Springtime Western Engagement Photos
As a wedding photographer, one of the biggest compliments you can receive, is one of your friends from YEARS back connecting with your work and hiring you to capture their wedding day. Hannah and I were close friends during high school due to us both being raised around a western lifestyle. She rodeoed and I showed Reining and Cow horses.
Wanting a western vibe for your engagement photos? Hannah and Alex showed up with the perfect outfits for their springtime western engagement photos.
During our initial zoom call to discuss her vision for her engagement pictures, I almost leapt with joy when she told me she was going to incorporate the western lifestyle by bringing her horses and dogs to her engagement session.
How Hannah + Alex met:
I always enjoy reading other couple’s engagement stories and wanted to share Hannah + Alex’s with you. Here is what Hannah had to say, ” We met when he was my farrier at UT Martin, until I FIRED him, and then one day years later he messaged me asking to come hangout and we have been inseparable since.”
When I asked Hannah about their engagement story this is what she said, “He had tried taking me to Louisiana on a fishing trip and then to Florida to go turkey hunting, but my barrel horse was just diagnosed with EPM, so I wasn’t willing to leave home. Since I refused to go on any trips, he went to the gun store and bought a new Benelli shotgun, and put my ring in the box. Once I got home from work that day, he proposed.”
As you can tell Hannah + Alex both enjoy being out in nature and all the things outdoors. So when she asked if her dogs and horses could be involved in their engagement pictures, I responded with “HECK YES”. I am a firm believer that your engagement pictures should reflect you and your lifestyle. So bring your dogs, cows, horses, or whatever your heart desires. We will get stunning images!
Check out Hannah and Alex’s stunning wedding at Horseshoe Lake Wedding Venue here.
Planning outfits for Western Engagement Photos
If you are planning to have western engagement pictures, start by identifying the color palette you want showcased the most. Earth tones and neutrals photograph well and compliment many elements one would expect in a western or rustic setting. The future bride can wear a long dress for a more elegant look and then change in to a more casual outfit such as jeans and a nice blouse.
For the guys, they have it easy. A nice button down shirt, starched blue jeans, and a nice felt (or straw) hat to top off the outfit.
Western outfits for engagement photos should not be complicated. The western lifestyle is often simple, so why not make your outfits reflect that?
Including Horses in your western engagement pictures
Including animals in your engagement pictures can be tricky, but including horses in to your engagement photos can add in some added stress. But have no fear, I am here to give you all of my tips for taking engagement pictures with horses.
Including horses in your engagement pictures can elevate the overall look and feel that your photos have. However adding horses in to the picture really adds to the stress that you might experience during your engagement session.
I have learned over the years when horses are included, it is best to have an extra set of hands (or two) to help move them around for different poses. It is also beneficial to help direct the horse in to looking a certain way for the pictures. Manes and tails will move often depending on the wind or if bugs are present.
By having an extra set of hands on the day of the shoot, we can ensure that the horses ears are up during your engagement pictures. As a horse girl myself, nothing irks me quite like seeing a beautiful image and the horses ears are in “airplane” mode.
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