Oh my gosh, time flies so fast! It’s been FOUR whole years since Nelson and I got married and it feels like both an eternity and like it was just yesterday!

To celebrate (and practice what I preach to clients—“pictures are the only memories that won’t fade!”), we scheduled an anniversary session with my good friend and wonderful photographer, Ana Leslie.

I was super excited… until like a week before when I realized how nerve-wrecking being IN FRONT of the camera is! What should I wear? How do I do my hair? Wait, I can’t do anything cool with my hair! I definitely don’t know how to do my makeup…

WHAT TO WEAR

It’s SO much easier for guys… a nice shirt, nice pants, and BAM! they’re ready to go! We quickly picked out our casual outfits, but I struggled to find a nicer dress for the occasion. Everything I owned had either been photographed a million and a half times before OR was covered in patterns… which is super distracting for photos. If you’ve ever had a session with me, you know I recommend solid colors to keep the focus on you and your S.O.

Three days before the session, I desperately scoured Amazon for a dress that would be a little fancy, but not too extravagant. I narrowed it down to three options that had Prime two-day shipping, free returns, and enough 5* reviews to convince me I wasn’t crazy.

Shockingly they all arrived on time, fit well, and were decent quality. Here are the two runners-up:

 

The lacy T-shirt dress was super cute, but a little too casual for the look I was going for. I loved it and kept it for everyday wear in the summer!

While the A-line was dressier, it was a little more conservative and buttoned up than I wanted for our pictures. It kind of had a holiday Christmas vibe, so I kept it for the occasion!

The third dress was absolutely perfect (I’m ready to order one in every color!) Keep scrolling to see it…

 

To combat my lack of hair styling skills (I literally let my hair air dry and wear it down every. single. day.), I scheduled a haircut on the afternoon of our session and asked the stylist to add something fun! Sydney at On Stage Hair Design freshened up my look and gave me some loose curls and a stylish braid. My curls didn’t last too long in the heat and humidity, but the braid sure did!

Tyrrell Park

We started the session in Tyrrell Park where we strolled around the winding pathways and had the entire place to ourselves. We even saw a snake slither away into the bushes! That part was not so romantic…

And to be honest, it was actually pretty weird being in front of the camera. I felt SUPER awkward! Ana killed it of course and made us feel like supermodels, but I was very aware of how I was posing and moving around.

 

Cattail Marsh Scenic Wetlands & Boardwalk

After the park, we changed into our nicer outfits, drove about a mile down the road to the Cattail Marsh and watched the sunset on the boardwalk. I’d never been here at sunset and it was pretty darn gorgeous! We wandered around the promenade with Ana right behind us snapping away! The views were dreamy and the open scenery provided a nice breeze that kept us comfortable.

Pro Tip: Schedule a date night after a photo session!

I always encourage my couples to take advantage of the fact that they’re all dressed up and schedule a date right after their session. We didn’t have time to cook before our session, so we did just that!

 

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Happy fourth anniversary, Nelson. Thanks for always supporting me and my business… and playing along whenever I ask if we can get pictures done! Ti amo per sempre <3

 

 

 

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Photos by Ana Leslie Photography