A Spring Engagement Session
With Man-Frolics, Sunshine & Furry Friends
The Art and Story of Marissa + Ethan
I love engagement sessions. I mean it; they’re my preferred way of beginning my photographic relationship with my wedding couples. I also like all things warm and sunny☀️; and who can not love it when a gentleman like Ethan frolics through fields of dandelions to make his bride smile? If you love these things too [ or at least somewhat interested in them ] then you’ll love the artwork from this engagement session 😘
Like all the wedding and engagement session we craft here at Making the Moment, I’m incredibly proud of the photography found in this engagement session. My personal favorite are the playful images where Marissa is riding on Ethan’s back [ we simulated a pony ride ] and the image set captured from above whilst I nearly fell out of a tree.
Meet Ethan and Marissa. While they don’t always stand in a field of dandelions and cuddle, they did so magically on this spring evening for our engagement session.
The aforementioned Pony ride. I legit had Ethan making horsey sounds.🐴
Image on the left from our engagement session; I climbed up into a tree to make this photograph happen. I normally climb a bit for my work, but I seriously felt like I was going to tumble into the poison Ivy I had them laying in.
Ahhhhh just kidding. It wasn’t poison Ivy🌿
It was poison Sumac.☠️
”We could tell that Brett made an effort to not re-create past poses/pictures he had done for others, so we appreciate his unique vision and creativity, resulting in some pretty awesome pictures!
MarissaThe Bride
In Their Own Words.
That’s right. Every word you’ve read on this page so far regarding this wonderful wedding [ catch the alliteration there. Pretty brilliant, right? ] has all been word-smithed and crafted by us [ we’re not only gifted wedding photographers, but also not too shabby in the content writing department ] Humble Brag / Self enthusiasm aside; we mean every word on this page, but it’s important that you hear from our couple too.
We asked a few questions of them about their wedding; and hope you enjoy their answers 😀
What was one of your favorite parts of your session?
We had a lot of favorite parts, I am not sure that we could just pick one!! Some of our favorites were
- Finally getting to work with Brett and being/feeling that much closer to our wedding day
- Getting to spend the time with one another – our schedules are usually pretty busy and it is not often that we just take time for the 2 of us and enjoy each other’s uninterrupted company [ especially during the week!! ]
- Being able to bring Harley along and capture some family pictures with her – she will not be a part of our wedding day but she is such an important part of our lives that it meant a lot to finally have a picture capturing the 3 of us 😉
How did you pick your outfits for your session?
We are usually very basic and casual when we get dressed for anything – typically sweats and dress according to the motto “comfort is key”. However, wanting to look a bit more put together than our typical appearance, we decided we would have 1 casual outfit, and the other more dressy. I told Bretty from the beginning that pictures were the most important thing to me, so knowing that we would have these forever, we wanted to look a bit more above average than we typically do.
What was it like to work with us?
We literally could not have asked for a better experience! Ethan was quite manic that day and Brett allowed him to be fully himself [ goofy, silly, making never ending sound effects, etc ], in the end making us all laugh which made the experience so enjoyable and unforgettable. We could also tell that Brett made an effort to not re-create past poses/pictures he had done for others, so we appreciate his unique vision and creativity, resulting in some pretty awesome pictures! We never had a doubt about choosing ‘Making the Moment’ for our photography, we didn’t really need any reassurances either, but finally getting to experience working with Brett was the icing on the cake!
What are you most excited about for your wedding?
We are most excited to have all of our favorite people come together in celebration/support of us… and for all of the pictures that will capture all of that! We never take pictures together, literally ever, so we are excited to have this whole day/experience documented.
If you could describe your partner’s performance during the session in a few short sentences or phrases, how would you do so?
Marissa on Ethan’s performance: Ethan was very manic and made me laugh the entire time. Part of me was so happy about this so that my smile/ laugh would be more natural and candid, but then the other part of me was nervous that there were not any “normal” pictures without me laughing and having my mouth wide-open and eyes shut.
Ethan on Marissa’s performance: I knew these pictures were important to Marissa so it was important to me to make this one of the best experiences for her. I love making her laugh and that kept me going. It was a huge relief that it felt way more natural than awkward and posed.
Where will your wedding reception be, and why did you select your venue?
Our venue is Stonewater Golf Club. We chose this venue because it is very close to our house (we could literally walk there). We are both from the area [ Highland Heights/Mayfield/Gates Mills ], so we wanted to pick a venue that would be close for everyone. Whenever we are guests at weddings, we are not a fan of when we have to drive 45 min- and hour to the venue, and then back home. We also did not want a venue that felt like a ballroom or huge space, so when we toured it had the intimacy we were hoping for, plus indoor and outdoor options, and came with Whitney who is awesome!
Do you have a favorite image or two that really connects with your heart? Why?
Our favorite image as of right now , is of us in our dressier clothes by the water looking at each other. All of the pictures make us smile, but when we look at that one, it feels the most pure and happy and about us. Maybe it is because we are focused on one another, but the way this picture makes us feel is almost unexplainable. A close second would be the dandelion pic [ the first picture on this blog ] for me, and Ethan really loved his frolicking pic lol of himself.
For the record; as a wedding photographer I’m NOT a fan of overly posed fake romance images. I’m sharing this because I want you to know that when you see that in my work it’s a product of my couple actually being romantic / flirty. I can’t manufacture intimacy and love [ so many wedding photographers try to fake it; it looks SO obvious ].
Cool light there huh? That’s my iPhone; I turned the flash light on and held it to the camera to see if it would look cool and it did. I love to experiment in my artwork 🤓
Marissa. Ethan. I can’t wait to be your wedding photographer this fall. Let us frolic once more.
