A Summer Night at Lafayette Park and Union Station
It was a warm summer day. Alex and I geared up to make the trek to St. Louis and back in one evening. We might have been a little crazy for doing it, but the results were worth it. Jenn and Dave planned to have their engagement pictures done in Lafayette Park, possibly ending at Union Station. On the drive up, the skies became dark gray. I desperately crossed my fingers for the sun to come out. As we approached St. Louis, what do you know, the skies started to clear. My heart was so happy! At Lafayette Park, Jenn and Dave began their session in a casual outfit. Alex instantly connected with Dave, while I got to chat with Jenn. We wandered around the pond, saw way too many geese 😂, and finished up with their casual outfits near a building that was built during the Civil War era. (or at least I'm pretty sure that's what Dave said…Dave, if I'm wrong LOL correct me in the comments).
I sent Jenn and Dave to change into their formal outfits in the car while I took time to photograph Jenn's engagement ring. Their wedding colors are going to be purple and yellow. I tried to find some flowers that matched those colors, but it was tricky. My favorite ring shot ended up having purple and pink. While pink isn't one of their wedding colors…it fit the theme of the session and it turned out absolutely beautiful! They emerged from their car and we did one final walk around park to get a few more pictures before we headed to Union Station. Something special happened before we left. Near a bridge, we spotted two swans. How cool is that? It's not everyday you get swans in your engagement pictures 😍. We even thought that we might get the swans to make hearts with their heads. They got so close, LOL but unfortunately, didn't quite nail the position. lol
We lucked out on parking as we pulled up to Union Station. I think since it was a Sunday the crowds were low and we walked right in. I've never been to Union Station in St Louis, but it is a neat place! There's a giant Ferris wheel, restaurants, and a pond where they have lily pads. I later learned those lily pads were part of their fire and light show! Jenn had warned me that it might be hard to get a photo of the ferris wheel, but I wasn't sure what she was talking about until we got there. It's nearly impossible to get the entire ferris wheel in the shot if you're actually in the Union Station area. I wasn't worried though. The light in Union Station was diffused making it all worth it. The entire space felt like a massive Greenhouse making the light perfect for a multitude of locations.
What I love about engagement sessions is that I get to know the couple before their wedding day. I always tell brides that wedding days can get a little crazy and sometimes it's hard to chat because so much is going on. But if we didn't have this engagement session, I would have never learned some of the things going on behind the scenes in preparation for their big day. Jenn told me that they got their rings in. Hers is too big (which can easily be corrected), but Dave's ring is too small. 🙈 This can be a little bit more problematic. I'm hoping that by the wedding, he will have a ring that fits! I also learned that Jenn's dress came in, but it was accidentally made too small. Since wedding dresses take so long to get in, there is no way for them to order a new dress in the correct size. Yikes! Alterations are going to try to make the dress work. Fingers crossed they can work some magic. But we did chat about potentially getting an off-the-rack dress as a backup 😉.
The last thing we did was chase the sun set. Dave spotted the beautiful golden light. We immediately exited Union Station while I power walked across the parking lot to get them in the best spot. It was here that we were able to get a full shot of the ferris wheel in the background! This turned out to be my favorite shot of the night! I think we really lucked out because on a busier day the parking lot would have been full of cars and it would not have had the same effect. I love when things work out perfectly even though they weren't planned! 😍 We wandered back to the cars. Taking one final stroll up a sidewalk towards the Blue’s Stadium. It was getting dark and it was time to say goodbye. Jenn and Dave, we had the best time! Thank you for sharing St Louis with us! Hopefully we will be back soon ❤️.
Jenn + Dave
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