Announcing the Best of the Best Engagement Photo Collection!

Engagement photography is a huge part of so many wedding photographers' businesses, but all that dynamic portraiture created rarely gets the opportunity to be published and shared with the world. That's why we decided to continue our tradition of showcasing the best wedding photos in the world with our first-annual Best of the Best Engagement Photo Collection!

We received over 4,000 amazing images from photographers around the world, and we were truly wow'd by what we saw. In choosing the top 50, we looked for images that represented all that great engagement photography can be - from romantic, intimate and classically beautiful, to edgy, personality-filled and exploding with life. And of course, all of these images had to have the technical chops to stand on their own as phenomenal photos. We hope you'll find your own inspiration in this engagement photo collection and that you'll join us in celebrating the art of amazing portraiture!

Jump over to see all 50 images in our Best of the Best Engagement Photo Collection!

Stay tuned this week for more! We'll be sharing our Honorable Mention images over the next couple of days on Photobug and What Junebug Loves!

Glamorous Wedding at Cescaphe in Philadelphia, with Photos by Scott Lewis Images

The Couple: Cinzia and Ryan

The Wedding: 7.20.12 - Tendenza by Cescaphe, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Photographer: Scott Lewis Images

Junebug: What three adjectives best describe your wedding?

Cinzia and Ryan: Elegant, whimsical, entertaining!

Junebug: What inspired your personal wedding style, and how did you incorporate your style and personalities into your big day?

Cinzia: I love everything that is old, vintage and classic; my favorite decade is the 1940’s. My husband loves everything new and shiny, more of a modern industrial style. So I wanted to seamlessly blend the old with the new; and what better place than Philadelphia? Our ceremony was held in the beautiful St. Marks Church which dates back to 1847, and located in the heart of Philadelphia, Rittenhouse Square. It was rich in history and architecture. Our reception was held at Tendenza by Cescaphe; a modern industrial space with exposed brick walls, white leather wrapped columns with crystal chandeliers. It couldn’t have been a more perfect reflection of the two of us becoming one.

Junebug: Looking back, what are some of your favorite moments and memories from your wedding?

Cinzia: My husband and I decided to see each other before our wedding ceremony at the exact location where we first met, Rouge in Rittenhouse Square. It was just the two of us, not even the bridal party, standing before each other as soon to be husband and wife and where we first met 7 years ago. It was a time for just the two of us to embrace our wedding day.

MUMMERS!!! My wedding was the night before my sisters birthday, Christina, who was also my maid of honor. She was such a big help to me throughout my wedding planning and in fact, throughout my entire life; that I wanted to do something to surprise her. I hired a group from the Philadelphia Mummers to not only give all of our guest a taste of Philly tradition, but to also surprise my sister with a birthday cake and song to honor her. Well, the rain tried to ruin that, but we managed to pull it off with the help of the band.

Having our entire bridal party stop at Franklin Square and go on the carousel! It was such a fun time to see everyone dressed up and playing like kids. I love everything about carnivals (I even tried to pull off a carnival theme for the wedding but my husband's facial expression nipped that one in the bud) and wanted everyone to let loose and have fun. Which we did!

We had 5 Ring Bearers. I had customized t-shirts made for all the boys to wear during the reception. The front had a bow-tie and the back said, “Brides Security”. They looked so cute running around in Security t-shirts!

Junebug: What specifically drew you to Scott Lewis Images?

Cinzia: When I was viewing different photographers online, and browsing every blog that existed (and I looked at EVERY photographer in Philadelphia and surrounding suburbs) they all started to look the same.; same photo, same stance, same spot, with the only thing different the couple. I also don’t like being told how to pose, smile, or look at someone. Some couples need that to feel secure in their wedding photos. I wanted to feel secure in my photographer. When I viewed the website of Scott Lewis there were many different things that pulled me in. He did more than just weddings, he captured emotions and feelings. You could look at his photos and wonder what was happening, almost like a story you wanted to hear. So it only seem fit, that he capture the beginning of our story, it was perfect!

Cinzia and Ryan, thank you and we wish you all the best in your new life together! To see more stunning photography, please visit Scott Lewis' website, blog and Junebug member brochure.

The Wedding Team:

Classic and Romantic Wedding in Seaside, Florida with Photos by Vue Photography

The Couple: Kristen and George

The Wedding: 2.9.13 - Seaside, Florida

The Photographer: Vue Photography

Junebug: What three words best describe your wedding?

Kristen and George: Vows, vino, and votives

Junebug: Looking back, what are the moments, decisions or memories that you love the most about your wedding?

Kristen and George: The seated dinner was a great way to slow the night down a little. I remember looking around thinking - "This is great! I have all the people I love in one room being semi tame, drinking great wine, eating delicious food, and catching up with old friends."

I also was adamant on having a birthday cake for my grandfather. He was surprised and delighted and it really shows in the precious pictures Genya shot. Another sweet moment was watching my sweet niece out of the corner of my eye dance in front of George and me while we said our vows. Once again, Genya caught this moment perfectly.

Junebug: What specifically drew you to Genya of VUE Photography and her imagery?

Kristen and George: Genya captured the exact moments and details perfectly. I tried to soak every minute in, but I am so lucky that Genya is quick and talented because looking at at the pictures reminded me of how fantastic everything turned out. Not only was she fun and adorable, I trusted her and did not think twice about using another photographer.

Kristen and George, our best wishes in your new life together! Thank you to Vue Photography for capturing the day so beautifully. To see more, visit Vue Photography's website and Junebug member brochure.

The Wedding Team:

Photographer: Vue Photography
Event Planner: Jennifer and Arden of It’s A Shore Thing
Ceremony Venue: Seaside Chapel, Seaside, FL
Reception Venue: Lyceum Lawn, Seaside, FL
Videographer/Film Maker: Neely Catignani
Catering & Rentals: Townsend Catering
Florist: Nouveau Flowers
Cake: Confections on the Coast
Wedding Dress: Carolina Herrera
Bridesmaid’s apparel: Dress - Elie Tahari
Hair: Jonathan Doria at Pure and Couture
Favors: Andre’s Chocolates
Rings: Brides - Antique 1910’s, Grooms - Loring & Co.

Vintage and Colorful Wedding at The Windmill Winery, Photos by Ventola Photography

The Couple: Cole and Kim

The Wedding: 3.2.13 - The Windmill Winery, Phoenix, Arizona

The Photographer: Kym Ventola

Junebug: What three adjectives best describe your wedding?

Cole and Kim: Vintage, DIY, Colorful!

Junebug: What inspired your personal wedding style, and how did you incorporate your style and personalities into your big day?

Cole and Kim: We are both adventurous, fun, and artistic, so we wanted our wedding day to incorporate each of those elements. Kim did a painting of us that we used for our wedding invitations, website and app. We knew we didn’t want to stick to a color theme, so the decorations were inspired by spring! We are very drawn to vintage decor and fun crafts, so the DIY aspect of our wedding was inevitable. Crinkle fans from BHLDN were used to string a curtain backdrop and colorful vintage tins were filled with spring blossoms.

Family is hugely important to us, so we made sure to include our families every chance we could! Cole’s mom made our desserts, Kim’s Dad was our officiant, Kim’s Mom hand-built our wine-cork chandelier and helped design the invitations. Kim’s sister hand-built a photobooth from scratch and even made our wedding rings! Cole’s brothers greeted our guests and passed out maracas, kazoos and whistles so that everyone could make some noise as we shared our first beer as wives at the altar.

About halfway through our wedding planning Kim’s job moved us to Sydney, Australia! Finding a venue that had everything we needed was important. The Windmill Winery has a perfect vintage feel, and offers both indoor and outdoor locations for weddings and receptions. Their on-site coordinator connected with us on Skype so that we could pin down wedding day details.

Junebug: Looking back, what are the moments, decisions or memories that you love the most about your wedding?

Cole and Kim: Writing our own vows and having our families take part in our ceremony was a huge highlight. We had some friends from Germany, the UK and Australia who were unable to attend the wedding, so Kim’s parents reached out to them for video footage giving us marital advice and well-wishes! During the ceremony Kim’s Dad read a passage from a letter one of our friends in Germany had sent. He had everyone laughing and crying with us.

Junebug: What specifically drew you to Ventola Photography and her imagery?

Cole and Kim: The wedding photographs were incredibly important to us. After pouring over dozens of websites we finally came across Ventola Photography. We fell in love with Kym’s photojournalistic style, and her sense of light. She is immensely talented and has international experience. Kym has a shining personality that made us instantly fall in love with her! She was kind enough to Skype with us from across continents to ensure that we would have a seamless wedding photography experience.

Thanks to Kim and Cole for sharing your wedding with us and to Ventola Photography for capturing it all so beautifully!

The Wedding Team:

Photographer: Kym Ventola
Ceremony & Reception Venue: The Windmill Winery
Videographer/Film Maker: Matthew Bell
Officiant: Ric Leuwtyler (Kim’s Dad)
Invitation Designer: Kim and her mom, Sue Leutwyler
Catering: Gold Star Catering
Florist: Ric Leutwyler (Kim's Dad)
Cake: Laurie Rodrigues (Cole's Mom)
Wedding Dress: BHLDN
Bridal accessories: Anthropologie
Bridesmaid’s apparel and accessories: Modcloth
DJ: Joel Gibbs
Transportation: The Windmill Winery provided an antique car!
Rings: Elise Leutwyler (Kim's Sister)
Photobooth: Elise Leutwyler

Urban Engagement and Bridal Portraits in Houston, Texas by Adam Nyholt

The Couple: Candice and Josh

The Photographer: Adam Nyholt

Junebug: What specifically drew you to Adam Nyholt and his imagery?

Candice and Josh: It was definitely his style, which was very modern but also classic and timeless. He was very unique when compared with other photographers we saw. He is incredibly talented when it comes to finding good lighting and scenery for great shots and out of all of the other photographers out there he was by far the best match with our style and to portray our personalities.

Junebug: Where did you choose to have your engagement photos taken, and why?

Candice: We chose to do ours in downtown Houston, because at this point in our lives it represents who we are as people: city people. We love the city life and we wanted that to be the central theme in our photos. Plus we had seen plenty of Adam’s downtown shots, which are Josh’s favorites, and we absolutely love how they all turn out.

Junebug: Can you tell us a bit about your love story and your lives together?

Candice and Josh: We have known each other for a very long time, almost 20 years now, and grew up going to the same schools; elementary, middle and high school; and we have grown to know each other better and better with each passing day. We enjoyed almost every minute of planning and preparing for our destination wedding, because we knew that we were gradually getting closer and closer to our big day, and we are incredibly happy that we got to enjoy it with the people in our lives that mean the most to us!

Thanks to Candice & Josh and Adam Nyholt Photography for sharing these gorgeous photos with us. To see Candice and Josh' wedding in Las Vegas, be sure to visit Adam Nyholt's blog.

Phenomenal Photography - Sweet Mother Daughter Moments

In honor of Mother's Day yesterday, I wanted to share these oh-so-sweet moments between mother and bride. Thanks to our Junebug member photographers Alison Conklin Photography, Daniel Stark Photography, Philip Thomas Photography, Jason Mize Photography, Pedro Damian Photographer, Scott Hopkins Photography, and Mike Garrard Photography for capturing each one with beauty and tenderness.

Readers, to see more sweet wedding photos from our Junebug member photographers, spend some time going through our That's Heartbreaking posts.