When Katie & Simone asked me if I would come down to Key West to photograph their engagement photos I could hardly hold back my excitement! In fact, I don’t think I managed to keep it in and responded with something close to a “OH HECK YEA!!” They then proceeded to tell me that we’d be taking them on an old wooden sailboat and I think I may have fainted from hearing too many amazing things at one time, ha ha!
My husband and I took the Key West Express down on a Sunday morning, met them at the dock and immediately boarded the Appledore Star sailboat along with Katies family and two of their close friends. What a gorgeous vessel! An all wood deck and masts, there was so much character and charm and it was clearly a perfect choice for these two women to have photos taken on. Simone was so excited to be on this ship, but a bit nervous about having her photos taken since she’s never had professional photos done before. It was quite easy to calm her nerves however, especially when I got into a kayak to paddle out and grab a snap of the whole ship and their beautiful, blended family. Once I was back on board, we worked smoothly into getting those quintessential snuggly kissing shots and kicked the other friends off the boat to capture some wider angles without interruption.
After everyone was back on board, the captain and his crew lowered the sails so we could all have a true sailing experience! This was a perfect opportunity for more photos to be taken as the breeze was blowing and the open sails allowed for some excellent shade since we were in midday sunshine. Their final hurrah on the sailboat was to jump into the water so back into the kayak I went to capture their descent into the ocean from the back of the ship. Fun was had by all after that with swimming, snorkeling, some drinks, and lunch before heading back to the docks.
We then all walked down to Katie’s family home to freshen up for round two of photos on a private island. Simone, Katie and I all caught a small ferry over to a private resort island where we took even more photos on the docks and all around the beautiful property during the sunset hour. The rest of our group came over shortly after on another ferry so we could all grab dinner together.
Seriously, this was hands down one of my favorite engagement sessions to date! Not only did I get an adventure out of it, but I got to spend time with good friends and capture incredible memories for some really amazing people. My heart is full!
