If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been shooting a LOT out at Tower Grove Park. But that’s ok by me – the light’s always beautiful, and it’s so big that there are always new places to discover! Allie + Jon, thanks for bringing so many of your own ideas and so much energy to your engagement session. I had a blast and am really looking for your wedding in October!
Ben and Erin’s engagement session was scheduled on what I think was THE hottest day of the year, unfortunately. But lucky for me, they’re super easy going and made for a fun engagement session. We did have to take some “cooling off breaks” in our cars, but we made it through! And Erin’s hair looked amazing down to the last shot of the day – how is that even possible?! I am really looking forward to your wedding next year. Thanks for a great shoot, you guys. 
There’s always nice light out at Tower Grove an hour before sunset.
They are TOO cute together!
Erin, you are gorgeous! My favorite shot of the day.
Grace and Kent were referred to me by one of my 2009 brides. They booked me early this year over the internet, but I was so thrilled to FINALLY meet them at their October engagement session. They chose Tower Grove Park, and it was gorgeous! The trees were at their peak, and Grace and Kent came with plenty of ideas, outfits, and fun props. It was SUCH a fun shoot. I’m really looking forward to their June wedding!
We had some really pretty light…
Who could resist a little fun in the leaves? My favorite part of the shoot.
Abby + Steven are having a destination wedding, but they wanted some engagement pictures taken here in St. Louis. They chose the fabulous Tower Grove Park for their session, which always makes me happy because the light is always stunning.
Thanks you guys for a great session!
Love this light. That is all.
Abby and Steven were so much fun, up for pretty much anything.
Fave.
I probably could have blogged this ENTIRE session. Well, to be honest, I almost did. The light, the location and the couple = PERFECTION. I loved working with Mandy + Curtis not only because it’s so obvious how much they care for each other, but they’re also really comfortable in front of the camera. Now I know that doesn’t come easily for everyone, I’m one of those people myself. But these two rocked this session, and I am REALLY looking forward to their wedding in September!
The light. Oh my goodness. I love the light at Tower Grove Park pretty much always.
Love these 2 shots.
Aren’t they adorable?
My fave from the session.
Eskimo kiss!
Hello golden light. I love you!
Check out the back of her dress! Gorgeous. I thought this was a fitting parting shot.
Thanks for stopping by!
Several weeks ago, Taylor called me and asked if she could hire me to shoot her engagement session. Of course, I said yes. She and her fiance, Brad, are getting married in Texas where they’re both from. The two met in Texas at a coffee shop and fell in love, and when Taylor headed to Wash U for grad school, Brad came, too. While I’m disappointed I don’t get to photograph their wedding, I had a blast at their engagement shoot…especially since it came with a little twist. About a week before the shoot, Brad called me and told me he had a special surprise in store for Taylor at the photo shoot. He was going to get down on one knee…with her real engagement ring, and ask her to marry him. Again. You see, they had previously sort of decided they would get married, and she had a silver ring. But Brad had a sneaky plan to do things the right way, and get down on that knee and ask her properly. (Yay Brad!) The plan was to get halfway through the shoot, and then I would do individual portraits. While I was photographing Taylor, Brad would sneak her engagement ring in my camera bag. I was supposed to tell Taylor the ring she had was too small to photograph, couldn’t see it, etc. (I totally felt like a jerk, even though it was all fake.) Then I had to get the real ring out of my bag and tell her to try it on…That it was a “prop” ring. At first she just sort of stared at me like I was nuts, but then she caught on. Probably when she looked at Brad’s face, well, and then of course, he got down on one knee. All the while, I got to capture this beautiful moment. It was a really romantic, sweet scene, and I was so excited to be there to witness and document it all. And even though I backed off a bit and shot with my big zoom lens, I got a little teary eyed. I’m a total sucker for romance.
Not only was Brad’s plan a really fabulous idea, I have to tell you how fun these two are. You can just tell how in love they are, and they both have such energy and a love for life. I had SO much fun on this shoot, plus they’re just really darn photogenic people. I mean seriously people. Look at her hair! It’s so beautiful! And the light at Tower Grove Park was amazing (as usual), so all in all, it was a spectacular shoot. Thanks again, Taylor and Brad. You guys were amazing. I wish you all the best. (And if you change your mind about flying me to Texas, I’m all over it! ) 
And on to the pictures….
This is definitely one of my favorites from the day. I just love how it captures them. The completely natural them. Laughing and in love. *sigh*
Oh yeah, she has beautiful eyes, too!
I love when couples really get into just having fun at engagement shoots.
Hands down my favorite of the shoot!
Ok, so I didn’t make them run, but I did make them skip! And they were really into it. Love it!
Saturday was a weird day. I had an engagement session scheduled with a really fabulous couple. I was bummed when I woke up to another dreary day in St. Louis. During my drive to the Missouri Botanical Gardens, the sprinkles became a downpour. So I called up Paula and asked if she still wanted to do the shoot or did they want to reschedule. She said they wanted to go ahead and do what we could – they had umbrellas. That was cool with me, so we get there, and the rain stops! Then we get into the Botanical Gardens, and we get stopped by someone who works there saying that we have to pay a special fee to shoot portraits/weddings there. I had NO idea. I had just shot an e-session there a few weeks ago, and no one said a thing. And you can’t shoot past 3 p.m., so even if we had paid the fee, we weren’t going to shoot there. So we headed down the road to Tower Grove Park. Let me just say that I love the city of St. Louis. Despite all its faults, I really do love the city, and I wish we lived there. I am embarrassed to say I’ve never photographed anything at Tower Grove Park. I’ve barely driven by. Certainly have never gotten out of my car. I’ve seen pictures on the internet. It’s gorgeous!!! Seriously. Why haven’t I been there before?!
So we took some photos there, made a little duck friend, and headed over to Forest Park where it was wedding central! I can’t begin to tell you how many wedding parties we saw out there….Despite all the chaos of the day, this was one of my all-time favorite shoots. Paula and Nick are really wonderful people on the inside and outside. Not only did they chose the PERFECT attire for their day, they’re so much fun to be around. They truly were up for anything. Especially Nick. He even climbed a tree during our shoot! These pictures are all them. There was VERY little direction, they’re just naturals in front of the camera.
And I have to say that I was thrilled we took some shots by the Art Museum in St. Louis because that’s where they had their second date. It’s actually a funny story because Paula told me that Nick is a terrible planner. On that date, they went after Nick got off of work. By the time they arrived, the museum had closed. They ended up sitting in the car for that date. Now Paula does all the planning. That’s probably a good thing….Toward the end of our shoot, Paula hopped on Nick, and he took her for a ride down Art Hill. I just snapped away laughing hysterically the ENTIRE time. (Seriously. I should probably be embarrassed at how loudly I was laughing.) I just thought to myself, “Are you kidding me? This is amazing.” And it was. Thanks Paula + Nick for entertaining me so much. I had a fabulous time, and I can’t wait for your wedding in September. I know it will be fabulous!
Can I just throw in here really quickly how lucky I am? I get to meet wonderful new people all the time, I get to share in the joy of the best day of their lives, I get to do what I love. It in no way feels like a job, it’s just a complete joy, and I love the satisfaction of driving home after a great shoot knowing I’ve made some pictures that these people will (hopefully) treasure forever. I’m so, so, so lucky.
This shot was not set up – totally candid moment. How sweet is he?
They made a little friend who followed them everywhere!
My favorite moment of the day. Hands down.
I’ve gotta give mad props to Paula for pulling this jump off in those shoes! I totally would have fallen flat on my face.
Dancing at Forest Park. Aren’t they an adorable couple?
I told them they should be in a magazine. And I meant it. They’re gorgeous!
© 2012 St. Louis wedding photographer Nicole Welch
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