Oh my gosh, where do I begin with this shoot? I guess I can start with introductions, this is Morgan and Raffi and these two are getting married in November! This wasn’t just any average engagement shoot because Morgan is actually my cousin! Growing up she lived in the neighborhood behind me and I use to go over to her house all the time to hang out. We would usually spend hours playing Mario Kart or something like that, they are sweet memories for sure though! I was so excited for Morgan when I saw that her and Raffi got engaged and I was overjoyed when they asked if I would photograph their wedding!

A few days after Christmas I met with Morgan, Raffi and Raffi’s mom Brenda to discuss wedding details. I had the best time catching up with Morgan and getting to know Raffi and Brenda. It was really exciting to hear about all the plans they had already thought of for the big day! Once we concluded our meeting we moved on to the engagement shoot. I’m not lying when I say this was one of the most fun engagement shoots I’ve ever had. I was super digging the light-hearted, giggly chemistry that was happening between Morgan + Raffi. One of the very first photos I took during the shoot was such genuinely candid photo of pure joy, I knew then this was going to be a good shoot. Not only can I tell that these two love each other, but I can tell they just absolutely love being together. Even in the most simple, mundane moments I think they figure out how to laugh with one another and make it a great moment. Raffi was such a great sport too! Sometimes guys aren’t super thrilled about participating in a photoshoot, but even Raffi was coming up with great ideas for pictures! It made me realize how incredibly happy I am for Morgan that she is marrying a really great guy. The end of our engagement shoot was extra special. We jumped in the car and drove all the way down to the very southside of Lakeland to Raffi’s house. Raffi comes from a baseball family, his dad was in the MLB and he is following closely in his father’s footsteps as an amazing baseball player. To ensure there is always time for practice, the Bournigal’s transformed their backyard into a practice field! The pair dressed down into more casual clothing and broke out the ball caps and baseball bats for the end of the shoot. Admittedly, we were beginning to lose light, but I let my 50mm f/1.2 lens do what it does best and we manage to get really cute photos in the last moments of usable sunlight.

All in all, I had the best time photographing the future Mr. and Mrs. Bournigal. It made me really excited for their November wedding later this year. I can’t wait to photograph more laughs shared between the couple with the people they love most surrounding them. For now, here are some of my favorites from their engagement shoot! 🙂