Chloe and Michael come from old money but have contemporary perspectives about life and tradition. They live downtown, love fashion and often travel. London is one of their favorite cities.
She is a ballerina and loves the theater. Her favorite ballet is Swan Lake. He works for a renown cologne company as a product designer. His favorite pastime is taking drives in his classic Porsche convertible.
Their wedding will be a modern black tie affair, with just enough traditional elements to appease their parents. It will take place in December 2022 at Bass Performance Hall. Chloe’s dress is being custom designed by a London fashion house. Their guest favors will be small cologne bottles.
In order to tie these details into their Pre-Wedding session, they started with the outfits. Mirroring her wedding dress selection and her love of the UK, Chloe also selected a dress from a British fashion house, Millia London, for the session. Although it looks nothing like her actual wedding gown, it is exactly the type of attire she expects her wedding guests to wear - opera house formal. The gown was sophisticated and bourgeois, but feathers and tulle kept it organic enough to welcome movement.
A dress is not designed to hide the shoes, nor should shoes be outdone by a dress. So Chloe crafted her own shoes, inspired by Swan Lake - enchanting black feather heels that were still comfortable enough to hustle about the city. Chloe's earrings were a bit more contemporary, while still maintaining a graceful structure and charm. Made from white resin, the pieces resembled the most delicate flower petals.
Chloe's hair was styled in a French Twist, with a few loose pieces to soften the look, which she pulled off with a modern elegance. Her makeup was romantic, but impactful, because she is graceful but not delicate.
Michael's black velvet tuxedo, from The Black Tux, was influenced by his preferred cologne scent - luxurious, velvety smooth, and European masculine. And because one can never have too much velvet, he wore velvet loafers from Perry Ellis. Almost as an afterthought, they both grabbed their favorite sunglasses - Kate Spade for her and Ray-Ban for him. It seemed like a no brainer, since they would be walking the sidewalks of the city. The reality was that they looked like celebrities about to climb into a private motorcade after a red carpet event.
The next wedding-tie in at their session came from their photo locations. Being that they live, work and socialize downtown, an urban setting was characteristic of their life. The Flatiron Building, city streets and crosswalks were iconic must-haves. With Chloe's love of performing arts and their wedding being held at Bass Performance Hall, it was a clever motif to feature this location at their session.
Dolled up and debonair, Michael and Chloe hit the streets. The city is all about constant movement and the passing of time, which is an interesting paradox for Chloe's profession as a ballerina. So this was an important element to depict in their photos, through various blurring techniques, to highlight movement and impress a small vignette of a much larger story.
Lastly, the couple stopped just outside their downtown townhome. Tired of strutting about the streets, they paused for a brief moment. Then Chloe spontaneously removed her shoes for one last promenade, and to end the night with a kiss.
Impact. Engagement photos are intended to make an impact.
In order to do that, Engagement Sessions must be treated as what they truly are - pre-wedding portraits. Many couples use the photos from their session on save-the-date cards and wedding websites. And these images become the true first touchpoint between their guests and their wedding - these photos become the image of what the wedding will be.
So rather than treating engagement sessions like an ordinary night on the town, give it room for impact. Set the expectation for your wedding aesthetic, style and dress code. Tie in the subtle details or locations for your guests to speculate. Maybe give the slightest hint at what you'll be wearing yourself. Remember who is the star of the show, and make your Pre-Wedding Session iconic and unforgettable.
As their wedding guests start receiving save-the-date cards, and visiting the wedding website, we're sure they'll have an accurate idea of who Michael and Chloe are as a couple, the things they value, and what can be expected from the upcoming wedding of the decade!
