Question: How do you get a Canadian man in his 20’s excited about taking engagement photos?
Answer: Rent out a hockey rink, of course!!
Aside from solidifying our venue, my favorite wedding planning activity, by far, has been our engagement photo shoot. It was a day full of pampering, romancing, laughing, and even ice skating! Harley has never been a huge fan of the traditional engagement photo idea, so I had to get a little creative in order for him to be as excited about the ordeal as I was…that’s where hockey comes in!
Harley and I are in our fourth year as season ticket holders for the Florida Panthers. We froze our butts off at the outdoor Winter Classic in Boston this past January, we traveled to California on a whim to see his favorite team when they finally made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in May, and my fiancé’s closet looks like a cartoon’s wardrobe who wears multiple versions of the same outfit everyday…and yes, that outfit is a hockey jersey.
We’ve also been noticing the trend of infusing the couples’ personalities and hobbies into the big day (i.e. Harry Potter and Disney-themed weddings). While I wasn’t ready to give up my idea of a traditional, elegant wedding for a ceremony officiated by our team’s mascot or reception table names influenced by our favorite hockey players, I thought it would be a great idea to let this collective hobby of ours play out in our engagement photos.
Engagement Photo Shoot Planning
I’ve always loved seeing my friends’ engagement photos, but I can honestly say I didn’t realize how much work went into them! First came the most important part…choosing a date. I never put much thought into this before, thinking “you just pick a day and take some pictures,” but it’s not quite that easy. I had to make sure all the key players were available on the same day. For us, those key players were Lulu’s Hair and Make-up Studio, Jack Bates Photography , and the Palm Beach Skate Zone . We chose to take the pictures on Labor Day because it was a Monday I was off from work, and, as you can imagine, wedding vendors like a hair and make-up artist and a photographer tend to be booked on the weekends.
Once the date was set and everyone was on board for a Labor Day engagement photo shoot, the wardrobe decisions began! Because Harley and I planned to take pictures on ice at the Palm Beach Skate Zone, at the beach across from our wedding venue, and even some at our wedding venue, we knew we would need more than one outfit. We decided to divide and conquer with me being in charge of the hockey outfits and Harley being in charge of the wardrobe for the beach and venue. KIDDING!
Of course Harley did a wonderful job with our hockey gear. Months before we took the photos, he designed Florida Panthers jerseys with his (and my future) last name on the back, as well as the numbers “07” on mine for July and “09” for the 9th. What could be more exciting for him than Save the Dates in the form of hockey jerseys? For the beach and venue photos, I took to the mall with my friend and bridesmaid Shelley, who also helped me find my wedding dress. Somehow, it took us four times longer and about 10 more stores to find a “beachy yet bridal” dress than it did to find my wedding dress !
In order to bring our hockey-inspired engagement photos to life, I started spending quite a bit of time scouring Pinterest to find creative ideas and made a list of props that would complete the look. All we needed in addition to the ice rink were a goal net and two hockey sticks, which were provided by the ice rink, as well as a hockey puck with our wedding date on it.
I knew just where to go to have a perfect hockey puck made, as well as the “Smashing the Glass” sign we planned to use for the beach photos…my graduate school roommate’s new design company, Ink Barrel Signs ! Kaitlyn made all of the signage for my sister’s bridal shower and wedding, so it was the obvious choice for our engagement photos. The best part about having a friend with a design company is that I got to assist with production. By that I mean I colored in some of the designs she outlined, but it was still fun to work on together!
Engagement Photo Time!
The morning of the photo shoot, I did what any bride would do…had one last gym session and got my ring cleaned for extra sparkle! I was starting to get nervous about the weather, especially when my hair and make-up artist called to confirm we were still taking photos that day, but realized we had too many people and reservations involved to reschedule. Luckily the hockey pictures were indoors, and our amazing wedding coordinator was able to let us use a room with a balcony overlooking the beach just in case our outdoor pictures couldn’t happen.
After packing up our outfits, personalized puck, “Smashing the Glass” sign, and Cava (which is the Spanish Champagne we drank after getting engaged in Spain), I headed out to Lulu’s Hair and Make-up Studio . Lulu is the most outstanding hair and make-up artist who I was fortunate enough to meet at the one and only Wedding Expo I attended. I won a free bridal trial with her at the show and was blown away with the results, as well as how natural it was for my mom and I to chat with her for two hours our first time meeting. I purchased her wedding package, which includes hair and make-up sessions at her studio for engagement photos and bridal shower, as well as on-site hair and make-up the day of the wedding. We went for a natural look for the engagement photos, and I have not stopped getting compliments since!
I met Harley, our photographer Jack, and his assistant Ellis at the Palm Beach Skate Zone after leaving Lulu’s. The General Manager who I coordinated with was so great! He made sure the ice was “Zamboni-ed” for our pictures and had his crew set up hockey sticks and the goal post for us. They even set the score board to show our wedding date! The whole set-up could not have been more perfect. Jack and Ellis even put on ice skates to get the most creative shots, and we all had a blast having the hockey rink to ourselves.
We rushed over to the Delray Beach Marriott once we were finished with the hockey portion of our photo shoot and quickly headed to the room reserved for us overlooking the beach. We had the quickest outfit change ever, took a few photos on the balcony, and ran to the beach very aware of the incoming storm. In retrospect, I’m actually glad it wasn’t sunny because I’m notorious for squinting in outdoor pictures! We spent maybe 15 minutes taking the more traditional, romantic photos on the beach and Seagrape Tree-covered walkway leading up to it before running back to the hotel in the rain.
At this point, I didn’t care about getting rained on because we already got so many incredible shots and were having such a good time, so we went outside to the balcony where Harley and I will be having our “First Look” next year to take the last few photos. I got this idea from Pinterest, where I saw a couple take a wedding photo in the same location and pose as they did in an engagement photo, and I fell in love with the idea. (P.S. How did people plan weddings before Pinterest ?!) Another perk of taking engagement photos at the wedding venue was that Jack got to see the location he will be working with next year and now has some great ideas for different angles he can use for our “First Look” pictures.
The Photos Are In!
For the next few weeks, I very anxiously awaited the email that our pictures were ready, and I couldn’t be happier with our photos! I’ve known our photographer, Jack, since High School. He’s done several of my friends’ weddings, and I never even considered working with a different photographer because his work always turns out so beautifully. He captured our love and excitement, as well as the fun-loving side of our relationship. Not to mention, how many photographers would fill out a liability waiver in order to take engagement photos on ice??
In addition to being a fun experience, these engagement photos set the stage for our wedding and let viewers into our relationship. They will be used for our official “Save the Date” cards, wedding website, and will be made into a guestbook for guests to sign on the day of our wedding. My hope is that our love is palpable in these photos and makes our guests feel excited about being part of our special day.
Dawn will be marrying Harley on 9th July 2017 at the Delray Beach Marriott in South Florida, USA, and Jack Bates Photography will be photographing her wedding.
You can read all Dawn’s planning posts so far here .
All images above: Jack Bates Photography
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