Weddingbee Blog

Not only do I love looking at professional wedding photos, I also love engagement photos. Maybe even a teensy bit more.

Because while wedding photos are absolutely stunning and full of so many delicious details, in engagement photos, you get a glimpse of what people are like in real life—their everyday personalities, their everyday style and, of course, their everyday love for each other.

Especially if you get a really phenomenal photographer.

I stumbled across Australian photographer James Day via the ever-fabulous Polka Dot Bride not too long ago, and it didn’t take me long to fall in love with his photos.

Each time I’d visit my Google Reader and there was a new post from his Journal, I’d grab a cup of coffee and settle down for a cozy visit, because that’s what it felt like—a coffee break with a good friend. His photos were so real that I felt like I knew the people in them, and I felt like I knew James too.

Not only are his wedding shots absolutely amazing…

… but his engagement photos ROCK:

I seriously, seriously had a hard time picking out just a few photos. And these are just the ‘extras’ he posts on his blog! (There are more stunners on his website.)

One day a couple weeks ago I saw that there was a new post on his blog so I got my coffee and sat down to read it.

And I almost spewed my lukewarm java all over my keyboard.

Because James Day… THE James Day… was in Vancouver.

OMG, what are the chances? What if… wouldn’t it be…? Gawd wouldn’t I just die if we could have James Day shoot our engagement photos?

I hesitated for five minutes (Sea Breeze, you’re cray-zay, I know you feel like you know him but you don’t, leave the poor man alone to enjoy his visit to your lovely city!) … and then thought, ‘Ah, what the heck? What have I got to lose?’ and wrote him an email.

And he wrote back almost immediately: Call me ASAP.

My heart pounding, I did.

He was just as funny and lovely on the phone as I imagined he would be. But when he told me he was leaving Vancouver the next day, my face fell.

And then he said…

“…but what are you guys doing tomorrow morning?”

Oh happy, happy serendipitous day.

(Next post: Our e-photo shoot!)

How did you find your engagement shoot photographer? Do you have any fab photo blogs that you read on a regular basis? Do share!