Even though Katelyn and Sam had already taken engagement photos before they found me online, I encouraged them to do an engagement session with me. There are so many benefits to doing an engagement session with your wedding photographer, but one of my favorites is that I get to meet the couple before their wedding day. Wedding days can be stressful and busy, which leaves little room to make connections with your couple. It’s still possible and certainly does happen, but I love going into the wedding day already having that connection with them.

We began our session at Capitol Park, where the historic architecture set a charming scene for Katelyn and Sam. They quickly became comfortable in front of the camera. I caught them sneaking kisses and making each other laugh! I couldn’t help but laugh along with them.

Next, we whisked away to Tuscaloosa City Hall and Government Plaza. Downtown Tuscaloosa was bustling with people, which made it challenging to find a parking spot. Thankfully, Katelyn and Sam live in Tuscaloosa and knew exactly where to find parking nearby. We had to do a bit of walking back and forth to the car for outfit changes, but it was a lovely day and we didn’t mind.

While we walked back to the car for an outfit change, I spotted the majestic water fountain. I knew I wanted to end their session in that spot and couldn’t wait to see the photos in my head come to life. There weren’t many people near the fountain at first, but by the time we made it to their final outfit and over to the water fountain, there were dozens of people. It was going to be challenging to get their photos without people in the background. I fully expected to have to do a ton of editing; however, we found an angle that didn’t have people in the background. As we wrapped up the fountain photos, a group of enthusiastic 11-year-olds appeared, showering us with unexpected compliments that left us all smiling.

Katelyn and Sam, thank you so much for trusting this stranger with your engagement and wedding photography! Thank you for taking time out of your schedules to do an engagement session even though you already had engagement photos. I had an incredible afternoon taking pictures of both of you and I’m even more excited for your wedding day this fall!