Erica & Ryan's Engagement Session in St Petersburg, Florida

Sep 24

I traveled to St Petersburg, Florida to capture Erica & Ryan's engagement session. This one was quite special for me because I've loved my friendship with Erica since our days at NYU. They've shared below in their own words what made their engagement session so special.

1. Tell us who you are, and what you're most looking forward to about being married to each other.
I am Erica Cavanaugh, recently married to Ryan Cavanaugh. I'm looking forward to our life together, which sounds cliche. We'd been dating for six years before getting married. We had already "chosen" each other, but I was really looking forward to making it official and becoming his wife. Ryan isn't writing this, so I'll also take the liberty of speaking for him. :) We're excited for our next chapter -- now as a married couple. That includes old and new friends, new experiences, new places. We're at the beginning.

2. When was the last time either of you had professional photos taken, and how did it feel having your engagement photos taken?
I had professional photos taken when I turned 30. I realized I wanted a snapshot of me as I was at that milestone, and found a photographer who captured me at a time when I was confident in myself and independent. The feeling of the engagement shoot was different. We were more vulnerable. We were in public putting our love on display to later share moments with our close friends and family. It was a little awkward at first, but Amber did an excellent job helping us to center on each other, and remember why we were there -- to be ourselves and let our relationship show.

3. What vision did you have for your engagement session? And how did you go about bringing it to life whether through your style, location or something else?
Our vision was to capture moments that fit us and our style. Ryan is an entrepreneur who loves boating and the water. I am a corporate professional who lives for time outdoors with the babies (our dogs). We also share a love for our growing town, St Pete, Florida. That meant we were outdoors checking out murals, some beautiful nature spots, and of course we got some photos with the girls, our dogs :). We helped guide the where and when, but Amber brought it to life by encouraging our natural selves to come out.

4. Why were engagement photos important to you both, and what do you plan to do with them?
Engagement photos were important because they captured a moment in time that we won't have in the same way again. We had recently agreed to get married, a decision neither of us take lightly (six years of dating!). That moment was exciting. We started to say "fiance" (still weird), our friends and family were reaching out with love and support, we had big decisions to make about a day that was months away. It was overwhelming but in a good way. I'm so grateful we have a picture (literally, several pictures that we are in love with) to capture that time/feeling/emotion. We've already shared the photos through Save the Dates, on social media, in business (Ryan uses one as a headshot!). We love the moments that Amber captured, and couldn't be more grateful for the experience of the shoot.