Salim & Ian Engaged

I’m so excited to share this Madison, NC Engagement Session! Madison is my hometown and my family still lives there on the 100-acre tobacco farm I grew up on. My niece Salim also grew up there and still lives on the farm with her fiance Ian.

When Salim and Ian got engaged, they asked me to be their photographer and I was honored they wanted me to document their engagement and wedding! Salim and her brother are my only biological niece and nephew and I adore them both! I have so many memories of Salim as a preemie infant, daddy-loving 3-year-old, and full of herself 6-year-old. But my favorite memories are more recent as my now adult niece who is always willing to help with whatever I ask! Whether it be as my model or as my helper, she is always up for my crazy ideas! Last year I decided to put together a styled shoot. She and Ian agreed to be models and then proceeded to help me with all the setup while she wore a wedding dress!

Salim, I love you to pieces!

Salim started dating Ian when she was in high school so he’s been in the picture for quite a while! My favorite thing about Ian is how much he loves Salim. I also love that he is always so sweet! Whatever I ask of him, he agrees to happily! It’s hard to remember when he wasn’t around! And one of the other things I love is that he loves spending time with Michael! When I go home for a visit, he always wants to know if Michael is coming! If he is, Ian wants to go golfing with him! Afterward, he always has a smile on his face and I know they had a good time!

We scheduled their engagement session for March. I wanted to wait later in the spring but my schedule just wouldn’t allow it. I asked Salim what she wanted to do and she was happy to hear my ideas! So we decided to do 2 nights to get two very different looks. The first was downtown Madison! I loved this idea so much because I haven’t done a quaint city landscape before! The second evening we decided to do it on the farm by the pond!

I came up with the idea of a picnic theme for the second evening and Salim loved the idea! Apparently, I love putting themes together and Shara (Salim’s mom and my always my dutiful sister), is always helping me put it together! She and Salim were out shopping for blankets and pillows in the days leading up to the session and making bouquets and flower arrangements, the day of. We also decided to have some fun by incorporating items we already had like the picnic basket, clock, Salim’s hat, and a lighter and pack of cigarettes that belonged to Salim’s grandfather. That was Ian’s idea and while I don’t endorse smoking, it was something incredibly meaningful to incorporate since Oscar is no longer with us!

So enjoy this Madison, NC Engagement Session, and let me know what you think! Congratulations Salim and Ian, I can’t wait for your wedding in December!

Check out more of my work here: https://kimforbesphotography.com/

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook!