Weddingbee Blog

Oh Tyra—thank you for teaching us all how to Smize!

Video via YouTube.com

When we finally took our engagement pictures in late May, I was all ready to get my Smize on!

I booked an appointment to get my hair and makeup done. This gave me a good opportunity to test out a wedding day makeup look. I’m lucky enough that my hair stylist (and now makeup stylist!) is Mr. Ballcap’s cousin. I typically go to her home for my beautification days but visited her at the salon this time instead.

I was enjoying my time in the chair when my phone rang and it was our awesome photographer Stephen Martin. He asked about the weather and I told him the storms were supposed to hold off until the evening and that I was getting my hair done and was excited for the shoot. He had concerns about the wind, but that we’d go ahead and move forward. This made me a little nervous and I wondered if we should just push it to another day, but he assured me it would be great.

Stephen met us at my parents’ house and then we all followed my dad next door to the farm. Stephen went right to work setting up the scene and had my dad move grandpa’s truck to the perfect spot. He kept us in the shade and really calmed us down and made us feel so comfortable.

After the first set of pictures, the clouds rolled in and we felt a couple of drops of rain. But we were blessed and the rain held out for us. We were able to get in 3 outfit changes, and even Wrigley got in on the action!

Wrigley practicing her smize in our den! (Personal photo.)

Stephen was also kind enough to take several pictures of my mom and dad. They are so cute! After 36 years of marriage, it is easy to see they are still so in love.

It was an amazing time. I was surprised at how emotional I felt during the shoot and a couple of times had to fight back the tears. Mr. Ballcap and I were both a little worried how we’d look in the photos but the sneak peaks we got to see on the camera wiped away any fears we had. They looked amazing!

I can’t wait to share the final pictures with you. It was difficult to pick just one for our save the dates.

Oh yeah—and although I planned on channeling my inner Tyra, that all went out the door once we got started. I was so full of joy that my cheesey grin took over—thank goodness. Otherwise I would have looked like a hot mess trying to “Smile with my Eyes!”

Video via YouTube.com

What was the best tip you received for successful engagement photos?