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Black and White Engagement Photos Are About to Blow Up

So, it’s official. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have become the poster children for proposal season this year (perfectly polished and posh poster children, that is). From the announcement of their engagement last month, to the choosing of their highly-anticipated wedding date, and now today, the release of their official portrait photographs, these two have been caught up in a whirlwind of wedding whos, whats, whens, wheres, and whys, and we won’t say we’re unhappy about any of it. #royalweddingfansforever.

The photos that Kensington Palace put out on Thursday were favorites snapped by fashion photographer, Alexi Lubomirski, earlier this week at Frogmore House in Windsor. And they are royally resplendent. Seriously, who says resplendent if not to describe something that is just too wonderful for words.

Anyway, not only do the two look incredible - Harry in a blue suit and Meghan in a TDF black ruffle-skirted gown with illusion sleeves and beautiful gold embroidery - they also look completely head-over-heels for each other. Like, Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge looked so good in their own engagement portraits 7+ years ago, and now that there are photos of his baby brother and soon to be sister-in-law in the world, we almost forget how fabulous Will and Kate were… umm, are.

Need some tips on how to dress for your own engagement session, we’ve got them!

We love how much freedom their photographer built into their session. Though they were able to furnish a perfect formal portrait, it didn’t look stuffy, at all. They weren’t confined to a few restricted rooms in a palace, either, they were able to walk around the grounds of Frogmore House and explore interesting places to stage their snapshots and snuggles.

And let’s not ignore the obvious difference between Will and Kate and their younger siblings’ shoot, the fact that the more casual capture was edited in black and white - something that the Daily Mail reports ‘has not been favoured in royal engagements since colour photography was introduced.’ Well, it’s about time, because black and white photography is unmatched. Usually the gray-scale edit gives a much more editorial, artistic, almost unreal quality to the semblances in the photos, but in the case of Harry and Meghan, they couldn’t look more in touch and intimate. You can glean all the nuances of their relationship, their giddiness and silliness around each other, and of course how utterly in love they are.

So, what’s it all mean? Well, aside from needing to stalk these lovebirds through engagement season and beyond (legit, we cannot wait to see photos come out around Valentine’s Day), we’re betting that almost every newly-engaged couple will be begging their photographer to edit a few of their e-photos in black and white. And why not? They are the best. The absolute best.

Demi Lovato thought so too, when she turned us all onto black and white wedding photos.

Taking a page from this enviably photogenic pair, we’ve rounded up some of the sweetest black and white engagement photos we’ve seen this week. And don’t be surprised if you start seeing your feeds overflowing with monochrome magic over the next few months. It’s trending, thanks in large part to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

And just be sure to gloss over a few more amazing engagement photo ideas to make sure you’re fully prepared for your own e-session!

All photos courtesy of @kensingtonroyal and @alexilubomirski.
 

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