Shannon & RJ

I’ve been waiting to share this gallery until it was winter again, and it’s finally time! Shannon and RJ’s Annapolis engagement session is definitely one I won’t forget, for many reasons. These two are planning a winter chic wedding and wanted engagement portraits to match, so it made sense for us to meet on one of the last cold, blustery days in March.

Shannon and RJ currently live in Texas and were home for the weekend to do some wedding planning. I watched the forecast carefully, because rescheduling wouldn’t be easy with them coming in from out of state. Fortunately, the weather was on our side! We met at St. Mary’s Church in Annapolis, a location incredibly special to the couple. Shannon’s parents were married here, and it’s where Shannon and RJ will be married themselves soon! The grounds of the church are just as beautiful as the inside, and the sprawling waterfront and red brick lent themselves perfectly to an “Annapolis at Christmastime” aesthetic.

Their one request for our time together: a portrait on Spa Creek bridge, with St. Mary’s Church in the background. I arrived early to scope out the exact location we’d need to work from. Thankfully, there’s a pedestrian walkway on the bridge! We had a bit of a walk to reach the perfect spot, but I’m obsessed with the final result. Afterwards, we changed into casual outfits and headed downtown for more waterfront portraits on the pier. Thanks to the early spring chill, we had the place to ourselves. These are some of my favorite portraits, because we really get to see Shannon and RJ’s fun personalities and playful relationship on display!

I mentioned that this day is memorable for me for a few reasons. On a personal note, we found out that I was pregnant with Henry the very next morning after this shoot. This was a HUGE, unexpected surprise, and top of the shock, I was absolutely devastated that his due date was going to conflict with Shannon and RJ’s wedding. I was so nervous to share this news with them, but they could not have been more gracious or understanding. My incredibly talented associate team is going to photograph Shannon and RJ’s wedding on my behalf, but you’d better believe that I’ll be cheering them on from afar on December 17th!

Shannon & RJ, thank you so much for trusting me and my team. We cannot wait to celebrate with you very soon!