When Jadyn and Marc booked me for their wedding, they had already had an engagement session…in Italy! However, it was a year earlier and they confessed, all of their things had been stolen during the session when they set them down on the ground to take photos, so a second round of engagement photos sounded good to them! They thought they could use the practice…and maybe a stress free session too!

We met up in Detroit in January, which is not a popular time for engagement photos. It may have been cold enough to turn our skin pink and purple, but we prevailed, dipped into a few places to warm up, and got some gorgeous photos. These two were in from out of town, so rescheduling wasn’t an option when zero degree temps hit the forecast. They wore long coats, we secretly had hand warmers in our pockets, and the Siren Hotel lobby helped warm us back up to normal skin tones. It was all worth it for these photos; my favorites are below! Can’t wait for their War Memorial wedding in Grosse Pointe later this fall!

When preparing for what to wear to an engagement session, many brides choose to wear white. However, I love it when brides choose to to wear something that really pops against the background of the location they chose. That is exactly what what Sydney did. She chose to wear a wine colored dress, which really popped against the architecture of the Law Quad in Ann Arbor. It also perfectly matched the color of the hydrangeas all around the building! Here are some of my favorite photos from Justin and Sydney’s engagement session in Ann Arbor, and take note of Sydney’s dress when planning your own outfits!

Let’s face it- engagement photos feel awkward! That’s one of the benefits to doing them- you won’t feel as awkward on your wedding day, right? To combat some of that awkwardness and to make things feel as comfortable as possible, these two chose to have their engagement session at their beautiful home in Grosse Pointe. We took photos inside and out, and I love how they came out. Bonus to doing them at your home- you don't have to worry about permits, fees, venue hours, bathrooms to change in, etc...because it's at your own home. Here are some of my favorites!

One of the cutest accessories a couple can bring to their engagement session is their puppy! Last summer, I spent an evening on beautiful Belle Isle in Detroit with these two and their corgi! They hugged him, cuddled him, kissed him, and those big corgi eyes gave me some of my favorite photos ever! I’m super excited to photograph S + N’s wedding at the Book Tower in Detroit next month! Come back to check out some of those favorites soon, but for now, here are my favorites from their engagement session!

S + J wanted to have their engagement photos taken at a location that was meaningful to them: the place they met, their home! Not too many couples can say they met at the home they live in, but that’s exactly what happened with these two. J had a Fourth of July party at the house, S came with a friend, they met, and the rest is history! I love the photos we captured; they were laid back, relaxed, and just comfortable- exactly what a home lifestyle should be. Here are some of my favorites from their session!

I’m not sure if there is anything prettier in Ann Arbor than the peony gardens at the Arb when they are in full bloom. They only bloom for two weeks of the year, the last week of May into the first week of June. Whenever a couple inquiries with me for an engagement session in Ann Arbor, I always say, if you can do one of these two weeks, choose the peony gardens for your engagement photos! It’s a unique setting that very few couples are able to have, and the results are so so stunning. Here are some of my favorites from a session there last year!

The Law Quad on the campus of U of M is one of the few locations that looks amazing in photos in any season and any form of weather. It can be used in rain, in spring, in summer, and in fall. It’s a classic and elegant background, so photos taken here look even better when engaged couples dress up! For guys, that might mean sport jackets or cardigans, for women, that might mean a dress and heels. I loved the outfits B+A chose; not super formal but not completely casual either. Here are a few of my favorites from their engagement session!

This season was filled with so many amazing shoots in so many amazing places. Boston Common and the surrounding areas are so pretty, and even in the height of a weekend afternoon, you can still find little nooks to capture beautiful photos without swarms of people. I loved how Meghan and Bailey stayed true to their style in this session— when Bailey whipped out his sunglasses and asked when he could wear them, I got excited because I could see that HE was excited about it. I love how these turned out and here are a few of my favorites!

When the leaves are no longer on the trees, my favorite locations for engagement sessions are downtown/city spots! Especially around the holidays with the hanging twinkling lights, the vibe is cozy, the architecture provides interest, and long coats add texture. As long as it’s not freezing (so that noses aren’t running and extremities aren’t turning funny colors!), the off season can make for some of my favorite images. Here are some of my favorites from Alex and Benji’s December session, on an unseasonably warm day near 50 degrees, in downtown Detroit!

When I first chatted with Grace, one of the first things we talked about was the fact that I worked on both the East Coast and in Michigan. While she and Bo are going to get married in Grand Rapids summer of 2024, she desperately wanted engagement photos on Nantucket, where she and Bo summer every year and where Bo’s grandparents have a home. Luckily, our dates aligned and the week they were on Nantucket happened to be the week I was in Newport for a wedding, so I hopped the ferry (with the kids and nanny in tow!) and we made a day trip of it! We went to the Whaling Museum in the morning (highly recommend!), I photographed Grace and Bo in the afternoon while the nanny hung with the kids, and then we went shopping and had dinner before taking the ferry back to our hotel on the Cape. Even though it was raining, we still had an amazing day, and I LOVE how the photos turned out! A light drizzle isn’t always bad at the beach…it usually means its empty so no beach goers in the background! And no squinting because its overcast :) . Here are a few of my favorites from their session!

I met up with Patricia and Devin at the beautiful Dow Gardens in Midland for their engagement session. It was my first time at these gardens and they were an instant favorite! Seriously- such a stunning place for a shoot! And- there isn’t a permit fee to shoot there! We had a wonderful summer evening strolling through the gardens— here are a few of my favorites!

One of my favorite things to do is walk around downtown Detroit finding new streets, corners, and nooks with my couples to photograph them in. My goal is to find one new little spot or angle every time I shoot to keep myself challenged, work fresh, and make sure my couples have some unique shots in addition to every one’s faves (like Shinola!). I had so much fun walking around with Lexi and Jimmy, and we had the most pleasant November day. We even found a tree with leaves still on for a fall look! You would never know that this was directly next to a large construction zone. Here are a few of my favorites from their session!

When Ashley and Jake asked to have their engagement session at the new Roosevelt Park, I was so excited! It had just re-opened a couple of weeks earlier, and its always so fun to shoot at new locations. Detroit locations like the DIA can become crowded, so its nice to have more options. They did such a nice job with Roosevelt Park….the old train station is such a landmark and then the landscaping with all of the hydrangeas was so pretty! Excited to shoot here again in the future!

One of the nice things about working two regions is that I’ve made a little niche for myself- people who have connections to both. This is exactly the case with Daniel and Jean…they are getting married at Shinola in Detroit in 2024, but currently live, work and go to graduate school in Boston. We were able to do their engagement session in Boston this summer when I was in town for a wedding I was photographing over Labor Day weekend. It worked out perfectly, we got gorgeous weather, and I love what we captured. Here are a few of my favorites!

October here in Michigan was one of the rainiest, gloomiest Octobers we’ve ever had! Thankfully, November has been much kinder to us- warmer and sunnier- but for October, we had to think outside the box and find some covered locations. Thank goodness for the law quad in Ann Arbor on U of M’s campus! Not only is it beautiful, but its covered! The large arches paired with umbrellas made for the dreamiest photos. Here are a few of my favorites from Kate and Julian’s session!

I joined Davis and Ashley and their sweet pup at Cranbrook for a fun summer engagement shoot! It used to be really tricky to have shoots at Cranbrook, but now you can pay $350 to reserve a time for a session. Because Cranbrook requires reservations, the gardens aren’t overcrowded and overflowing with photographers and other people wanting to get photos at that iconic location overlooking the pond. It’s really nice to have the place to yourselves!

Midway through our session, it started to rain, but thankfully nothing too heavy and we were still able to grab the prettiest shots. I had so much fun with these two, and these are a few of my favorites!

Emily and Juan chose to go back to their proposal spot in the woods for their engagement session. Choosing a location with a sentimental value is always a great idea. I loved the classic look they chose too- wool sweaters and jeans always look nice! And lastly, how adorable is their sweet pup?! Can’t wait for their Ann Arbor wedding next year!

Would you believe these photos were taken on a November day, and that it was 70 degrees?! Everyone is usually scared to schedule fall photos in November, but I’m telling you- November can be an amazing time for photos, especially the first week. Here are a few favorites from Janie + Brad’s Detroit engagement session at the Detroit Public Library and Detroit Institute of Arts. I’m so in love with how they turned out!

When the peony gardens are in bloom, there is no better location for an engagement session than the Arb in Ann Arbor! Seriously- every corner you turn is just more and more beautiful. There are flowers, woods, bridges, paths, river….so many photo possibilities! I’m so glad Adrienne and Peter reached out early to schedule their session at the peony gardens, knowing they are in bloom only for two weeks out of the whole year! Those two weeks, I feel as if I’m at the Arb every other day, and I’m certainly not complaining. So many gardens have barriers for entry, like permits or large fees. At the Arb, aside from difficult parking, it’s pretty easy access. I’m so happy with how these photos turned out! Congratulations to Adrienne and Peter on their engagement!

Danielle and Max were the first couple to book a 2023 wedding with me! At the time of booking, Danielle asked if they could do their engagement session at Silver Lake Sand Dunes. She loved a set of romantic dune photos she had seen on Pinterest taken in California, and wanted a similar look here in Michigan. Since they are getting married in Detroit, they wanted a totally different look for their engagement photos.

On the day of the session, we arrived at the beach and it was raining! Thankfully it stopped, and the good thing about going to the beach on a rainy day, is that it’s empty! We had nearly the whole place to ourselves! It was also cooler, so when we hiked the dunes (even though I almost died because it was so steep), we didn’t really sweat- which of course you don’t want to be sweating in photos! I absolutely love the results we got- the post-rain light and clouds were so beautiful. And honestly, you can’t beat sandy Michigan beaches…the sand is so clean and the water so clear. Here are a few of my favorites from their session!