I’m always so excited for engagement sessions as this is when I get to meet the couples I’m working with for the first time. It also helps to have an engagement session to make sure everyone vibes with each other and to get you set up for what to expect on your wedding day.

When Abby reached out to me to book her wedding, we embarked on an adventure: acquiring a photo permit. Keep in mind at some locations, you are required to have a photo permit to get photos taken/take photos there. In our case, we did the session at Ridley Creek State Park. You would need to reach out to their Park office in order to obtain a permit, but make sure you give yourself enough time to acquire one so you are not trying to scramble last minute before your session. We had time to get the permit as we planned the session in the winter time for the spring, so it worked out! We teamed up to get the permit as my emails were getting eaten by the internet (something to be aware of if you reach out; got to love technology right?), but once we got through and got it taken care of, it was great! (Kudos to Lexi for helping us out with the permit so we could make the session magic happen).

Abby & Zach picked Ridley Creek State Park for their engagement session as it is a very special place for them.

From Abby: In early 2020, we started seeing each other and we instantly knew that we had found the one we wanted to be with (they had been in touch on and off the last five years). Our relationship grew quickly because of the amount of time we were spending together during the Covid-19 pandemic. In October, Zach and I made plans to go to Ridley Creek State Park for a hike on a Saturday afternoon. Ridley Creek State Park has always been special to me because my grandfather lived there and worked there for many years. About four miles into our hike, Zach suggested we go down to the water, sit on a bench, and take some selfies. About 10 minutes later, Zach got down on one knee and asked me to spend forever with him. Obviously, I said yes!

It was a very hot and humid day, so we started off down on the bridge in the shade. It’s always fun to shoot in the park or in high traffic areas and keep an eye out for walkers, bikers, etc passing by in the background. We take a break and chat when we have people coming back as we don’t want everyone in the back of your shots.

As we were walking back up the path to the mansion to get some shots, we thought the clearing with the trees looks awesome, so we got some shots there. This took some patience and angling as there were people walking up and down the path, but we got it!

Another area where you can shoot at in the park is Parque Ridley Creek, which is also a wedding venue! You can only shoot there when there is not a wedding taking place, so make sure you check in to see if there’s a wedding the day you want to shoot or not. We had a great time walking around the mansion and got some fun shots!