Harrisonburg Engagement Session with a Horse | Harrisonburg Wedding Photographer
This was a first for us.. an engagement session not just with a horse but a CLYDESDALE!!! When Ariana and I were planning out their engagement session we had a few ideas for a typical engagement session featuring her dog Ace in our home town, Roanoke. As we were planning she mentioned her dream engagement session would be with her other four legged family members, Bailey and Bo. The only thing was they live in Harrisonburg at Cross Keys Equine Therapy which was over an hour away from us.
I sat there thinking like I am not giving this girl a typical session if she says her DREAM is to include her horse and donkey?! So I pretty much insisted on driving up to her and Nick and giving them a super unique and incredible session with their HUGE animals! She texted me the morning of saying she made a beautiful garland and sent a picture of it on Bailey. Ya’ll… Bailey is not just a typical horse (like I expected)… he’s a Clydesdale!!! I immediately started FREAKING out!! How cool is that?! I knew immediately that this was a good decision. On top of that she said she found a flowy dress to wear and I think I teared up a bit because BOTH our dreams were coming true that day. This session is what Pinterest goals are made of!
I still can’t believe how incredible this session was with Nick and Ariana. They are such sweet souls and we immediately clicked with them at this session. They are so down to earth, fun, and funny! Engagement sessions are so easy when our couples are relaxed and easy going like these two. We enjoyed getting to hang out with them and have a glimpse into their life with these amazing animals around the stables! Bo the donkey, Bailey the Clydesdale, & their spoiled pup Ace all did so well in front of the camera.
I am always nervous when my couples want to include their animals for a few reasons. 1) You can’t tell them what to do, they are not humans of course. So really they are in charge of the show. 2) High expectations. If my brides have been on Pinterest they have probably seen the beautiful images other photographers have gotten and want to replicate it to some extent. This is not always possible… again, see reason #1. 3) Sometimes animals are freaked out by cameras and strangers. My pup Kimber doesn’t like the camera pointing at her even if its us holding the camera!! So working with animals always makes me a little nervous!
However, all three of their animals did a GREAT job in front of the camera. In fact, we were able to deliver more images than I thought we would from this shoot because they behaved so well!! I am so beyond exited to add this session to my portfolio and work with more adventurous couples like Nick and Ariana!! It was an epic engagement session to end my 2019 season and I am so excited to share some behind the scenes posts with you all! So stay tuned for some fun posts coming up!
Enjoy our first ever engagement session with a horse. Wait no… first engagement session with a Clydesdale!!
Hair by: Manes by Lyons
Location: Cross Keys Equine Therapy
Until next time,
Emily
