as she gets her energy drinks and breakfast. I think I can manage that.

So the idea of a sun rise photo shoot is to see the sun rise. Obviously. We wake ~~a few hours after going to sleep~~ the next morning.... annnd it's completely cloudy. There was no sunrise to be viewed that day. And those bags under my eyes were NOT easy to cover. Note to everyone: sunrise photo shoot may not be as brilliant as you think it is.

Not only was Tina willing to take the hour long ride with us, she also let us cart her to a local waterfall, with the hopes of taking pictures there. After spending 15 minutes trying to find it, we end up parking at the wrong end of the trail. Well, the waterfall was OUT. We aren't hiking with camera gear and inappropriate footwear!

Most importantly we wanted to take pictures with our Sassydog. So we went home, changed, and spent the time we had left in our back yard with Sassy. Tina was a CHAMP that morning!

Hubby had designed the ring himself, so I really wanted to capture just how beautiful it was.

While I was changing outfits, Tina asked for my ring and just walked around the farm finding the best places to take these pictures.

She has such an amazing eye for these things!

In the garden at the farm

On top of a post along the path.

Apparently, I'm a little aggressive when I hold hands. Hubby often loses circulation in his fingers. (I mean, I think it's totally normal, but whatever). Many years ago, we compromised with this. We wanted to capture something that was special and unique for us.

Holding hands.

There were big green barn doors on the property, and Tina suggested we take pictures in front of it. We always joke my middle name should be "grace" because I'm anything but. So here, Tina said "Brianna, be graceful". Which is why Hubby and I are clearly cracking up here.

Being "graceful"

A quick change of clothes later (in the middle of a field hoping it was still early enough for no one to see me in all my glory), we moved to a different wall on the barn. I really liked the ivy growing in the back. This picture is actually an outtake. I was trying to convince him to lean in and "pretend he loved me". Tina captured this moment in between. Totally, utterly, and completely us.

The sun never sets on a badass.

For this picture, we sat on a blanket we brought (thank god, 'cause that grass was very wet!), and "gazed longingly into each other's eyes" (there are about 3 pictures right before this of me making stupid faces at Hubby). We loved this one so much, this became our "save the date". The picture had room at the bottom for text, while still having different areas of visual interest. And we were pretty sure Nana wouldn't have a heart attack looking at this picture on her fridge for 9 months. If you want pictures for your save the dates, this may be something to communicate with your photographer.

Our Save the Date picture

Finally, we got home, changed, and had some fun. I've always been a fan of perspective shots, and Tina has the best way of getting our crazy Sassy to listen and stay. This one took some effort, but I'm so glad we have many like it.