Weddingbee Blog

Back in October, I was talking to Sister Guinea Pig on the phone and as we were about to hang up, I remembered I had something to ask her - I quickly/shyly asked if she’d be willing to take some engagement photos of Mr. Guinea Pig and me while we were all at my parents’ house. She kind of giggled and said “Sure, that would be fun.” I excitedly thanked her, did a little heel click and went on with my day.

A week later, Sister GP called me on my way in to work/school and when I answered she said, “Happy one month until your birthday!” I thought that was kind of weird, since even I hadn’t been keeping track that closely. Then she went on to say “So… mom and the person who’s going to give you your birthday gift. I think I should tell you about it now so you have time to prepare.” I’ll admit, this had me a little worried - what could I possibly need to prepare for?! But then she said, “Remember the photographer we both liked who shot my friend’s wedding this summer? I got you an engagement session with him while you’re out in California!” Eeee!!! I literally squealed with joy (like a {guinea} pig!). There may have been dancing, jumping up and down… and even some wild clapping. At the time, I was standing in a courtyard that three buildings look out over and I definitely saw at least two people staring at me wondering what on earth I was doing. I am so (so SO) excited! Even that is an understatement. I felt like I was floating on a cloud all day - I can’t wait! And she had already started arranging it when I asked her to take photos of us, which is why she thought it was so funny I had asked!

Sherman Chu is a wedding photographer who lives in the East Bay of CA (near my parents), and we arranged a session while I was out there for Thanksgiving! He took these great photos of my sister’s friend Aubrey’s wedding:

(all photos by Sherman Chu Photography)

After hearing that wonderful news, my task was to figure out where we wanted to take our engagement photos! My parents live among some foothills, which could make for some pretty awesome nature shots, or they’re only a short drive from Berkeley, Oakland, or even San Francisco! I love the iconic areas of SF (Golden Gate Bridge, Telegraph Hill, and Alcatraz to name just a few), but those don’t really hold any meaning for Mr. Guinea Pig and me since we’ve never been to San Francisco together! So, I figured we were better off finding something beautiful in nature, architecture, or color rather than cultural landmarks. I have so many engagement photos saved for inspiration, I’ll have to share them all in another post! And did I mention this would be the perfect excuse to get a cute new dress (ordered from the comfort of my couch)? Yesss!

What kind of setting did you take your engagement photos in? Did you use a different photographer for engagement photos than your wedding photog?