Urban Wheeling Engagement Session | Hannah Barlow Photography | WV Wedding Photography

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

OOooOoO my goodness!  I’ve got all kinds of good feels right now!  So, I usually send out a “couple fun facts” survery to my couples prior to their engagement session.  Some people love it.  Some people never open it!  No matter what…you ALL know I always have more than enough to say (cue my husband’s eye roll and head shake confirmation).  THIS couple did fill it out though (well, Amy did…HA!) and I just finished reading it and I’m swooning over here!  Swooning.  I’m not kidding!  It’s got me squealing in my office and I’m all by myself!

First things first though, I’d love to introduce…Amy and Logan!

They’re the newest couple on the blog and I’m SO EXCITED to share some of my favorites!

Here we go!

Seriously, you don’t get much better looking than this!  I’d been dying to meet Amy for so long!  Her sweet personality radiates through emails and I couldn’t wait to experience it in person!  She did not disappoint.  Both she and Logan were a bit nervous I think and had at one point mentioned they felt awkward.  No way!  NO WAY!  Check out these photos!  Amy and Logan live close to the Centre Market in Wheeling, WV!  Gosh.  I’m SO GLAD!  It was such a nice change of pace for me to get into an urban setting and it also got me away from all that dreaded green grass I’ve been fighting for the last couple of weeks (green color cast is THE WORST to avoid and have to photoshop out).  I was trying to channel my inner Denise here (she’s a great friend of mine who resides in NYC and can make a street cone look like art).  What do you think?!  I’m loving it!

We started off in front of the Wheeling Brewing Company (link here).  They frequently hang out here so it seemed to be the perfect location!  They nailed the walking and snuggling!  Logan was hating every second of this though! HA!  He and my husband would have a lot to talk about!

So, these two dated for a good while growing up and while in school…straight down to sharing a locker in high school and exchanging love notes.  Growing up and apart they decided to split and go their separate ways only to end up back together and ENGAGED! EEEEKKKKK!! I love love love love stories like this! <3 They were definitely meant to be!  I also LOVED reading that Logan proposed in front of 50ish family and friends last Christmas.  Even during the short time I spent with him, I can tell you that proposal seemed very much unlike him!  He reminds me a lot of my husband.  Doesn’t like attention. Quiet.  More reserved.  Amy and Logan are basically a lot like John and Hannah (me, of course).  That makes me love their story even more!

So, when your groom-to-be rates his love of having his photo taken a “3” on a scale of 1 to 10 but asks for a picture with the cupola…you do it!  Seriously, that’s the rating scale I give my guys at the beginning of every session (10 being like my Joes who LOVE the camera and 1 being having your fingernails pulled off)! HA!  I need help.  I did get he feeling he is a history buff and there’s something special behind this thing but I can’t confirm!  Logan…help a girl out!  P.S.  I totally had to Google the spelling of “cupola” and would have never guessed it was spelled that way! You really do learn something new every day!

Ironically, I found these greens and flowers and just had to photograph by them!  I just love all the colors going on here and I need to mention how much I love love love their outfits!! I saw her walking down the sidewalk in that dress when we first met and wanted to jump for joy.  I loved his patterned shirt and especially his shoes too.  It just made my photographer heart and brain SO HAPPY!  I’d also like to mention that my five year old daughter came into the office while I was editing these and said, “OooOO WOW, Mom.  She’s SO PRETTY”.  For any of those who don’t know, my daughter (at 5 years old) has lots and lots of opinions on wedding details, dresses, tuxes, etc. It warmed my heart so much when she said that and I replied, “She sure is, isn’t she?!”  It is true.  Between the two of them, I can’t imagine what their wedding pictures are going to look like! WEEEEEEEEEE!

Channeling my inn Kari here…filling the frame!  These two started warming up too!! Can you see it?!  Can’t you tell?!  At this point, Logan was starting to suggest some photo location spots and I was getting so happy (but tried to hide it so I didn’t spook him…HA!).  Lots of my grooms give me a hard time and many of them end up having so much fun at their weddings.  I have a sneaking suspicion Logan may be one of them too!  He’s going to read this and think, “You are so wrong, girl!”….HA!  Challenge accepted!  We’ll have to wait and see!

…but I mean, he NAILED the dip!  I’m starting to notice a trend.  The guys that aren’t huge fans of photos take their roles very seriously and it really shines in the dip no matter who it is.  There was minimal coaching here.  She trusted him.  IT SHOWS!  WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  GREAT JOB!  He doesn’t even look like he’s trying!

They even did some dancing on the sidewalk!  They were so natural at this point and those smiles and laughs are genuine!  I pretended to “keep metering” and getting my settings right…I lied! HA! I didn’t want to miss this moment and have them go “posed” on me!  It worked!

Seriously, I love seeing the development of personalities and the nerves go away at sessions!  They’re just so amazing together!  These photos are going up on the website FOR SURE!  It was so hard to narrow it down!

Then, it was time to find some light.  My friend Denise (mentioned above) always complains about how the buildings in NYC block her light.  Wow.  I get it now!  Buildings make photographer life hard!  So, I literally followed the light and we found this little spot!  YAY!  All I wanted was some good backlight for them and the sun was cooperating and setting nicely and it all worked out! YAY!

BUT THEN…Logan mentioned a “wall”.  You all know me.  I LOVE some stone and bricks and anything “wall”.  He did his Master’s thesis on this wall and gave me a little lesson on the walk there.  The sun was peaking over so perfectly.  MEANT.TO.BE!  Seriously, that blue was working so well with everything!

…and one last one on the walk back because we hadn’t done any sitting!  Gosh.  This session gave me all kinds of good feels from start to finish.  It was different than what I normally do and my creativity really needed that!  Also, lets talk about this ring which Amy MAY have picked out prior to the proposal (which I’m guessing made the surprise proposal in front of all their family and friends all the more shocking).  She had mentioned they had “agreed” to a private engagement at some point…SURPRISE!  OOOoOoO man oOoOo man…their wedding is going to ROCK!

Be sure to check back in October (or maybe November…my fall is packed) for their wedding blog!  They’re getting married mid October and planning a beautifully, romantic, fall wedding at Oglebay!  Holy Moly…it’s going to be BEAUTIFUL!   How many times have I said “beautiful”?  Jeesh.

That’s it!  If you’ve made it to the end of this, please go back to the Facebook page and “like” or “comment” on the blog!  Facebook does this tricky thing where they won’t let anyone see the blog in their timeline if people don’t “interact” with the post.  I think I’m currently being shunned! HA!  I have no shame!! If you have a second, please interact! 🙂  I’d greatly appreciate it!  

Have a great day!