Christine Gallagher Photography

Shontell & Anthony are hosting a July wedding here in Atlanta at the downtown Ritz Carlton, but live & work in Washington, D.C. They wanted to include “home” in all the wedding festivities by having their engagement session photographed there. I was very excited when we decided to shoot for when the Cherry Blossoms peak and we hit it on the mark! While the city was packed with sightseers, we managed to find moments of pause within the crowds and got amazing results! We spend some time in the gardens at the Smithsonian before changing clothes and heading for Union Station, I am torn as to which part of the session I love the most! Shontell & Anthony were a blast to photograph & I can not wait until July for the wedding… this is one bride that I am sure is gonna do it up right!

and… ironically the images above were not taken in Cherry Trees but Magnolias!

Clients often ask, “what should we wear” when we are scheduling their engagement session, and we always tell them to show off their personal style. We are here to capture “you” and what you wear says a lot about you, your personality and what makes the two of you click as a couple! Just for fun, we thought we’d share some styling ideas on our site. While we don’t claim to be fashion guru’s, we have at least photographed a lot of people who are, and have learned through the years what does photograph well.  Enjoy!  ~ Christine

We call this one: An Anthropologie girl meets a Brooke Brothers boy! This look has a vintage/retro feel and would look great for a session  in a rustic setting. Our location pick: Serenbe.

What girl doesn’t love Pink? With spring in the air & Cherry Blossom’s blooming everywhere, we call this one: A Garden Romance.  Perfect for a park setting, my pick… The Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Disclaimer… a lot of men will not wear pink (my husband included), so I would then substitute the pink striped shirt for white linen.

Today we add a little spice to the line up, with what we call: Some like it hot. For the couples with a little more “sass”… a spot like Little Five Points would make for an exciting and alternative location for an engagement session. Ideal for the couple who prefers to be a bit more edgy, tattoo’s & graffiti can be a lot of fun in photographs!

For the more Preppy times, we call this one: A Sunday Kind Of Love. The complete opposite from the last selection , this couple prefers clean & classic style. We’d pick the Swan House @ The Atlanta History Center for this session. We love the classic southern architecture & gardens there, it’s so romantic & timeless!

Last but not least, we wrap it up with a Bucket Full of Sunshine! Idea for a country setting & there are plenty of those around rural Georgia! But if you don’t want to venture too far outside the city, Life College actually has a “Pioneer Village” on campus complete with log cabins & a water wheel!

Credit: #1. Ladies Dress & Shoes from Anthro. (of course), Mens attire from Gap/Banana Republic, tie from Macys.

Credit #2 Ladies attire from Ann Taylor Loft. Men’s from Macy’s.

Credit #3. Ladies attire from Modcloth (swoon), Men’s attire from Macy’s.

Credit #4. Men’s & Woman’s attire from Banana Republic, shoes from Zappo’s.

Credit #5. Men’s vest, shirt & tie from Polo, Jeans from Gap. Ladies attire from Modcloth & boots from Zappo’s.