Adam + Sarah Engagement | Brown Bridge Quiet Area

We enjoyed a lovely golden evening at Brown Bridge Quiet Area with Adam and Sarah as we got to know them and their sweet story:

When Sarah moved to Michigan 8 years ago, she met her best friend Ashley through work. As best friends do, Ashley tried to set Sarah up with a few people in the area but no one was quite the right fit for her. The two of them joked about Sarah potentially dating Ashley’s brother, Adam (maybe you can see where this is going).

Over time, Sarah and Adam eventually became friends and they found a natural spark, comfort and ease in being together. To Ashley’s great joy, her best friend and brother finally gave the dating relationship a chance. And the rest is history!

Alex + Katherine | Glen Haven | Engagement

Alex and Katherine, both elementary school teachers, love taking every opportunity to escape away to Michigan during their summer breaks. Specifically camping at Sleeping Bear Dunes has been a special tradition for them every summer. Alex and Katherine describe themselves as ‘nature freaks’ and wanted to incorporate the outdoors in as many of their photos as possible—both for their engagement and their wedding! While their wedding was set at a beautiful vineyard venue in Suttons Bay, taking the trip out to the Sleeping Bear Dunes area for their engagement session was a perfect way to tie in their love for the area.

We got the chance to know them over a video call prior to their session and wedding where we immediately hit it off. We knew that being a part of their days would feel natural and exciting and couldn’t wait to document the two of them being adventurous and hilarious. We decided on an early spring day for their engagement session and Glen Haven proved to be a versatile location—with a little bit of woodsy, beach, and dunes to finish off the night. We spent the whole evening grinning from ear to ear just being in Alex and Katherine’s presence.

We are so happy for these two and loved being a part of their story!

Ben + Vina Engagement | Glen Haven Sand Dunes

It was an overcast and moody spring day when we met up with Ben and Vina for their engagement session in Glen Haven. Lake Michigan shone a pale greyish blue against the cloudy skies as we hiked the dunes. As we reached one of the peaks we could see the Lake below us—vast and calm. Behind us, rolling dunes and even further, a sea of evergreens and various other trees that were not yet fully leafed. It was quite the breathtaking view from every direction with Ben and Vina looking out and taking in the scene all around. The whole world was quiet and calm as it was not yet busy season for the Sleeping Bear Dunes—it felt like we had all of Glen Haven to ourselves. It was the perfect time to get to know Ben and Vina before their wedding day. By the end of the evening, we felt like we had made new friends and couldn’t wait to see them again for their wedding less than a month later.

Matt + Lynden Engagement | Glen Haven

We met up with Matt and Lynden in early spring for their engagement session in Glen Haven. They brought their sweet pup along for the adventure and we spent some time wandering around the area, admiring the views, and finally ending on the beach. It was a short but very sweet engagement session as we focused mainly on candids of them interacting and playing with their dog on the beach. As the sun sank lower toward the horizon, Matt and Lynden shared with us all their exciting plans for their upcoming wedding later that year. Spending an evening getting to know a couple at their engagement session makes photographing them again on their wedding day all the more special.

Downtown Traverse City Proposal | Tyler + Sara

There is something so incredibly special about proposal photography.

It is such an intimate occasion so we make sure to keep our distance while we photograph and allow the couple to soak in those blissful first few moments. Eventually they find their way over to us and we introduce ourselves (it's usually our first time meeting them both) and congratulate them!

If time allows, we take a few engagement photos so they can share the happy news with friends and family. And that is exactly what happened for Tyler and Sara's Traverse City proposal.

Tyler had reached out to let us know his plans to propose to his girlfriend Sara on a trip to Traverse City. We showed Tyler some of our recent proposal photos and he loved the location of James and Chelsea's proposal earlier that year. So we set up a plan and arrived at the Traverse City Marina on a beautiful June evening for the most splendid golden sunset photos.

Scott + Jackie Engagement | Old Mission Lighthouse Park

The day of Scott and Jackie's scheduled engagement session came with a questionable forecast. Rain was predicted during the time we were supposed to be photographing. We chatted back and forth and decided to just go for it!

We met them out at the Old Mission Lighthouse Park for their photos. There is such a variety of beautiful backdrops at the park--we started in the woods and followed the trail for some photos in front of the lighthouse and along the beach where we could see the rain along the horizon. It was quite the moody scene as the wall of dark clouds slowly made their way closer and closer. Thankfully we snuck in some beautiful photos and finished just before the rain fell.

We can't wait to celebrate and photograph Scott and Jackie's wedding this May!