OK everyone, I'm totally stuck. There is SO MUCH to say about Brittany & Bo that I really don't know where to begin. This Colorado Springs couple is tying the knot at Spruce Mountain Ranch next September and I am lucky enough to be their photographer. The gorgeous blonde-haired blue-eyed woman with the huge laugh below? We met more than a decade ago at Great Valley High School in Malvern, PA. I remember Brittany as the tall, athletic equestrian who shared one of my closest friends, Nicole Comaskey. She was friendly and quick to laugh, and as we've gotten to know each other again many years later, I feel like I missed out the first time around!
Brittany and her fiance Kevin (or rather, Bo - short for Bolinsky) moved from Pennsylvania to Colorado Springs just over a year ago. Bo left a beloved football coaching job to follow his future fiance Brittany and her horse Homie across the country. For their engagement session, they wanted to show off the epic mountain views in the state they now call home.
While there are plenty of stunning locations in the Springs (hello, Garden of the Gods!) we decided to head west for a snowy session at 11,000 feet. My favorite engagement sessions have two things in common. First, the couple makes the ENTIRE DAY a date. They don't show up for 1-2 hours of photos after a grueling day of work. They do something they love before their session, and they plan a nice dinner afterwards. When you're doing all of your favorite things together, the chemistry is completely natural and your photographs are simply better. Second, the couple tries SOMETHING NEW! Brittany and Bo hadn't visited Loveland Pass yet, so when I sent a list of locations they knew this was the one. They found a hotel in Dillon and decided to make a weekend out of it.
Now, I wish everything was as easy as deciding on Loveland Pass and then taking photos like these. It wasn't! We had so many contingency plans. If Saturday's weather wasn't ideal, we would shoot on Sunday. If Loveland Pass was closed to traffic, we would shoot at the Dillon Reservoir or in Breckenridge. I drove across the Pass five times that weekend. The first four times I location scouted and observed the weather. I tested my microspikes and all of the car pull-outs. I picked contingency locations at Keystone, Dillon and Breckenridge. I texted previous brides who live in the mountains asking for photos from their deck to check visibility. Ultimately, the top of the Pass had no visibility on Saturday. In addition, there may have been a search and rescue going on when Brittany and Bo drove across because it took them 40 minutes longer than it took me! We made the call to meet in Keystone.
You know, there's a very happy ending coming. Right before their session, the sun came out. What had been a complete white-out became a blue sky bluebird day. We had a short window of time to take pictures in temperatures that were well below freezing. Like, 8 degrees. They snuggled quite a lot. Football coach Bo tossed the football with Brittany - then tackled her in the slippery snow, of course. They sipped a hot whiskey toddy with plenty of honey. The snow fell and we made magic. Afterwards, we left our views of Arapahoe Basin behind for a secret location near Keystone Resort. I brought a bluetooth speaker to play a romantic song for them as they kept warm on a blanket. Things went well as we transitioned from "Give It All We Got Tonight" by George Strait to "River" by Leon Bridges... Then "Rompe" by Daddy Yankee accidentally popped on. After the surprise wore off we all broke down laughing and they begged me not to change it. The sunset was spectacular and overall, we had an amazing afternoon. Brittany & Bo left for dinner in Breckenridge and I headed home to gush over these. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
