Morgan + Lee – Alabama Engagement in New Orleans’s City Park

Y’all.

Get ready for this.

Um… hello?! Could that be any more perfect of a setting?!

I have to say- Morgan and Lee are really troopers. We were all in New Orleans for the wedding of other friends, and they still managed to look like super stars on Sunday morning for their engagement pictures.

We were working with limited time for the shoot, but as we started, I was BLOWN AWAY by that rock on Morgan’s hand.  I had to take a few seconds to get my breath back after catching a glimpse of that thing! Lee definitely did a great job picking it out.

This was actually my first time spending time with Morgan and Lee, and it was evident from the start that he loves this beautiful woman of his.

Because I tend to favor natural positions, I like to encourage people to interact as it feels natural to them. I tell them to relax and just let me be there photographing it. Those are the moments where I have a chance to capture their story genuinely. Does he naturally kiss her on the forehead as a sign of affection? I hope to capture that. Does she usually snuggle into him with her head on his chest? I want to let those moments unfold and be there to document them.

And to do that, I gave Morgan and Lee full reign and license for public PDA. After all, we don’t know these people in this park, right? We’ll never see them again. You do you.

And they did.

And they were GREAT at it!

FUNNY STORY:

Growing up and living in a small town involves all kinds of social intricacies.

One of the most common is the idea that “everybody knows everybody.” On the surface, this is usually true, but then you find that level of interaction where, yes, you do know WHO someone is, but you’ve never actually spent time around them. Adding social media into the equation is even more complex, because at that point you basically know their entire life story and want to be best friends with their dog. But, remember, you haven’t ever actually been around them.

That’s kinda how I knew Morgan before she asked me to photograph their wedding.

We know all the same people, and we’ve even been at the same events together, but we had never really known each other any deeper than that. When I would excitedly tell people about being the wedding photographer, I began to unravel how I should know both Morgan and Lee on another level.

As it turns out, Morgan and her mom often attend church with my family and live very close.

And get this, Lee and I are actually related.

….and there you have another one of those small town social intricacies!

Oddly enough, Lee’s grandmother and my grandfather were brother and sister.

Now, to be fair, I think there were like 12 children in that family, so it’s kind of understandable that connections would have gotten lost somewhere along the way! However, this was recent news to both of us, and a cool way to connect to my first JBP couple!

So, if you’re going to take engagement photos in New Orelans, you MUST have some dancin’, right?!

When Lee first stepped out of the truck, I commented on his snazzy boots. Little did I know, the boots already carried their own jokes. Apparently, the boots were to be his wedding present, but he got a little eager and ordered them early! Oops! Either way, we had to make sure they were documented!

As for Morgan, I don’t think she could have picked a more perfect outfit. When she first sent me pictures, I teared up a little, because it was exactly something I had been wanting to photograph. (Crazy photographer thoughts.)

She looked PHENOMENAL.

So as we start the final countdown to their wedding in March, I just can’t believe how thankful for I am for the opportunities I’ve had in the last 6 months or so of starting Jennifer Bradford Photography. I’m so incredibly thankful for Morgan and Lee for trusting me with this monumental day in their lives, and I am so thrilled to spend March 24th with them as their photographer!

P.S. – This is only the smallest sampling of the beauty that is City Park in New Orleans, and I am itching for another session there! Super bonus points to anyone that wants to make that happen!

love,

jb