Engagement

Shelley & Ethan - Destination Beach Engagement Session

This might be my favorite engagement session I’ve ever posted, because this is my brother and my soon-to-be sister! If you had asked me 8 years ago if I’d be photographing my brother’s engagement session, I would not have believed you. He never used to let me take his picture! We have so many family photos with a grumpy Ethan and even some where he’s holding something up in front of his face!

Ethan brought Shelley home to meet us last Christmas, when they’d only been dating a few months. But they both already knew their relationship was something special. And as soon as we met her, we could see it too. We couldn’t have chosen someone more wonderful to be part of our family. We love you, Shelley, and we can’t wait for the wedding!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is my brother in a tree! We had some fun with this shoot!

Shelley & Ethan were only in town for 24 hours, so I was a little worried when it looked like rain when we left for our session, but we ended up with great weather. The sun even broke through the clouds! A little sunshine on the beach makes such a big difference!

Shelley’s ring is so beautiful! Ethan had it custom made with 3 miner’s cut diamonds that have been in our family for years. They were originally set together in a crescent shaped brooch which was passed down to our mom. She had the diamonds reset into other jewelry and later offered them to Ryan and Ethan for engagement rings since she hadn’t worn them in a while. So Shelley and I both have pieces of the same family heirloom!

Just a few more weeks to go until the big day in South Carolina! I can’t wait!

Megan & Andy - Ocean View Anniversary Session

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Megan & Andy are so much fun to be around. We were laughing the whole session! They never had professional engagement photos taken, so what better way to celebrate their 3rd anniversary this fall than with an anniversary session?

How sweet is their dog, Willow? She’s still just a puppy but she’s already so well trained!

We had such a beautiful evening for this Ocean View anniversary session! It was one of the first fall nights this year and perfect for the casual outfits Megan had picked out!

Brittany & Richard - Romantic Live Oak Engagement Session in Norfolk

A hot summer day. Tables loaded with hotdogs, hamburgers, and slices of watermelon. Flags waving in the breeze. The night sky filled with fireworks and sparklers. Fourth of July is always a memorable part of the summer, but it’s a special day for Brittany & Richard because it’s the day they first met.

They had an instant connection. And like puzzle pieces that have finally found their match, they realized why it never worked with anyone else before.

If you can’t have your engagement session in Charleston or Savannah, these live oak trees in Norfolk, VA are the next best thing! And how cute is little Miss Daisy, Brittany & Richard’s cocker spaniel! She is the cutest Dog of Honor!

How beautiful is Brittany’s ring? Richard had it custom made with her mama’s diamond!

We had the most beautiful cotton candy sunset to finish out this romantic engagement session! I cannot wait until their beautiful waterfront wedding next summer!

Ashley & Brendon - Pleasure House Point Engagement Session

The first time she said it was probably in 2016. “I want you to photography my wedding some day.” This is probably one of the highest compliments someone can give us after seeing our work or at the end of a wedding day. I met Ashley when she was working on the wedding & events team at Norfolk Botanical Garden, so Ashley has seen a lot of weddings and a lot of photographers.

So I kinda figured when Ashley & Brendon got engaged, that she would ask someone else. Especially since at that point we hadn’t done a wedding in over a year. But then I got a text from her, asking if we would consider coming out of ‘retirement’ to do their wedding. I told her I would talk to Ryan, but… just between you and me… there wasn’t really anything to consider. We were all in!

Their engagement session was so much fun! We had the most beautiful weather, Ashley & Brendon looked super stylish, and I took WAY too many pictures. (I’m a little out of practice, what can I say?) Here are some of my favorites!

Ringing in the New Year: Our Favorite 2018 Ring Shots

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Happy New Year! Post-Christmas winter sometimes gives me the blues, but then I remind myself that it’s engagement season! And on top of that, it’s booking season for us at CGP! We get inquiries all year round, but most of our bookings come each year between January and March, because as soon as our couples put a ring on it, they jump right into the planning! No long engagements for CGP couples!

Since just about everybody seems to get engaged this time of year, it’s only fitting that we RING in the new year with our favorite ring shots from 2018!

Are you newly engaged and planning your wedding? We are booking 2019 weddings now, so drop us an email to say hello and see if we're available for your wedding day!

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:
2018 Best of Weddings
2018 Best of Engagements
Behind the Scenes 2018

Our Favorite 2018 Engagements

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Whether we do the engagement session early enough for Save the Dates to be sent out or wait until just a month or two before the wedding day, I LOVE spending a beautiful evening with each of our couples. I hear their love story, see them interact, and walk them through posing. And when their wedding day comes, I’m so excited to see them get married and being in front of my camera feels natural and not intimidating at all!

Three of this year’s engagement sessions took place at our FAVORITE venue, The Norfolk Botanical Garden! And I also found some awesome new spots in Colonial Williamsburg with Cindy and Scott!

But my favorite thing about this year’s engagement sessions is how different they look from last year’s sessions! My style has grown a lot and I purchased a new lens that would help me achieve the look that I’ve been wanting for years! I love it!

Enjoy our Best of 2018: Engagements & Portraits!

If you're wondering where all these ladies’ gorgeous rings are, just wait! We’ll be ‘ringing’ in the new year with all those pretty diamonds soon!

Are you newly engaged and planning your wedding? We are booking 2019 weddings now, so drop us an email to say hello and see if we're available for your wedding day!

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:
2018 Best of Weddings
2018 Best of Engagements
Behind the Scenes 2018