One August afternoon, I received a message from a calligrapher asking if I would be interested in photographing her work. At the time, I was heavily focused on clear my editing backlog to deliver photos to my clients and hoped to spruce up my website afterwards. This was the perfect opportunity to get to know another vendor and allowed us to create amazing photos we could both use. I opened up Instagram, replied YES to Angenise’s request and the rest was history.

I began laying out the invitation suite Angenise made for me and I quickly realized I had NO idea of what I as doing. I’ve photographed a few invitation suites at weddings and styled shoots, but when it came to a suite with this many pieces, I realized I needed help. Desperately looking for answers, I came across this article from The Knot that gave me the basic insight on invitation suites. I even learned that all of the pieces had names and purposes. Now that I think about it, “How would people ask for them if they didn’t have names, Chin?” 💀

I photographed the suite and sent Angenise sneak peeks photos along with questions on the suite to deepen my understanding and make sure I’m pairing the right items together. The more I learned, the more questions I had! Angenise saw my thirst for knowledge offered to schedule a video call where she taught me the overview of invitation suites. We talked about the suite she made for me in particular, things I could do to elevate and accent suites I photograph, and areas that most photographers overlook, and she answered the rest of my questions.

You never know how well you know something until you’re tested on it. Photographing Angenise’s suite was the “ultimate test in creativity” where I have all the time I need to get the best photos. Even though I’ve watched a ton of YouTube videos on photographing suites and have a ton of pins saved on Pinterest that I refer to for inspiration, I realized that my 2-3 “go-to” setups were ample for a hectic wedding day, but don’t fully showcase the intricate designs invitation suites contain.

I can honestly say that if Angenise didn’t reach out to me with the opportunity to photograph her work, I would not have gained the depth of understanding I have now. The multitude of choices you have when it comes to the suite such as, envelope liners, choice of paper, scrolls, choice of ribbon, the list goes on!

Angenise’s kindness and warmth is infused in everything she does, from her calligraphy designs to her interactions. While I was struggling to meet deadlines, she multiple times she reminded me to take my time and finish the work I have for my clients first before working on her invitation suite.

See more photos of the beautiful suite Angenise made for me below and check out more of her work on her website and Instagram!

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