Saturday 7th December 2019

I had the best time exploring the Jurassic Coast with Caleb and Danielle to celebrate and document this season of there relationship; being engaged. These two are getting married on Saturday 10th October 2020 in Dorset. EXCITING!!

They love the outdoors and going for walks, so they chose Winspit and Chapmans Pool as the backdrop for their couples shoot in December 2019, thankfully the weather was kind to us! We had a short walk from the idyllic village of Worth Matravers down to Winspit where we got to enjoy the sea views, rugged coastline and rock faces.   

The engagement shoot was a wonderful mixture of fun, laughter and silliness, as well as being peaceful, romantic and affectionate. I gave them a mixture of ‘activities’ to do together to take their minds off of me and my camera and to focus on each other and enjoy their surroundings.

Throughout this blog you will get to know more about Caleb and Danielle’s love story so far and their wedding to come … ENJOY! 

Caleb & Danielle, how did you meet each other?

Caleb and I met through a Christian dating app called Salt, rather by accident. I had downloaded the app casually on holiday with a friend, and matched with Caleb within the first day of having the app. We started chatting, and the rest is history!

How would you describe each other in 3 words?

If we had to describe each other in 3 words, I would describe Caleb as witty, caring, and fun. Caleb would describe me as loyal, passionate, and beautiful.

What do you enjoy doing as a couple?

We really love travelling and exploring new places together, as well as going for walks and hikes outdoors. Over the year (yes, only one year!) we’ve been together, we’ve been to the Peak District, Malta, and the United States twice!

What was your proposal like?

Calebs proposal was like something out of a film! After a weekend in Hereford with Caleb’s family, we went for a walk in the Malverns, at a location called British Camp. Caleb had brought his drone to “get some shots” atop the hill. In the midst of setting up his drone for what I thought was a quick video, Caleb pulled the ring box out of the drone bag and got down on one knee! We’ll always have the proposal on drone footage to look back on, which is such a special memory. It was pretty epic!

What did you love most about your engagement shoot?

Our engagement shoot with Aimee was really fun – we honestly had such a great time! She made us feel totally relaxed and like we could just be ourselves, whilst she captured our personalities and relationship on camera, out in nature which is one of our favourite settings to spend time together. We loved how natural it felt and the chance to get used to being in front of the camera before our big day. They’re special photos at a unique time in our relationship that we’ll always cherish.

Would you recommend an engagement shoot to others?

Yes, we would definitely recommend an engagement shoot! An engagement shoot is all about capturing the special time that this brand-new commitment means for your relationship, and sharing your personalities and the way you two are with each other before the excitement and busyness of a wedding day. It’s a great opportunity to get more comfortable being photographed, and also have some special photographed memories of the time between engagement and marriage!

What sort of wedding are you planning?

We’re planning a rustic, forest-y glam wedding, with a church ceremony and a Village Hall reception. We both love everything greenery, fairy lights, and cosy vibes – so we’re excited to transform our Village Hall into a dreamy, wild atmosphere for a great party! Our colours are mauve, grey, and gold, with plenty of foliage. It will have a really lovely glowy feel to the day with lots of candles, lanterns, and wood elements.

 

Any tips for planning a wedding?

Our best tips for planning a wedding is to lay out your budget carefully, and determine which factors are the most important to you about the day – food, music, your dress, etc.? For us, photography and videography were high on our priorities list, so we made sure we budgeted accordingly for what we wanted. Doing this helps set aside the right finances so vendor prices don’t come as a surprise when you’re already halfway through your budget! Invest in the elements that matter the most to you for your special day!

What are you most looking forward to about your wedding day?

On our wedding day, as an American bride, I’m particularly looking forward to being able to bring my two worlds together as my family will be flying over to England to celebrate with us! This is going to be so special to be able to share a glimpse of my life here in the UK with them, as well as have them there on our big day. We’re both really looking forward to our forthcoming marriage, and what it means to be able to share our lives together. We believe that marriage is a gift from God, and we’re excited to have our faith play a central part in our day!

One of the wonderful qualities of an engagement shoot is that we have the freedom of being more flexible with time. I usually allow 1-2 hours for these shoots which enabled Caleb and Danielle to go to two locations; Winspit and Chapmans Pool. As well as the different back drops, they also chose to have a ‘costume change’ to bring another dynamic to their photographs. The dress that Danielle chose was so wonderfully soft and romantic and moved perfectly within the coastal breeze. They even chose to wear colours that tied in with their wedding colour scheme, making the photographs a perfect addition for their Save The Dates. Danielle had her hair and make up done to make the whole experience even more special!

 

I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog, getting to know one of my wonderful couples and hearing about their experience of their engagement shoot. Should you like to know more about my couple sessions or ask any questions about documenting your wedding day then I’d love to chat with you!