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Writer's pictureKelsey Johnson
Feb 24, 20215 min read

Orlando Engagement Shoot: Experience, Tips & Tricks

As a wedding industry professional, experiencing all of the love shown by my newlyweds, I have been so ready for my fiance to propose! Dj and I have been together for 5 years and have known each other for 10. Watching all of my past couples going through these exciting moments of announcing their engagement and planning a wedding, I was most definitely pocketing away ideas for my big day.


Dj and I aren't your "traditional" couple. We love rock and roll and the thrill that life brings us. While still wanting to have those traditional photos captured for mom and dad of course, we felt a small twist was in order to really showcase who are and and why we fell in love.


Funny story; the jet black Suzuki Boulevard M50 shown below is Djs second bike! His very first motorcycle was a sports bike and it scared the hell out of me. Three months later he went and ditched the sports bike and got the Boulevard M50. This bike gradually eased me into this whole motorcycle world that we now know and love. Dj is officially on bike number #3 (sports bike...dear God I know), that he gets to rock on the way to work and for fun, while the Boulevard rests as our weekend cruiser.

Photos By: Misty Miotto Photography


I've always had a thing for cities, so when Dj and I started dating, our first date was him showing me around Lake Eola and then bar hopping on Church Street. Now we're semi frequenters and like to attend the annual events, such as Halloween and New Years Celebrations. We of course chose Downtown Orlando as our location for the shoot to bring our relationship full circle.

The day of the engagement shoot was an all day affair! I stopped into Kristy's Artistry Design Team to get my hair and makeup done by the fabulous Maire, who has been with their team for the past 4 years. Marie is amazing and wears all the hats! She is not only their Manager of Operations at Kristy's Artistry, but also their Training Manager and Lead Celebrity Artist. She's so talented and I was honored to get my hair and makeup done by her that day. Once I my look was complete, Dj and I headed into Downtown Orlando to stage the bike.


We met Misty Miotto, our photographer, right in front of Church Street Station and the fun began! When envisioning this shoot, I pictured old brick buildings and the chaos of Downtown surrounding us - which is exactly what we got! Misty had us ride up and down Church Street in our black leather jackets, capturing the best detailed shots. It was absolutely insane and I loved every minute of it. There were cars coming through, loud construction being built and then... there was the train. Misty saw the perfect moment and had us skip the cars ahead to the railroad crossing and captured the Sunrail zooming by us in the background. At that moment, I was so happy we chose Misty because I knew she was just as crazy as us and would give us the best photos to forever look back on.

Photos By: Misty Miotto Photography


After our session on Church Street, we headed over to Lake Eola! Before switching into our second outfits for the traditional photos, Misty was not done with the motorcycle look just yet. She had Dj ride up onto Lake Eola to capture the lake shot of the bike you see below. As we were riding up, there were signs of "no riding your bike, skateboard or scooter" and I thought to myself, "it doesn't say motorcycle, so I guess we're good"!

Photos By: Misty Miotto Photography


Once we changed into our second outfits, Misty captured Dj and I kissing throughout the whole back end of Lake Eola. We started by leaning up against one of many big oak trees. My parents had their wedding day photos in front of an oak tree, so it was important for me to capture this moment with Dj. As the sun dipped down, Misty had us posed in front of Lake Eola with the scenic fountain majestically changing colors behind us. She had us in positions that felt strange to us but gave Dj and I the best looks as you see below!

Photos By: Misty Miotto Photography


After going through this experience, I feel that can truly recommend to my future couples what they can expect/ should do during their engagement session. When selecting your location, you can pick your wedding venue or your favorite date night locations. While I love my wedding venue, I wanted to save those photos for wedding day. My second runner up would be Universal Studios, as we are passholders and go almost every other weekend. Overall, when picking your location, make sure there are a plethora of scenic backgrounds for you to showcase your love - cheesy I know!


Next tip - HAVE A SECOND PAIR OF SHOES! The wedges you see in these photos ended up breaking before we even left the parking garage. To be fair, they were 8 year old shoes so that was definitely my fault. I luckily had a second pair of flats to wear on and off that Misty's team kindly carried as we moved to our next location. I also recommend bringing water and some snacks along for your adventure. Misty did recommend this, but I didn't think anything of it. We were not used to being in the aforementioned poses for any period of time, so it was physically taxing on us.


Don't go too crazy on your outfit selections. I almost shopped for a whole new wardrobe and in the end we chose outfits that we already had in our closet. I recommend having only two outfits, so you aren't wasting your time changing. Brides can go with or without the traditional white dress. I remember driving myself insane trying to find the perfect white dress and then thought "I'll save that for wedding day". I feel like my photos are more unique with the darker colors, bringing out the beauty of Downtown surrounding us. As for your style, you can either go super causal or formal. At the end of the day, it has to make sense for you as a couple. Overall, pick an outfit that is somewhat comfortable and colors that are flatter you best.


There are so many talented wedding photographers in Orlando, making it extremely hard to choose the best photographer for my wedding. From the start, I knew I wanted a dramatic look for our photos and once I found Misty, the search was over! Misty was amazing to work with and helped us every step of the way all while capturing the perfect moments. If you have a crazy, fun idea that you want to try out for your engagement photos or are looking for a professional photographer for wedding day, then I highly recommend Misty Miotto! She captured everything I was anticipating so perfectly. I cannot wait to update you after wedding day!


XOXO,

Kelsey


Wedding Vendors:

Misty Miotto Photography - https://www.mistymiotto.com/

Kristy's Artistry Design Team - https://kristysartistry.com/



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