City of Wheeling WV Engagement Session | Payge & Grove

OooOooO my goodness ME! I have all the words for this one and it’s been a long while since I’ve screamed and squealed and rambled like a maniac all at the same time so brace yourselves for impact! I’m Hannah (if you’re new here) and I get overly excited when I have a couple I know from previous weddings. I tend to get too excited when couples want to embrace a different location, vibe, and go for it. I also squeal and scream when my couples step out of their cars looking like models and acting the part. Tie all that up into one big bow? Well, you’d have Payge and Grove’s engagement session last night and I could NOT be more excited to show it to you all! They made Wheeling, WV look AMAZING! So, let’s do it! Please give these two all your Hannah Barlow Photography love! It’s not their first time on my blog but it is their first time being front and center! ENJOY!

Did you see?! DID YOU SEE?! Ooo my goodness!! Amazing, right? What you didn’t see was the not so amazing wind and weather. It was windy…like 15 mph winds with gusts I didn’t even bother checking the speed on. We had planned for last Monday. Rain. We had planned for last Tuesday…wind and rain. And while we didn’t have rain this day (well…not at this moment…just a sprinkle later), we did have a lot of…wind. We needed to get these done though because between both our schedules…it wasn’t going to work out until at least next week. We’d already burned through two rain reschedules. So, I let Payge make the executive decision and man OOoo man…look at these beauties…wind and all! AND THESE WERE JUST THE FIRST ONES! If I could grab a hold of you readers and shake you and just scream, “AREN’T THEY SO BEAUTIFUL?!” I totally would. If you’ve met me, you’re totally picturing it. If you haven’t met me yet, I swear I’m not a maniac…I just get super excited for my couples! It’ll all make sense when you see MORE! Carry on, if you will!

I was going to get creative and we were going to beat this wind! I was determined! So, I had these two just…walk! They’re so comfy and cozy together! They’ve been together now for 2.5 years and met through mutual friends. I got to meet lots and lots of their friends too when they were in a wedding I photographed last fall (Hi, Jenna and Jeremy!). Believe it or not, when I first met Grove, he had a mullet and had his Jeep parked sideways on a hill right in front of the cabin they were staying in…he was one of the reasons we (us vendors) just KNEW it was going to be a wild party…and I have no doubt Grove and Payge will make sure their wedding is a whole other level!

…but back to these photos BECAUSE…I can’t. I can’t even. They look like MODELS…in a MAGAZINE!

And at this moment I thought, “They look like celebrities trying to dodge the paparazzi!” Why do I think things like that? I have no idea…but I’ve always done it. Maybe it’s my love of reading? I often picture my couples in books (don’t get weird on me you all) or in movies…because they look the part and I’m a sucker for good love stories and happily ever afters. This job is SO cool it lets me live it…but in real life!

Ok. Back to it! At this point, the wind really decided to heat up and was blasting us. So, we moved off to the side of a building to avoid it. Payge and Grove just kept on looking like pure perfection!

…and kept looking like they belonged in a magazine too! I had such a hard time deciding what to show you all! So, here’s some breathtaking black and white versions for ya!

And the wind kept on whipping but I was amped up at this point!! So, we went off into this alley (Grove promised to protect us…HA!) and we REALLY got cozy. These ones below are some of my very favorites, but again, I really can’t decide!

As if the editing wasn’t “hard” enough, I had to then decide if I wanted to keep the purple building or get rid of it. What do you all think? I’m going to do a poll on IG but…but Payge and I think purple. The purple building was a huge conversation piece during this session. Maybe it’s nostalgia. I’m a lover of fun facts so imagine my extra excitement that Grove is also a lover of fun facts and educated me on building structures and sandstone. We talked about wanting to live in the old days (sparked conversation because of an old shoe shine building). It was like hanging out with friends, I tell ya!

THIS is the Grove I remember from the wedding last year! HA! Not the model like man that showed up this evening. I’ll take both!

Can you picture them as a bride and groom? When I tell you I have VISIONS and have put the pressure on myself for their wedding, I mean it. I was already texting Lacey this morning (who will be my second shooter for their December wedding) and we’re both highly anticipating this one! Payge, you’re an absolute BEAUTY, girl! Fashion sense? 10/10 too!

AHHHHH!! It didn’t matter where we went…They got right into position and made my job stupid easy! There are some stunning winter wedding photos coming at all you blog readers later this year! What more can I say?! I need more of Payge and Grove in my life and in front of my camera!

I picture their wedding photos as the most elegant and classy and I envision their outtakes as so much fun I can barely stand it with more outtakes that I can handle…and don’t you worry…I’ll be sure to show you! Here’s a sneak peek of what’s to come…this was just practice for them!

…and would you believe it if I told you that Payge and Grove can pull off uber, classy PLUS so much fun I was totally nervous this “is going to end badly”? YES! They really can do it all! This is what you can expect from their wedding (I think)…the best of ALL worlds!

Check back in about 7 months for their wedding blog. It’s going to be fantastic…I just KNOW IT! Happy Thursday, everyone!! Thanks for reading!

UPDATED TO ADD…ABOUT 30 MINUTES AFTER POSTING THIS.

It has just been brought to my attention that I’ve actually known Grove since 2019!!! WHATTTTTTTT?! OoO my goodness me! He is the “fur coat guy”! I can’t believe it!! It’s been almost FOUR years and I never put two and two together…AND HE NEVER TOLD ME! I’m over here in my office cackling! So, enjoy! Grove…circa 2019 at Kristen and Adam’s wedding!