A Save the Date That Will Make All of Your Friends Jealous

Is your photographer taking engagement photos for your wedding? Well, they should and here’s why. It let’s you know them personally before the big day and gives you some great opportunities to be creative. Last fall, I had the opportunity to follow along with fabulous Chicago photojournalistic wedding photographer Christine Otte while she shot engagement photos for Joe and Lindsay. Plus you can use the photos (and video if they have the capability on their camera) to create a super creative Video Save the Date.

I went along for the ride to play with shooting video on a DSLR (Christine’s big honking Canon 5D Mark II). On a whim, I decided to see what I could do with the funky professional photos from Christine and video clips that I took. Keep in mind, I’m not a pro videographer. This was my very first time shooting video on a DSLR. I actually had to read the instruction manual!

Christine took Joe and Lindsay on a whirlwind tour of the Hyde Park neighborhood for some fantastic photo ops.

Chicago's Hyde Park has a wide array of photo opportunities

We saw some gorgeous graffiti art, gave the kids on the playground a show of kissy-face, and made an extended stop at the gorgeous 63rd Street boathouse on Chicago’s lakefront.

The Chicago skyline as seen from Lake Michigan

Joe and Lindsay were great sports as Christine and I made them kiss over and over again. Guess it’s good practice for their reception. Here is the super cool video save the date I was able to create for them. What do you think? Is this something that will make your friends green with envy at your eco-conscious method of spreading your good news?