Abby and John’s first date stretched on for hours—coffee, conversation, even wandering At Home. From the very beginning, cozy connection was the heartbeat of their story, so I knew their engagement session had to reflect that.
Once Abby and I began discussing her wedding and engagement session, I could see she had a vision for how she wanted this season to be celebrated. When it came to the engagement session specifically, she really wanted something that was cozy and romantic, highlighting the closeness between herself and John.
For sessions like this, I always like to look for inspiration in their relationship–how they met, their favorite dates, the proposal. They had a first date that they never wanted to end: hours spent talking, driving, even wandering Home Goods. They love to grab a cup of coffee together. John asked her to be his girlfriend on a Ferris wheel.
Once I learned these details I knew we had to have a coffee shop and a ferris wheel included in the session. After looking at our options for wheels, we ended up choosing the very one John proposed on–the Grandscape in Colony, Texas. Next was finding the right coffeeshop near the wheel. Minutes away, there was a Summer Moon Coffee to give us some cozy coffee shop vibes (with a surprise bonus location).
Personally, this session was so fun for me. Abby and John are a delight. There’s a softness to how they engage with one another–perfect for getting cozy in a coffee shop, and a glass gondola. Abby is that perfect mix of having a plan and having fun; John clearly has good taste because he thought my shirt was funny. They were so easy to chat with the whole time, the session flew by.
Technically, the session brought some fresh challenges that were good for my photographer brain. First, I completely forgot I’m not the only person who thinks a latte at 6pm is a good idea—apparently half of Frisco does too. But Abby and John were total pros, cozying up like no one else was even there.
Next was the Grandscape wheel—and I was so excited for this part (how often do you get to say you photographed inside a Ferris wheel?). To be extra ready, I packed a wide-angle lens so I could catch every bit of cozy in that glass gondola Amazingly, we had the ENTIRE wheel to ourselves and the staff gave us plenty of turns to capture all the portraits.
Abby and John’s engagement session was every bit as cozy and romantic as their love story deserves. I can’t wait to celebrate them again at the Paddock next year!
A moment for the mugs! Abby brought these and they were perfect! The baristas were kind enough to fix their drinks in them. Told y’all she has a vision.
You guys, I seriously considered not taking them to this fountain. What was I thinking?!! The light! I felt like we were back in Savannah. And they said, “can we do a dip?” Um, YEAH.
Ok nobody freak out. I left this photo dark. I know but I kinda love it. ok, not kinda. Am I going dark and moody? not remotely, BUT photographing inside a Ferris wheel brings an interesting light situation–it’s always changing! This was when we were at the base and had less ambient light coming in the gondola–but that glow! I do like this image with my normal edit but there’s something romantic about this one that had to shared.
Dabbled with some in-camera double exposures on our ride. Peep that beautiful ring with vintage diamons.
Got a vision for your own session? I’d love to bring it to life
