When we first met with Mandi and Paulo, we heard how much music has been a common theme in their relationship, and we knew then that we had to incorporate that into their engagement session somehow. Paulo’s in a rock band, Mandi rocks the bass, and they’re both incredibly easy-going and cool (I mean it!). Leandra and I are firmly believers that everyone has an inner rock-star (okay, I just made that up), and we channeled ours a bit to make sure we captured that side of these two star-crossed rockers.

Leandra’s favorite:

…and mine:

Paulo is Argentinian, and so is the black sapphire in Mandi’s ring. Very cool.

Our patience paid off–we were able to shoot for a few minutes in the beautiful Goshen theater after Spanish-Movie-Friday let out.

We ended the session by heading to the riverwalk in downtown Elkhart.  The Jazz Festival was going on (more music!), but it made for such a cool quiet-but-bustly atmosphere to take some night-time photos.

Mandy and Paulo, you both were so easy to photograph and be around. It was so fun to take pictures of the two of you (and I mean it!).

Rachael and Jake’s wedding is up next!

As a side note, we’ve been inundated with spam comments, so have turned on the “must approve comments” feature on our blog for the time being. If you comment (and we love when you do!) don’t worry if it doesn’t show up right away.  We’ll click yes (unless you’re trying to sell Vicodin!) as soon as we’re notified, and your comment will show up then.

Jarrod proposed to Emily in one of the best possible places–a bookstore. While it wasn’t the bookstore, the owner of Better World Books in Goshen was gracious enough to give us free rein in the store for the first part of their session, after chatting over ice cream. Jarrod’s a student at the Air Force Academy, and returned from Poland the day before the session; Emily recently graduated from Goshen College, and also happens to blog about her wedding-planning. Leandra and I felt a lot in common with Emily and Jarrod (besides our love of bookstores, Regina Spektor, and Olive Garden soup, of course). While there’s a lot of uncertainty to being a twenty-something (and being closer to the 20 than the 30!), there’s also an amount of choice that’s both exciting and terrifying. We got the feeling that they, like Leandra and I, want to fully weigh and take advantage of that amount of choice as we all choose where to build our lives, how to build them, and what to build them around.

Leandra and I both just like the quiet and abstract qualities of these next two. Hands can say just as much about a couple’s interactions as faces.

The book Emily’s holding? That was a book Jarrod wrote and had bound that tells the story of “them.” He planted it in the Barnes and Noble children’s section the night he proposed, “found” it, read it with her, and then popped the question.

My favorite set:

Leandra’s favorite:

The next picture shows the last page of the book: “Will you Marry Me?”

I don’t know about anyone else, but for me everything leading up to “the question” was exciting, fun, and easy. When it came time to actually ask it, it felt a little out-of-body mixed with a feeling I can only describe as  I-feel-like-I-have-to-give-a-5-minute-speech-on-prime-time-TV-even-though-it’s-just-four-words-in-front-of-Leandra. I didn’t get cold feet, I just all of a sudden realized the enormity of what I was about to ask. Of course Leandra immediately said yes (just like Emily!), and the feeling only lasted that long, but for those few seconds that’s how I felt. If I would have written the question in a book though, I don’t think I would have put the ring on the wrong hand (which is what I did).

From the boosktore, we headed to Goshen College, to the auditorium where they had their first date…

Can I have three favorites? This is the bench where they realized it was “for real” (or something like that). We love how meaning-filled each of the locations we went were for them.

Emily and Jarrod: Thanks so much for sharing ice cream and your evening with us.  It was a pleasure to meet, talk to, and photograph you!

Leandra and I just returned from a road trip late last week after some unexpected car trouble and the subsequent delay in Pennsylvania (and have been moving this week!).  We’re working hard to catch up, and we have lots of wonderful couples to blog about…and it’s all coming soon!

Mandee and Mike live in Philadephia, so Grant and I had never met them before their engagement session. They arranged a whirlwind weekend of wedding planning in Grand Rapids, and we were able to spend time photographing them the afternoon before they headed back home. We enjoyed getting to know them a bit more in that time and loved how easily they interacted in front of the camera.

One of my favorite pictures from the session. I love catching happy moments when couples seem so unaware of being photographed.

Mike worked with a jewelry designer to make a custom ring for Mandee. When Mandee got a job promotion, he suggested celebrating by flying to Miami for a few days. She agreed, and they went away for a few days, her believing that it was all about her promotion. Later, on the beach, Mike pulled out the ring and asked Mandee to spend the rest of her life with him. Of course she said yes!

The picture on the right is one of our favorites. The geometry of it, the fact that it was taken in the Amway, where they will be getting married in August… love it.

Another favorite.

In our e-mail correspondences, Mandee mentioned how much they love living in the city, and hoped that we might be able to incorporate that into their photos somehow. I really like the feel of these two images, with them standing together, in love, amidst the buildings (and in front of their wedding location!).

Mandee and Mike, thanks so much for setting aside the time that you did for the session. We really enjoyed getting to know you a little bit more, and are excited to see you again in August!