Taylor & Chris: Pittsburgh Engagement Photos

This blog post feels like a blast from the past in the absolute best way possible! I’ve known Taylor for quite a few years - we went to the same school for a period of time (before her family moved to Texas!) and my sister was a friend of hers, but her and I were about six years apart in age!

Taylor and Chris BOTH went to the same school as I did, actually - and that’s where they met, all the way back in high school! They’ve been together for quite a few years, and much of their dating relationship has been long distance. But starting next year after their wedding day, they’ll be together full time here in Pittsburgh! Even though they’re tying the knot in Texas, they wanted their engagement photos done in the city where they met, as a way to incorporate the ‘Burgh into their wedding day! Which, I thought, was an absolutely brilliant idea!

We had the most fun EVER walking around the Mexican War Streets, hanging out at Allegheny Commons Park, and catching the soft evening light on the North Shore, near the Roberto Clemente Bridge. These two are full of love, TONS of laugher, and I am just so stinkin’ excited for them to be husband and wife!

Taylor & Chris, congratulations on your engagement, and thank you SO much for the honor of taking these photos for you!

Chelsea & Zach: Point State Park Engagement Photos

I can barely contain my excitement to share this downtown Pittsburgh engagement session!! Towards the beginning of Chelsea & Zach’s session, it started to rain - out of no where! But thankfully, it left just as quick as it came, and we were rewarded with the most beautiful evening for their photos!

Chelsea & Zach met in a Finance class in Mervis Hall on Pitt's campus during their 2015 Fall semester! They got this winter in front of the red doors at the Cathedral of Learning - the perfect, most personal spot. Their first date was a Penguin’s game, and they currently live on Mount Washington - you could say that they’re a true Pittsburgh couple, through and through!

We started off their engagement session at Point State Park, then headed over to the North Shore area to get some photos with the skyline and bridges. They brought some champagne (such a great prop!) and were brave enough to dip in the middle of the Roberto Clemente bridge! (Don’t worry - we had someone watching for cars!!!).

Chelsea & Zach, I am SO excited to be a part of your wedding day! Congratulations on your engagement, again!

Nicole & Ed: Historic Harmony Engagement Session

Nicole and Ed are engaged and are celebrating their many years of dating (high school sweethearts!) with a wedding next year! 💕

Their first date back in high school was to Cheeseman's Fright Farm (classic!) when they were set up by their friends to be each other's date to that year's homecoming. And as they say... the rest is history!

Not only are Nicole and Ed incredibly kind and genuine - but it's also SO easy to tell that they have an incredible love, admiration, and respect for each other, just from our short time together.

Harmony was the perfect spot for their engagement photos, considering they met in high school at Seneca Valley, right down the road! We were even able to use the Harmony Inn's gorgeous patio for a couple of shots.

Congratulations to you two! 💕 I couldn't be more excited for your wedding day!

Lauren & Nick: Point State Park Engagement Photos

Oh March - you never quite know what you’ll get in Pittsburgh this month! But very, VERY lucky for Lauren and Nick - we had a beautiful, sunny, and unseasonably warm day for their downtown Pittsburgh engagement session right at the beginning of March!

Photographing Lauren and Nick felt like getting to hang out with two old friends from the minute we met! The two met here, in Pittsburgh, when Lauren was living on the North Shore - so it was only fitting that we headed back to their old stomping grounds for their session, including Point State Park and the North Shore!

Lauren and Nick, I am so thankful to have the opportunity to come alongside you both during this newest season of your lives! 🎉 And I cannot WAIT for your wedding day!!!!

Amanda & Chris: McConnell's Mill Winter Engagement Photos

You’ve gotta love Pittsburgh, where temperatures can go from 4 degrees to 40 degrees in less than 12 hours! We rescheduled Amanda and Chris’s engagement session twice due to the freezing temps, which ended up being a great choice with the “real feel” and wind temps dipping below zero both times ❄️And in turn, we were rewarded with an almost 40 DEGREE winter afternoon for their winter afternoon session at McConnell’s Mill! And let me tell you - these two totally rocked it!!

ABOUT AMANDA & CHRIS

Amanda and Chris met over the phone, when Chris was working as a tech support rep. Chris quickly became Amanda’s go-to teach support guy, and as they say - the rest is history! But that first call was a pretty significant one, because when I asked these two when they knew each other was ‘the one,’ Chris said: “The first support phone call I had with her. I never wanted to stop talking to her.” Cue the happy tears!

I have a lot of questions I love to ask couples, but one of my favorites is: “What do you admire most about your significant other?” And because Chris and Amanda’s answers to this question are just so sweet (and so telling of how much they love each other!), I just have to share!

Chris: “Her ability to always make me smile or laugh. She managed to do it on our very first phone call, every call after that, and even every day since."

Amanda: “His determination to teach himself anything he puts his mind to. It’s quite wonderful to watch him figure something out that he’s never done before and then successful (with some trial and error) accomplish what he set out to do. It makes me want to learn from him everyday.”

THE SESSION

One of my very favorite things about Amanda and Chris’s entire session is how much they laughed together! They literally laughed through the entire session - which, I know, sounds so simple. But it made my job so easy! It’s always so fun to see two people who are truly and genuinely best friends loving their time together!

We started off their session at the main park section of McConnell’s Mill, and did a little bit of perilous hiking throughout the snow-covered trails, then headed over to one of my favorite sections of McConnell’s Mill - Cleland Rock! It’s about a 12 minute drive from the main Mill section - but SO worth the drive, especially when it’s covered in snow 😍

Without further ado - I am so excited to share some of my favorite images from Amanda and Chris’s engagement session! 💛

Best of Engagement Photos 2018

One of the best parts about engagement sessions is getting to know my wedding couples beforehand, and this year I’ve had the pleasure of photographing so many amazing couples in so many picturesque places! The very first engagement session of the year was in JANUARY, with the sweetest couple who had the most perfect January day! (It was like, 50 degrees and sunny - it doesn’t get much better than that in January in Pittsburgh!). The very last engagement session was with a couple who braved the rain and cold for some unique shots in some of my new favorite locations! All and all, this year was a blessing from start to finish.

To all of the couples who trusted me with their engagement photos: You are the BEST! I am so thankful to be the one you’ve trusted with these precious memories!

Chrissy & Chris: Cozy Pittsburgh In Home Couples Session

I had the pleasure of photographing Chrissy and Chris’s wedding day nearly three years ago (to see their wedding, click here!), and I was so excited when they recently invited me to their new home for a couples session! I had a great time hanging out with these two first time home buyers, along with their adopted dog, Edda! Chrissy and Chris - thank you for the pleasure of taking these photos for you and for showing me around your new home! 💛

Rebecca + Yeddie: Oakland Engagement Photos

Novembers in Pittsburgh can be hit or miss. I remember last year, November was almost summer-like just until the end - and then we went straight from “summer” to winter, seemingly almost overnight! This year we’ve seen some crazy cold temps and LOTS of rainy weather. But Rebecca and Yeddie were completely unfazed! When I mentioned moving their session to a different day/time with the looming forecast of all day rain before us, they decided they wanted to go for it anyways - which I so admire! So I pulled out the bubble umbrellas and my rain jacket and met up with them on a cold (and wet!) November afternoon!

Their session took place in Oakland in some of my favorite locations! We started off at the Mellon Institute, so they could get the hang of being in front of the camera without having to worry about posing/moving with an umbrella, or with the surrounding rain! Then, we hopped over to the Frick Fine Arts Building, utilizing the Schenley fountain (with umbrellas in tow!), and the interior of the building - which has so much beautiful, natural light! It also just so happens that Yeddie spent a large majority of his college career taking classes inside that very building, providing the perfect personal touch!

About 20 minutes before their session ended, the rain stopped, giving us the perfect window of time to finish out their session outside of the Cathedral of Learning!

Rebecca and Yeddie, you two are such a joy to work with, and I can’t wait for your wedding in 2020! 💛 Thank you for an awesome afternoon!

Erica + Rio: Hartwood Acres Engagement Photos

The day of Erica and Rio’s session was BRIGHT and SUNNY. This might sound like a strange thing to say if you’re not from Pittsburgh, but if you’re a Pittsburgher heading into December, you know that we don’t get very many non-gray days once winter hits! In fact, I read a statistic that said we have about 306 cloudy days a year, which means about 84% of our year is cloudy (via this source). To give some perspective - Seattle only beats us by two days. TWO days!

So when the sun came out towards the end of November for Erica and Rio’s session, I was FLOORED! These two came all the way up from Virginia, so I was so thankful they had a beautiful day for their engagement session!

Erica and Rio are goofy and in love, and are both teachers in Virginia! They met at freshman orientation at Clarion University and started dating in December of 2013, and Rio popped the question this past April on the golf course Erica grew up playing on.

It was such an honor to photograph this incredibly fun couple, and I cannot wait for their wedding in 2020! 🎉

Cait + Brian: North Side & North Shore Engagement Photos

Cait and Brian met in high school and started dating in the summer of 2011, and are tying the knot at the White Barn next year! These two were such troopers with the rain and cold during their session - I couldn't have asked for two kinder people to photograph! Congratulations on your engagement, Cait and Brian! 💛