Sam is Marlene and Erik’s wedding photographer. I am absolutely loving watching business grow and expand and how we get to be apart of so many more couples lives because my team is just so awesome you guys want them there on your wedding day as much as me! Anyways, I digress haha, this is about Marlene and Erik. Sam met the two of them for their Oak Ridge Conservation Park Engagement Portraits in January on one of the coldest days of the year. Sam was 8 and half months pregnant but in true Sam nature, she rocked it behind the camera. Of course, Marlene and Erik rocked it in front of the camera and so did their sweet new girl Theta. If you follow along on Marlene’s instagram, it’ll be no surprise to you that in some of these portraits, Marlene is loving on Theta more than she’s loving on Erik. And for being a dog mom myself who had her fur baby at her engagement portraits as well, mine looked the same haha! I love it!

Anyways, I’ll turn the blog over to Sam.

It was an incredibly cold day on January 5th when I got to meet Marlene, Erik, their brand new pup Theta and Marlene’s sister; the keeper of Theta while she wasn’t in the photo. (Side note to all brides: include your pups for an engagement session… it’s soo worth it! One suggestion for best results is to bring someone who can handle them while we focus on the bride and groom to be!) Back to this incredibly cold day… I knew I would survive because I could bundle quite a bit, but when you’re the subject of an engagement session you’re not always getting a jacket or blanket to snuggle in. Marlene, Erik and Theta crushed it! We did a lot of talking to distract ourselves from the cold. I learned that Marlene and Erik first crossed paths at VCU, in an elevator where Marlene was super excited about a Hot Chocolate Bar. When we were discussing the engagement photo session, Marlene knew hot chocolate would be a great prop for the photos. She was so right, not only was it a great prop but it tasted great and kept them warm! During our session I could see the genuine love these two have for each other. They are playful, kind and full of laughter. It was obvious that Marlene and Erik are meant for each other and how lucky is Theta to have two of the sweetest parents! I just cannot wait to celebrate them and phohtograph their November 7th wedding!

If you like these Oak Ridge Conservation Park Engagement Portraits, you might also like:
Fall Engagement Portraits at Howard County Conservancy | Jenna and Jeff 
Cromwell Valley Park Engagement Portraits | Lauren and Tony
Howard County Conservancy Engagement Portraits | Megan and Brett