Our Engagement Photos by Eliza Claire

If I were lazy, I would simply link to Eliza Claire’s post on our engagement session and call it day. While that’s definitely worth a peek, I can’t resist further gushing about Eliza Claire and our photos here. We adore her and simply cannot get enough of our photos!

I count us very lucky for being able to meet and work with Eliza Claire. It was one of the first and best decisions we have made during our engagement, thus far.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To say that Bruno and I have an untraditional engagement would be an understatement. Never the less, there are some things that all couples just do. To me, engagement photos were one of those things. All my cousins who are married did them. Doesn’t that count? After some debating and a polite request from my father, Bruno and I decided to take the photos on my next trip to London. We figured that it would at least be good practice for our wedding day.

I was very skeptical about finding a photographer with no recommendations and no where to start. (Note: not knowing where to begin seems to be a common theme for me and wedding planning.) Thanks to Google, I quickly came across Eliza Claire. I believe the query was “london engagement photography vintage,” go figure!

My biggest fear of Googling a photographer was that he or she would turn out to not be real. I know, crazy. I assure you that Eliza Claire is a real, living and breathing, woman with fabulous style, a sharp eye, and very curated taste. We emailed and spoke a bunch of times before finally meeting on Friday, May 13th. I know, we must be blessed. Even the weather held up, bathing us with sunshine all afternoon. I should have realized it was bound to be a great day from the second I saw Eliza Claire approaching me on Kensington High Street, decked out in a vintage chic pink feather hair band. Super cute!

Eliza Claire and her second shooter Marie spent a little over two hours with us, traipsing around Holland Park in Kensington, West-Central London. We photographed in the Kyoto Garden, the Rose Garden, and all along its paths. We also took a detour to the Leighton House, a very beautiful museum, where we had the backyard garden almost all to ourselves. Originally, I had thought we’d shoot somewhere in Notting Hill or in Camden, two of our favorite London neighborhoods. It was Bruno’s father, Jack, who suggested Holland Park, which is close to both Bruno’s current and childhood homes. By shooting in the park, we missed much of the hustle and bustle that can be distracting or even embarrassing when in the streets.

For first time sitters, Bruno and I found Eliza Claire to be the perfect combination of instructive and unobtrusive.  She and Marie were very chatty, putting our minds at ease by recounting the ever-interesting sagas of young motherhood. (Both Eliza Claire and Marie are mommies with gorgeous toddlers/preschoolers.) I found myself smiling constantly, not because I had to but because I was genuinely having so much fun. One location led to another, one pose to the next. Everything was so natural, and time slipped away from us.

I really wish I knew more London-based brides because I would tell them all to immediately book Eliza Claire. She’s a pleasure to work with, professional and punctual, and her rates and packages are very competitive. All that combined with her signature vintage look made her the right photographer for us. Thank you, Eliza Claire! You will definitely be missed in New York this January! x

 

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