And there’s certainly nothing wrong with that sort of session–you can get some really cute and creative photos of the two of you. But I’ve come to believe that your engagement session can be even more meaningful than some nice photos in a park. It can be a window into your relationship as it is, right now, and a reflection of this unique time in your life. Everything changes so quickly, and we can easily forget what life was like before we were married…before we had kids, etc.

So with that in mind, I’ve been encouraging my couples to get creative with their engagement sessions–thinking of it more as a fun date than just a photography shoot. The possibilities are endless, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know my couples even better through their personalized sessions. Here are five of the best engagement session ideas I’ve photographed in the past year or so. I hope they inspire you in planning your session.

1. Stay home. Seriously, home is where we’re relaxed, where we have everyday conversations. Where we laugh and cry and do mundane things like make breakfast and dinner. One of my favorite places to photograph engagement sessions is in my clients’ homes. Take a look at Lauren and Ian’s Brooklyn home engagement session and Jenn and Ryan’s breakfast-making engagement session.

2. Plan an afternoon or evening date. What do you enjoy doing for dates? Do you visit a favorite restaurant, peruse a local museum, grab a yummy cupcake at a local shop? If you’re going somewhere and doing something you enjoy, your photos are bound to reflect that. Check out Ashley and Matt’s fun visit to an art museum, Erin and Joe’s stop at a favorite restaurant and cupcake shop, and Katie and Brent’s afternoon date where they hit up their favorite locales in Philly.

3. Explore the great outdoors. Maybe you and your fiance have a favorite outside activity. Go explore it together for your session. Check out Katie and Brian’s downhill skiing adventure, Emilie and Max’s pumpkin patch fun, and Kelly and DJ’s amusement park date.

4. Share your passion. Perhaps you met your fiance through a shared interest or passion. See how Caroline and Darius keep a friendly hockey rivalry alive, and see how the theater brought Lindsey and Kyle together.

5. Walk the dog. Many of my couples have dogs, and guess what–when you have a dog, you take them for a walk. Plus, dogs just make everything cuter! Take a look at all these lovely pooches: Natalie and Steve’s handsome boxer, Katie and Allan’s adorable puppy, Abby and Matthew’s sweet basset, Katie and Max’s faithful mutt (I love mutts!), and Elizabeth and Matt’s playful labradoodle.

As you can see, the possibilities for your engagement session are practically endless. So get creative–and be sure to ask me for more tips if you get stuck planning your session.

As you can see, fall is great time for purple to shine. Of course, you can never go wrong with a classic white, and if you’re looking for a lot of color–a bunch of wildflowers is the way to go.

Enjoy!

I love supporting small businesses. After all, I’m one myself. Small businesses are the backbone of America and employ millions of people. But what I value most about small businesses is the level of customer service I generally receive and their commitment to outstanding products. This is true for a Pittsburgh company who specializes in hand-crafted, high-quality bags: Moop.

You see, I’d been looking for a “non-diaper bag” bag for a while now, anticipating the arrival of Baby Schwarz. Although I’m thrilled at the prospect of becoming a mom, I just don’t want to lug around a bag that well, looks like a diaper bag. I figured that whatever bag I got, it would need to hold both baby stuff and all my junk (read: things like lip gloss, a million kleenexes, old receipts, and a giant water bottle). Having heard about Moop bags from some Pittsburgh photographers, I decided to see if they had anything suitable for diaper bag purposes.

And that’s where great customer service comes in. I called Moop and was able to speak with a real human being who kindly explained the differences between their bags and which ones might work best for me. I ended up deciding on the Porter bag, and placed my order on Wednesday. Today I received my new bag! Talk about fast service!

The Porter has plenty of room for all my stuff I anticipate hauling around: diaper changer, bottles, extra clothes, books, toys, you name it. I’ve got easy access to everything with snap closures, and I have the option to sling the bag across my body or carry it on my shoulder. And the best part about it all? It’s machine washable.

So if you’re looking for a new laptop bag, messenger bag, shopping tote, carry-everything bag, check out Moop. And if you live in Pittsburgh, you can pick up your bag in person!

Here are a few photos of my new bag (with a little preview of the nursery–more to come on that).

Well, my poor, neglected blog readers–yes, all two of you–I shall try to make up for it today with a details-filled post of real wedding dresses and fall colors. After all, with winter officially right around the corner, I should probably get this in before every last leaf has fallen from the trees. (I can still see a few dead ones clinging to some branches…so I think I made it). Although, I must say that the lack of blogging may be a sign of things to come in the near future as I anticipate the arrival of Baby Schwarz. You know, that whole “nesting” instinct is beginning to kick in and by golly I’ve got to get this cluttered office cleaned up. And don’t get me started on dusting the blinds…

OK, so without any more excuses, let’s see some real wedding dresses on some real brides! I previously blogged spring and summer wedding dresses from this year, and now I want to share the rest of this year’s lovely brides and their dresses. There’s nothing like seeing a dress on a real bride to get a good idea of what style might suit you best. I loved the variety I saw this year, and I hope you enjoy the examples, too.

I also really liked how Abby and Matthew personalized their place settings by using favorite and meaningful locations in their neighborhood as table markers. Using photos from their Regent Square engagement session enabled guests to get a feel for the places. And last but not least–their almond torte cake not only looked incredible…it was pretty tasty, too. I mean, that’s what all the guests were saying…

One advantage that a suit has over a tux is that it’s something the groom can probably wear again, so it’s a good investment. Of course, the rented tux means he doesn’t have to worry about how hard he parties–he can just return it the next day. To see some real examples of wedding attire on real grooms, I’ve assembled some photos from this summer’s weddings (early to mid-summer). I’ll share more of the fall ensembles later. Enjoy!

Next to setting a date and securing a venue (and photographer!), finding the perfect wedding dress has to be top on the list for many brides. And while magazines, blogs, and bridal stores are a great way to see the different styles and options available, there’s nothing like seeing real wedding dresses on real folks like you and me. Because let’s face it, most of our day jobs aren’t as runway models. That doesn’t mean we ladies aren’t beautiful–we’re just not all 5’10” and 110lbs (and if you are, that’s not a bad thing!). That means finding the right dress for you is important–you should feel gorgeous in your dress.

So here are my lovely brides from early to mid-summer. I’ll share the late summer and fall ladies’ dresses in another post.

Simply put, Lauren did most of the planning and creating (literally) for her backyard wedding this August. That meant many months of researching and designing, and then many hours of painstaking work assembling pom poms and numerous other details. The result, though, is stunning: a beautiful, unique, and meaningful wedding theme that reflected Lauren and Ian’s interests and story together. Here are some photos of their details to prove it.

Their fans (a must-have for an outdoor summer wedding) featured vintage French prints as a nod to their time spent in France together.

Every single pom pom was hand-made. That can not have been easy!

Their reception featured family-style dining, which both saved space and created an intimate atmosphere.

Names were marked with a simple black marker directly on the butcher paper. This worked to enhance the light-hearted picnic feel of the wedding.

Tables were labeled with the covers of books that were meaningful (or their titles were) to Lauren and Ian. This reflected Lauren and Ian’s shared love of books and reading.

Guests found their places at the tables with library-card escort cards. Genius and cute!

Instead of signing a photo mat, guests marked this hand drawn tree with their fingerprints and signed their names.

All of the stationary and labels were designed by Lauren.

Now if you’re thinking you’d love to have a unique and meaningful wedding theme but can’t devote all this time to the details, you can actually hire Lauren to do it for you. I’m always excited to see my previous brides put their creative talents to good use, and I wouldn’t hesitate to have Lauren design my wedding (or bridal shower, baby shower or other event). Check out her contact information now, and stay tuned for full website later.

Here are just a few favorite bridal bouquets from this summer. I love the variety of every one of them!

The navy blue accents really give dimension to this white bouquet.

Here’s the same bouquet contrasted with a green-accented bouquet. Both are lovely.

These two bouquets are perfectly light and summery but have completely different looks. The left is more refined–perfect for an indoor reception, while the right one’s rustic look compliments the outdoor wedding theme.

These two bouquets have the same theme of pink and white.

And these two bouquets boast cooler colors. I love the intense purple against the white of her dress.

This is really something you could do with any color–the key is finding enough glassware to match your color choice! In this case, I love how simple and elegant the blue looks with the white. The key is to never overdo it. I think Ashley’s little glass bottles coupled with the darling blue glasses and cups is a perfect combination. Overall, I think the antique glassware really complimented the rustic look of the Green Gables Restaurant. In fact, the restaurant even has its own collection of antique glasses, as seen in the portrait of Ashley.

So enjoy today’s wedding inspiration!