Happy Tuesday and welcome back! For those of you who follow me on Instagram, I posted a poll yesterday on which session should be my next blog post. Well, here we are! It was very close, but you picked Madreah and Antonio’s engagement session as the next one to write about. Side note, if you don’t follow me on Instagram, you definitely should! I’m always sharing shooting locations, behind the scenes, sneak peeks to new sessions, and any promotions I’m running. Be sure to give me a follow and keep up with all of my shenanigans – @taylormyers.photo.

So let’s get into it! Madreah reached out to me in the spring and had been referred to me by a mutual friend (shoutout to Kylie! You’ll see a post about her and Tristan within the next few weeks once I’m done editing their session). She informed me that she was in the Air Force and currently overseas in Europe, but would be back stateside later in the spring. We got a date on the books and went from there. As time and planning went on, I learned that she was in a unique situation. She and her husband, Antonio (who is also in the Air Force), had gotten married, but never had the opportunity to have an engagement session or wedding. Of course, I was completely on board for capturing this for them! Going into this, I knew his name was Antonio and hearing they had met in Europe, I initially assumed he was Italian (and meeting him in person, I was fully prepared for him to be 110% Italian. Turns out, he’s from Colorado. We had a good laugh about this during their session). A girl from the midwest, a boy from Colorado, meeting in Europe and ultimately falling in love – it’s what dreams are made of. Honestly, these are my favorite love stories – where the universe brings two people together in the most unconventional ways and creates this perfect happily ever after. They deserve a Hallmark movie for their love story.

Fast forward to their session date, we knew we had a limited window of days to take the photos and, well, Missouri being Missouri: it was storming, complete with torrential downpours. We were looking at the 15 minute forecasts on the weather app and it surprisingly looked hopeful. And sure enough, the rain stopped moments before we met up to start shooting. I had a similar concern with Brittany and Cody’s session, but it cleared for that one too. I can’t confirm or deny anything, but it’s possible that I can control the weather.

Since we were officially safe from the rain, we went full force into the shoot. I start every session by asking what kind of vibe they want to go for. Some people prefer more intimate shots, while others want to keep it fun, or a nice mix between the two. Madreah and Antonio had explained that they wanted a romantic, modern, downtown aesthetic – city buildings, river views, romantic lighting, the whole nine. Madreah shared a few inspiration images and it definitely gave me Paris/ New York/ London vibes and I was all for it. From a creative standpoint, I wanted to include quite a few black and white images to give that timeless and classic feel, while incorporating movement in their posing. Lucky for me, it was another effortless session where once I got them in a spot, they were totally comfortable with doing their own thing.

Considering I had never met them prior to their engagement session, I felt as though they were old friends. We talked about all of our favorite places in Europe, favorite foods, and their dreams for their official wedding next summer. Everything they said, everything they did – I was so invested. These two were absolute naturals in front of the camera and I can’t even begin to tell you how many photos I ended up taking by the end of it. You can just tell by the way they melt into each other that when they’re together – no matter where they are – they’re home. And knowing that level of comfort in my own marriage, it’s pretty apparent that these two have truly found their soulmate.

I can easily keep going on about love and this engagement session and geek out about Europe. You’re about to find out through these blog posts just how much I love talking about love and weddings and traveling. It’s basically my three personality traits. But how can you not love a good love story, especially with people as stunning and phenomenal as Madreah and Antonio?

I’ll end this post with this: Madreah and Antonio, thank you so much for your service for our country, and for allowing me to capture this chapter of your life. I can’t wait to see where life takes you (because I know with all of your travels, it’s going to be pretty remarkable). Your love story is one for the books, and I wish you nothing but the best!

With much love and gratitude,

– Taylor