If the idea of doing something special to commemorate your engagement sounds sweet to you, you’re going to want to learn about Nicole and Brian’s spontaneous Alaskan photo shoot. Bride, Nicole tells the story below:

“As a newly engaged couple looking to find the perfect photographer to capture our engagement and wedding day, we knew we had to reach out to Trisha Spencer with Xsperience Photography. Brian, my fiancé, and I had met Trisha two years prior when she photographed my sister and my brother-in-law’s wedding. So, I had sent an inquiry to Trisha and we had arranged a time to meet. Of course, after grabbing a coffee, we began talking about our vision for our wedding day: style, timeline, inspiration, etc. Small talk about summer plans during our consultation had led me to share that we would be leaving for Alaska on a family trip in just a couple of months. My family had planned a bucket list trip to Alaska to celebrate my mom and dad’s 30th wedding anniversary. Trisha jumped right on board. She had shared with us that Alaska was on her bucket list locations to photograph. She had just returned from Banff, Canada shortly before we met with her so the thought of her going on another trip so soon seemed out of the question.

We began talking details of the Alaska trip and it was just our luck that was one of Trisha’s only open weekends that summer between all of her other weddings, events, and workshops she hosts. Brian and I had left our meeting with Trisha excited at the possibility of an Alaskan engagement session but knew that it likely wouldn’t work out and we would continue with a local engagement session as originally planned. Later that evening, I had looked into flight information to Anchorage, Alaska during the time we would be on vacation. I sent some general trip information off to Trisha, and she eagerly responded with photo inspiration, outfit inspiration, and possible locations to shoot our session. Everything felt to just fall into place and before we knew it we were off to Alaska to shoot our engagement session! Without Trisha’s eagerness to explore new places, spontaneous easy-going personality, and love for photography in special places, this photoshoot would’ve never become a reality. Now we have not only breathtaking engagement photos to share but also beautiful professional family photos as well!

Our wedding will take place in my hometown. Because we are staying local for our ceremony, it was so incredibly special to take Trisha and her talent with us to Alaska and capture our love in an entirely different setting.

The coolest part about taking photos with an Alaskan country backdrop was all of the exploring it allowed us all to do! Trisha and our family had an entire day before the shoot to wander, scope out beautiful scenery, and find some fun places to shoot. We took photos in three different locations. The locations we chose were a combination of all of our favorites that we had come across. The photos were so special to have because it allows us to look back and place ourselves right back in that moment and setting. As someone with a strong planner personality, I chose to personally plan our entire trip to Alaska. I had done extensive research on where we would be visiting, tours we would be doing, routes we would be taking, and places we would be staying. The majority of the planning for our family trip was completed when Trisha had made the decision to accompany us. I had looked up flight information for Trisha to give her an idea of the timeframe, cost, and length of her trip. Beyond looking up flights, Trisha took control of her own trip as well and invited her mom and daughter to accompany her. She found her very own little tiny house that they would stay in that was very close to the rental home that my family and I were staying in. Due to the spontaneous nature of this planning process, Brian and I had to quickly figure out the outfits that we would wear to best compliment ourselves, the projected scenery, and Trisha’s photography. Trisha did send me a few outfit inspiration pictures and I had searched through Pinterest for inspiration as well! Ultimately, the logistics of the trip came together very naturally.”

Consider taking an engagement photoshoot trip, according to Nicole and Brian’s experience, you won’t be sorry you did!