Breanna McKendrick Photography

If I could mix my own love for playing in band and my little sisters track start qualities, you would get Lindsey.  We connected over playing the flute (same as me!) and I remember what fun it was to be in a marching band. But I am 100% sure that if Lindsey and I had a flute face off (if there is such a thing?) that she would cream me. Lindsey has been playing for a long time, kept up with it in high school and raised it to a whole new level in college when she declared as a music major, a flute performance major! But it isnt like she is sitting in practice rooms all day long getting ready for classes and recitals. She is also a collegiate track and field runner. And now she is engaged to high school sweet heart Andrew.

Andrew and Lindsey are charming together. The two got engaged after Andrew finished a church mission. He seems to be a great compliment to Lindsey. Together they are generous and giving. Andrew was full of smiles when he looked at his bride to be. I think it is easy to tell that these two are excited to get married and start a new chapter of life. TODAY we are shooting their first look session. If you don’t know what a first look session is, you can check them out here: A First Look and Why You Should Consider One.  So, when August comes and these two get to tie the knot, look for those images on the blog.

Early summer is the best time to find beautiful wildflowers. So if this is what you are looking for in your engagement or bridal session, shoot in June. It is magical.

Congrats to you both! I am so honored and thrilled to be celebrating with you both. I am very excited for your session tonight. I can’t wait to see you both again and get a little sneak peek of the bride and groom.

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Shellie got out of the car and I paused for a second squinting my eyes wondering if that was really Shellie, or if my already bad eyes were telling me it was time to get new contacts.   All of the face book pictures I saw of Shellie and Josh, Shellie had  hazelnut brown hair. But this neatly dressed girl smiling at me and waving was a beautiful blonde girl.  I wasn’t going crazy, Shellie had just done her hair a few days prior to our shoot.Her new locks of hair looked so good. It made me debate changing my own hair color for a fun summertime change!

Not only are these two total babes, but Josh and Shellie are complete naturals in front of the camera! I know every couple had a little bit of nerves when they are getting their picture taken, (at least I know I did as a bride) but if Shellie and Josh did, they hid it so well!  They were full of smiles as Krissi Cook Films and myself worked together capturing their engagement. PS- if you do not know Krissi, you need to. Not only is she a wonderful videographer, but she is one of the kindest individuals I know. I can’t wait to shoot with this girl again. The video from Krissi is below and you need to watch it!

There are levels of “blindness” for a blind date. There are the “I have met him briefly before, but our friends are setting us up” blind date to the “I have no idea who this stranger is” type of blind date. Josh and Shellie were the second. They were strangers when Josh showed up with a firm handshake  to greet Shellie. Maybe it was the nerves of a first date or the butterflies of meeting such a gorgeous girl, but the two laughed  about the handshake when they talked about it now. But his nervous charm and talent for finding time for the two of them to spend together won Shellie’s heart over.

Shellie has a huge heart and during their dating, left to go  on an internship to Romania to help at local orphanages. Josh stayed back in Utah working and going to school. In Shellie’s own words, “THANK GOODNESS for technology! Our Skype sessions and emails were always something to look forward to. Although it was hard while we were apart, it was a needed time in our relationship to better ourselves and find what we both really wanted in life.”

Although I never went on an internship to Romania, I do know what it is like to have a long distance relationship. When I was engaged to Trevor, we spent a good majority of it in two different states. He was in San Francisco working at an accounting firm and I was in Utah finishing up my undergraduate degree. Our dates were few and far between as we flew back and forth, planning the wedding, and seeing downtown San Francisco. Facetime was the only way we got to see each other. Shellie couldn’t have put it more perfectly though. Time apart sometimes really is needed to better appreciate your significant other and the time you get to spend together.

I have been really loving some classic and beautiful black and white photo lately. I edit my black and white pictures a little different than I do my color images. Emotions seem to light up. Espcially for a couple as charming as this. Excitied, in love, and anxiously waiting to tie the knot.

Now, can we talk about Shellie’s ring and how much I love it?! It is a classic oval and rose gold band. I love how she paired a diamond engagement ring with a straight band from Wilson’s Diamond with a pavé scalloped wedding band from Zales. Oh it is gorgeous.

I am even more thrilled and excited to share with all of you Shellie and Josh’s beautiful engagement video. Krissi Cook Films is one of the best videographers I have gotten to work with. She makes you feel like you have been friends with her for as long as you can remember. Which is wonderful to have behind your wedding videography!

You want someone who will highlight your love story. You want someone that will let you have fun, enjoy your wedding like the guest of honor you are. This is what Krissi and I work so hard to do. Shellie and Josh, CONGRATS! I do not doubt that your wedding day will be full of beautiful details and lots of love.

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Kaela and Kai are the winners of our annual WEDDING GIVEAWAY!  I knew these two were special from the first emails we had back and forth. First of all, it was Kai that I was writing most often.  Usually I am emailing the brides in preparations for engagement pictures. It is hardly ever the groom. I mean really. Like never the groom. It is not unusual to talk to the groom for the first time at a consultations that the Bride set up, or even their engagement session!

In fact, now that I think about it, I think Kai is the first groom to be “incharge” of communication.  At first I was worried that Kaela was missing out on the planning. This was new territory for me and wasn’t sure if she would feel left out. So, I asked Kai about it. Turns out this guy had been forwarding all our messages to Kaela the WHOLE time! Wow, this groom is on top of things! I think communication will be one of Kaela and Kai’s strong characteristics in marriage.

By time we meet in person, I felt like we were friends. I knew that Kai had a great sense of humor that made Kaela laugh infectiously. I knew the two had a strong sense of identity and understood that life will be a happy journey if you have an optimistic outlook. These are the type of people that make me want to invest more in the quality of life.

These two have known each other for eight years. And I  feel the need to brad about the two of them. The day we took these engagements, Kaela mentioned how she needed to run 8 miles for her training. Say what? EIGHT MILES? Kaela was training for a FULL marathon that she ran last week. AT first I thought it was “Just” a half. But Kai’s mother was great to let me know that it was a FULL. Kaela deserves all the extra points that running a full marathon gets. Kai, even though he had some knee problems that prevented him from running the whole race with her, he joined up and ran the difficult final 8 miles of the race with his Fiancé. What a fantastic goal to have together while you are engaged. (But I wont judge any of my other couples for not running 8 miles on the same day as your engagement session. Promise.)

The “fake ring” was Kaela’s first ring. It was the ring Kai gave her as a place holder until they found THE ring that would be her engagement ring. It was not picked it out when we took pictures, but to tell you the truth, I loved taking a few images of this fake ring anyways!  The nickel was wearing off in some parts and Kaela had painted it with some silver nail polish to keep it looking fresh.

Its meaning is just as important and significant. It still means that Kaela and Kai are wanting and willing to spend all their days together. They want to support each other as man and wife and getting ready for that joyful day!  These two are wonderful. They aren’t worried about getting lost in the details of wedding planning, but focused on the purpose and meaning behind getting married. I hope you keep that first “fake” engagement ring for all your life for the fun memory it is. I can’t wait to see the “real” one on the wedding day though!

Some photo’s just fit better in black and white. I couldn’t image this photo any other way. It is wonderful.

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