What Makes a Great Engagement Session? Jess + Tim

So, what makes a great engagement session? A lovely couple, great light, and a skilled photographer. But what’s most important and inspiring is the couple’s story. Jess and Tim have just that: an awe-inspiring love story that makes a great engagement session!

Jess and Tim met just a few years ago while attending college in California. Jess had a crush… on this cute guy named Tim. Tim had a crush… on this pretty girl named Jess. But as fate would have it Tim moved away to South Carolina, where he was stationed with the Air Force while Jess studied hard to finish up law school in California. Little did each other now that one day that college crush would reunite them, they’d enter into a long distance relationship, and with the perfect moment, Tim proposed.

The Engagement Session: While Tim was flying from South Carolina to meet up with Jess, their engagement photographer Samantha, from Samantha Melanson Photography was headed out from Boston to photograph them. Samantha tells us, “So the weekend that we did their engagement session was really special for them because it was the first time that they had seen each other in months. They were especially ecstatic because the next day would be the day they would get married and would be able to start their new lives together in the same state, finally!” With anticipation and excitement they went with Samantha to the local Fullerton Arboretum in Fullerton, CA.

Jess and Tim Exclaim,”Our engagement session with Samantha was a wonderful experience for the both of us! Since we lived on opposite ends of the country before we were married, we had only two full days together before the ceremony and needed to squeeze in the engagement session the day before the wedding. Despite this time-crunched schedule, we had about two hours to ourselves early Friday afternoon just before the rehearsal dinner, so we asked Samantha to meet us and snap some photos in that small window of time. We went to the Fullerton Arboretum for the engagement session and, while at the gardens, Samantha quickly created a relaxed atmosphere.”

“Having never been to the area herself, it was amazing to watch Samantha gather in her surroundings and build a mental image of what shots would look best. Throughout the entire time, Samantha reminded us to just be ourselves, have fun, and love each other. That was an easy request for us to follow! Even during the few moments that began to feel unnerving (it’s not always easy to have your picture taken when enjoying a loving moment with your soon-to-be spouse), Samantha intuitively knew when to give us our space and when to offer gentle direction with fun ideas for different pictures. We were both so comfortable with Samantha as our photographer that we she might as well have been one of our lifelong friends taking pictures of us! When we look back at the pictures we have from the engagement session, we both remember how much fun the day was. Samantha captured not just amazing pictures of the gardens, but she captured the emotions the two of us experienced that day.

With the pictures we have, we can now look back and remember the true joy and excitement both of us felt the day before our wedding like it was yesterday. Having Samantha fly across country and spend the weekend with us was easily one of the highlights of our marriage. She was (and is) an amazing photographer both during the photo sessions and in the product she produces. Not only did we end up with priceless photos of one of the biggest events in our lives, but we left feeling as though we’d gained another member of our family!”

So what does make a great engagement session? A lovely couple, great light, skilled photographer, and most of all an inspiring story!

If you’ve fallen in love with these engagement photos and are interested in seeing more from this Boston wedding photographer, check out Samantha’s site Samantha Melanson Photography. You can view Samantha’s business listing in the Bridal Book.

All images courtesy of Samantha Melanson Photography. All Rights Reserved.