as many of you know, ryan and i got married about two months ago, so we took our engagement photos quite a while ago. this is a post i've been meaning to write for quite some time!

after we got engaged, i knew I wanted to take engagement pictures. i always wanted the "pinterest perfect" photos of me and my fiance. i knew i wanted something like this...

what i didn't know (or expect) was what it would be like to scroll through about 900 photos...some good, some great, and some bad. this post is to give newly-engaged people some advice about taking engagement pictures (and to calm any nerves you may have!)

before i really dive in, i want to say how much ryan and i absolutely loved our photographer, alex kaplan; they were fantastic and we would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a wedding photographer!

here's eight tips and tricks we have for you! enjoy!

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before we arrived at our photoshoot, i was nervous. i've never taken photos like this before so i had no idea what to expect. but, the photographer will literally tell you exactly what to do. when ryan and i got there, we walked out onto the grass and blankly said, "uhh...what should we do?" immediately, the photographers told us how to position ourselves. they tell you where to look, whether or not to smile, where to put your hands, etc. 



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social media is very DECEIVING. we all know that social media is completely curated to display people looking their absolute best. what we don't see is the pictures of people blinking or sneezing or just being flat out awkward. to ease any nerves you may have, here's a few of our absolute gems from the photoshoot. these guys DEFINITELY didn't make it to social media...(don't make fun of us!)

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i blame pinterest for this one as well. i saw so many cute pictures online where the couple brought really cute props to feature in their photos. some were the date they were getting married to use for the save the date; others were just sweet additions to the photo. the thing about this is that props generally don't come cheap and who knows if you'll even like the picture. 

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if you know ryan and i, you know how obsessed we are with our dog, amber. throughout our engagement, we toyed with the idea of involving her in the ceremony. (we opted not to; she's nuts and it would have been a disaster.) so, we wanted to take some of our engagement pictures with her in it.

here's what they don't tell you: dogs don't always cooperate. first, i didn't think of what we would do with her when she wasn't posing in the picture. we ended up having to tie her up on a cable close by, which she didn't love. she barked for a solid 20 minutes throughout the time. then, when she was actually in a photo, she was too consumed looking for squirrels or sniffing around. our advice would be to involve the pet if it's super important to you, but don't have extremely high expectations for them.

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not only is it weird to see myself kissing, but it's weird to see what i look like all different angles. the thing about engagement pictures for us was that it was the first time that we've ever seen this many photos of us in so many different ways. we're used to seeing straight on pictures of us smiling directly at the camera at a birthday party or smiling from our seat at a restaurant with a group of friends. so, looking though 900 photos was a little uncomfortable at first. i'm not going to lie; the first time i looked through them, i only liked very few of them, mostly just because it was something totally new TO ME. the more we looked through them, the more comfortable we got and we realized we loved a ton of them. 

ryan and i talked about this a lot throughout our engagement and after our wedding. after looking through our couple thousand wedding pictures, we thought it would have been a much different experience if we hadn't already looked through our engagement pictures. we got the "whoa, that's what i my nose looks like from the side?" and were ready to simply enjoy our wedding photos.



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be comfortable. i mean this in so many ways. be comfortable with what you're wearing, with where you are, with who you're with, etc. we chose to take our engagement pictures at the lake in ryan's childhood neighborhood, across the street from his parents' house. we would have felt completely out of place in the city or surrounded by a bunch of strangers at the beach, so this was ideal.

we wore clothes that we were comfortable in and i did my hair and makeup in a way that felt normal to me. (i even had a glass of wine while we got ready because it made the day feel more fun!) i think trying something totally new before engagement pictures would be a risky idea, but that's just me! 


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if you're planning on doing save the dates, using an engagement picture would be fantastic! think about the vision you have for your wedding. will it be super formal or  more organic? rustic? daytime? nighttime? think about the elements that will make it "yours" and try to incorporate it into your engagement photos. we knew we were getting married at the lake valhalla club, which is a beautiful lakeside venue in montville, nj that has huge fireplaces, floor-to-ceiling windows, and wood floors. taking our engagement photos by the lake was perfect and matched our vision well!

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most importantly, have fun! getting engaged is a super exciting part of your life! being engaged is also exciting, but it's lots of work to plan the wedding, so remember to really enjoy your engagement pictures. the camera will capture the love you have for one another, so just try to be as comfortable as you can and have a wonderful time!


AND THERE YOU HAVE IT! IF YOU'RE RECENTLY ENGAGED, CONGRATULATIONS! ENJOY THE PROCESS AND HAVE A BLAST TAKING YOUR PICTURES!

BEFORE I GO...HERE'S A FEW OF MY FAVORITES FROM OUR SHOOT:

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!

Our flight was supposed to leave at 7:10 in the morning. We boarded around 6:30am and didn't take off until about three hours later. Needless to say, it was a long day. When we finally arrived, we stopped in Disney Springs for lunch, checked in at our hotel, relaxed for a bit, and headed to our first Disney dinner at Animal Kingdom. We went to an African-inspired restaurant, called Sanaa, where we ordered a bread service to split as an appetizer. It came with various types of naan bread and nine different "sauces", ranging from mango chutney to garlic pickle. It was AMAZING. We were lucky to have gotten the opportunity to try such unique food. ​

Since my cousins live in Colorado and California, it's rare that we're all together. So, I was very thankful to have this trip to spend some time together with them. We all got to Hollywood Studios before it opened so we could make the most of the day. We headed to Toy Story Mania first. The other big hits of the day was the Rock n' Roller Coaster and the Tower of Terror, of course. I especially like this picture of the Tower of Terror of us. ​

On Wednesday night, 19 of us enjoyed dinner in a private room. As I've said, it's so rare that my whole family is together. This 19 makes up my mom's whole side of the family. It was a great night with AMAZING food. (And it was the first time I sat at the "adult table"...ahhh.) After dinner, we took advantage of the fact that we were all together and took pictures together. I'd say it's safe to say that this is a favorite of everyone. ​

On Friday, we headed to Animal Kingdom. When we arrived, we headed to the Festival of the Lion King Show, then to Expedition Everest. The rest of the day was spent walking looking at animals like gorillas and tigers, riding the Kali River Rapids, enjoying an African-inspired character buffet, and a Jungle Book Night Show. My absolute favorite part of the day, though, was the safari ride we took at dusk. (Shout out to my mom for knowing to go at dusk because the animals are more active!!!) We saw giraffes RUNNING, lions walking around, hippos, alligators, and more. It was awesome. ​

We've been to EPCOT before, but I've never appreciated it as much as I did on this trip. We started out the day by riding Soarin' and the Nemo ride. Then, we headed to the countries to taste the food and have some drinks. Ryan and I did our fair share of taste testing throughout the day.

Germany: Shared a bratwurst. Both got a beer.
Japan: Split sushi.
Morocco: Split small plates with family. (Lamb sausage, brie fondue, and garlic shrimp).
France: Macarons.
England: Beers.
​Mexico: Dinner with the family at San Angel Inn Restaurante ​

One of my absolutely favorite things to do in Disney is Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Resort. We were lucky enough to get a reservation for all of us before our flight back home on Sunday. Chef Mickey's is a character buffet with excellent food. Knowing it was our last time to fully indulge on vacation, we all filled our plates with breakfast, lunch, and dessert. ​

On the car ride home, the girl named me Kyle.

When we got back to their apartment, which is conveniently located next to Quick Chek and a liquor store, they arranged me in their barely-800 sq. foot apartment. Ryan had to give me a haircut so I could fit. They dressed me with white lights, silver garland, and their childhood ornaments as we listened to the Jazz Christmas station on Spotify. Quickly, they started placing beautifully wrapped gifts under me as their anticipation for Christmas grew stronger. ​

The month of December passed quickly as Lisa baked about 400 different varieties of cookies (only 5 of which were actually edible). On Christmas Eve, they shared a glass of wine and Lisa gave Ryan a handmade "Our First Christmas" ornament, which he immediately hung on my branch. Lisa wrote a letter to Santa (I'm not sure when she'll get too old for that habit) and they went to bed after falling asleep watching Elf. 

When morning came, I sat quietly as they wished each other a Merry Christmas and began opening presents. They both got each other selfie sticks (for some reason) and worked way too hard to take a selfie with me in the background. I can't blame them though - I am quite handsome. It was a joy to watch them create their own traditions and to smell the french toast Lisa worked on in the kitchen before doing some last minute wrapping for family gifts. ​

November in New Jersey means a few long weekends, especially for teachers. We get the first Thursday and Friday off because of the big convention down in Atlantic City. Instead of going to the convention, my friends and I decided it was time for a getaway, a mini vacation.

Ryan's amazing family has a cottage on Lake Cayuga in Aurora, NY. On Thursday night, we packed up our bags and started the four hour journey up there. Upon our almost 10pm arrival, it immediately meant a bonfire and a glass of Chardonnay. By Friday morning, all four couples had arrived and we were ready for the weekend. We left the cottage around 11am and began the wine tastings at all of the incredible wineries.  By Sunday afternoon, Ryan and I had accumulated this small collection of wine bottles. ​

 We were lucky to make stops at the Goose Watch Winery, Eleven Lakes Winery, Montezuma Winery, Heart and Hands (my personal favorite), Varick Winery & Country Store (where we ate our body weight in cheese dips and seasoned olive oils, as well as the Ithaca Beer Company, where we took a tour of the brewery and had an INCREDIBLE lunch. ​

And if all of that wasn't enough, we got to spend some time with Ryan's cousins and aunts and uncles. Truly wonderful people. ​

Ryan and I moved in at the beginning of August, after an exhausting apartment-hunting process came to an end. 

For the most part, it's been dandy. He likes to cook. I like to clean. He doesn't seem to mind my strange obsession with lighting candles and I don't mind his large collection of beer-making supplies. It's going well.

Before we moved in, we remember hearing people say, "Oh, you are going to learn so much about each other", "Good luck, you two!", and "You never really know someone until you've lived with them". All of these seemed to have an undertone that sounded a lot like "Noooo! Don't do it - it's scary to live with a significant other! RUN AWAY." 

After a little over two months, we are both very happy living here together. Absolutely no blow out fights. We make pretty darn good roommates, if I say so myself.

But. 

What they don't tell you about living together is all of the stupid, little, just "living" stuff.

I heard about learning how to split bills appropriately. I was forewarned about the cleanliness of women verses the dirtiness of men (Ryan's not really that dirty, guys). I knew about being fair with chores. But, I missed the memo about what to do when I like to sleep in a freezing cold room, with the fan blasting on my face in the middle of October as his nose slowly forms icicles. No one told me about not being allowed to watch the Walking Dead until Ryan's in the other room because he doesn't like the noise of the walkers. (Read: I had to watch last Sunday's episode four days late.) And what happens when I like the lights on and he's trying to save money on the electric bill? Or when I swear there's a small part of our apartment that smells like ethnic food and he thinks I'm insane?

It's the little things they don't tell you. 

Maybe I like living one way (sleeping in a 45 degree room at night after watching the Walking Dead and waking up by turning on all the lights) and he likes living another way. But, hey, it's working and it's lots of fun.

Here's to many more happy months living together and many more strange little things I was never told about before. ​

My little sister just left for her freshman year of college. Barf. Only six years ago, she was a little twelve-year-old, helping to move me in. And now, she's OFF. 

I just closed out my Facebook after scrolling through some pictures from college. Freshman year is, without a doubt, one of the most fun years in so many people's lives and I'd give anything to go back. Thinking of all the memories she will make this year, I'm pretty jealous.

You will sit at the campus cafeteria for five hours on a Sunday afternoon with a dozen friends, staying for lunch AND dinner. You will fling food across the table off a spoon and catch it in a cup. You'll grab the soft serve on the way out and play basketball with the rotten apples on the way to the dorms.

You will make a little 12 x 15 foot room your home with your new roommate, who would quickly become your best friend. 

You will sneak back from the sweaty frat party into your dorm room and hope not to wake the RA. You will order a pizza at 2am and eat it on the floor, listening to country music. 

You will create a ridiculously large (and ridiculously bad) Mickey Mouse when it snows for that long weekend and will invite over ten friends to watch one of those stupid scary movies. You will all cram on the two twin extra long mattresses that were lofted eight feet off the ground.

You will make friends with some upperclassman and hope his house is "conveniently available" when you want to have a party. 

You will plan a beach day with all of your new friends and then get insanely sunburnt because Mommy didn't tell you to wear sunscreen. 

You will think it's a really great idea to dress up as a mustard bottle for Halloween. In fact, you'll think a lot of the ideas you have in college are good...in that moment.

You will take the cheesiest Christmas pictures with your girlfriends and save the Christmas card for years. 

You might even meet the love of your life, whether you know it then or not. 

You'll make the best of memories with the best of people. So, enjoy each and every second of it. It flies.

I never thought I would admit it, but I'm kind of losing my mind. Summer is nearing an end, and I think I'm hitting the point where I am ready to go back to school. [GASP - teachers aren't supposed to admit that, are they?!]

Yesterday, I think I watched six thousand episodes of The Walking Dead. Today, I was productive for about 35 minutes. I haven't showered yet (Sorry, Mom) and I'm slowly sinking into my couch, listening to TLC's Four Weddings as background noise. I have wildly exciting plans of making a trip to Target (for the 3rd time this week) and cooking Ryan dinner when he comes back from his very adult-y business trip. SOMEONE, HELP ME PLEASE. 

I've always been the type of person who needs to be busy. In fact, one of my hobbies is filling up my daily planner, making checklists, and checking things off. Nerdy, I know. So, August started off relaxing and felt like a vacation. Now, I'm getting a cramp in my neck from laying on one side too long. The battery on my phone is dying too quickly these days because I'm exhaustingly scrolling through Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and my new favorite (which I'm still trying to figure out), Periscope. I think I need a hobby. Or children. (Just kidding)

I'm sure that, come mid November, I'll be wishing I was back in this nail-painting, sleeping-in, yoga-pant-wearing phase, but for now, I'm ready to go back. Please, someone, tell me I'm not alone. 

Ryan and I recently moved into our first apartment earlier in August. For months and months, I had been shopping and getting ready to move in and decorate my first big girl place. (Sorry, Mom and Dad, for taking over our basement with my piles of picture frames, plates, and pillows.) 

We moved in quickly, to say the least. On a Thursday, we loaded up our cars and unloaded it all into our new place. On Friday, the moving trucks came with the bed, couch, and all the big stuff. Only a few hours later, we had to shower and head to Upstate New York for Ryan's family event. So, when we returned late Sunday night, it didn't quite feel like "home" yet. I worked like a maniac on Monday to clean, decorate, hang, install, and fluff pillows to make it look cozy. And now, I'm obsessed!

Here's a quick little tour of our place!

First and foremost, here's our front door! We live in the upstairs of a house. 

Our cozy living room!

(Above the couch)

Bedroom!

Ryan's office area.

The kitchen is our favorite part.

Kitchen table and bar area. 

And finally, the bathroom!

Well, there you have it! Stop by one day for an ACTUAL tour :)