Meet Brittany and Michael.

We wanted their engagement photos to have a European-feel because Michael proposed to Brittany (for the second time) in Italy last summer. I couldn’t think of a better place for such an inspired shoot than Adriatica in McKinney.

They met in high school, which is when Michael first set his sights on Brittany. Before they even started dating, sophomore Michael flings himself at Brittany and tells her that if she wouldn’t marry him he would surely jump off of a cliff.

Freshman Brittany’s coy response was to walk out of the room.

They joke that this experience was why Michael was so gun shy to pop the question the next time. The real time. He had to build up six  more years worth of courage to try again.

Obviously, the second time he tried she didn’t walk out of the room.

I believe that this is where Brittany and Michael first introduced me to “the smolder.” From that point in the shoot on we referred to any poses with a more serious tone as “the smolder.”

However, with such a name, they could never hold it for too terribly long before cracking a smile. And that’s fine by me because that leads to getting shots like this one.

I love the combined narrative of these above three shots.

Bruciare senza fiamma. That’s Italian for ‘smolder.’

Staring contest in progress.

Staring contest in progress of breaking.

Annnnnnnnnd these shoes. Michael loves these shoes. In fact, Brittany got him these shoes. But I love this shot in which I told Brittany to express how she felt about the toe shoes.

Brittany, you are just killing me in this photo. So, so gorgeous. And that full-on, good-natured (and partially goofy) smile all the way across Michael’s face is so true to form.

(Sidenote: That building that they’re leaning up against in the reflection shot above is Zin Zen Wine Bar and Bistro, where husband James is currently displaying and selling some of his most recent series of paintings! Huzzah!)

When I texted James after the shoot that “the light was so beautiful I wanted to inject it into my veins,” this was the light I was referring to.

The way her blue eyes are staring up at him tells me that Michael won’t be forced to jump off a cliff anytime soon.

I already shared this next photo in their sneak peek, but I loved it so much I thought it’d be okay to put in the full-length post in black and white. You guys don’t mind, do you?

Brittany and Michael, it was a pleasure. Hope to see y’all’s smoldering faces again soon!

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