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Engagements
Late summer and early fall are some of the prettiest times in the Midwest. Yellow wildflowers pop their shiny faces out of deepening grasses, and storms roll in at sunset to replenish the fields. Megan + Evan’s nature filled engagement session is up on the blog and sure to make you smile!
I’m behind on editing and short on time.. so here’s a quick little blog post of Lisa and Mitch’s sweet late summer engagement photos. These two ooze fun and playfulness, and I’m SO excited to party with them when they get married in 2020!
Engagement photos in a park near downtown Des Moines Iowa. Buttery, summer light. And lots of laughter! Take a peek…
Ethan and Heidi began dating in college after becoming friends. Ethan was interested in Heidi, and asked her out …she was a little clueless at first, but soon realized his intentions and figured that she enjoyed his company, so why not try dating!? They’ve been together ever since! Ethan proposed in November, and both have since graduated from their schools in the Cedar Rapids metro and are planning a fall wedding.
Photographing friends happens quite often in my line of work. Anyone out there surprised at all? Nah? Me either! But it was a bit of a surprise when these two asked me to photograph their fall wedding! I’ve known Brian since childhood in Cedar Falls, and we’ve become better friends since he decided to attend Iowa State University four years ago. Rebekah’s older sister is a friend of mine, so when these two started dating it felt like worlds colliding!
Two years overseas, loads of coffees, bike rides, and lots of event planning later, Joel and Libby realized they both liked each other… a lot. So they started dating. It was serious from the start, and didn’t take long for talk of wedding bells and marriage. While out in Washington State, Joel took Libby for a picnic at a very scenic spot by a mountain lake. They left engaged, ready to take on the world (literally!). And they’ll be back out west, this time in Colorado, for a late August wedding. How about that!
I knew from the first minute of sitting down with Melanie for coffee that we’d be friends. It doesn’t hurt that one of my best friends, Jess, referred Mel to me as soon as they got engaged. ;) Referrals make my heart SING and they’re truly the best. I’d be honored to have you refer friends or family to me for wedding, senior, or family photos!
You never know what the weather will do in Iowa during spring. I’m thankful that we’ve had some really lovely, sunny days! However, Katie & Eric’s engagement photo evening threatened rain, so we had to work fast. Thankfully, these two are super adorable together and we got plenty of photos in the 40 or so minutes we had together. (And yes. If they look familiar to you, I took a few photos in November of them with Odin, their pup!)
Gabby and David share a passion for life. They met in college, dated for two years, and got engaged in the fall of 2018! This year has been full for the two of them, working towards graduation and planning a wedding together. We have met up multiple times to talk about wedding timelines and photography, but we finally made it to spring when we could shoot their engagement photos! It was the perfect spring evening, and these two did a wonderful job getting each other to laugh and smile. :)
These two were married in Ames last May. We took their engagement session in early April (almost exactly a year to the day of this anniversary session!) but it wasn’t a very warm or green day yet. Thankfully, Preston landed a job in the Washington DC area after graduation and they moved out this winter. DC is about the same latitude as Kansas City, so just a bit warmer and earlier to change seasons than Des Moines and the rest of central Iowa.
What to even write!? Alyssa and Carter will be long-time friends of mine, even after their November wedding. I just know it! We had only communicated via email and the phone until the afternoon of their engagement photos. I was nervous (always!) but oh, so excited to meet these two. Click through to see their magical spring engagement session in a downtown Des Moines garden!
My fall mini-sessions were such a great success, that I’ve decided to offer spring mini sessions as well! Spring is just such a gorgeous time of year, especially with all the budding and blossoming trees. It only comes around once a year, especially with the apple (or cherry or whatever they are!) blossoms at Water Works Park! We’ll definitely be fighting the crowds, but it will be worth it!
Cherry trees may be the most gorgeous of all God’s blossoming creations. My ultimate dream would be to visit Japan & see the original trees there, but the right opportunity has not yet come up. Instead, when my friends Shelby & Preston moved to the Washington DC area this winter, I decided to see about a trip there. After all, the Tidal Basin blossoms draw thousands on onlookers each year for the Cherry Blossom Festival!
Coming up with new ideas for engagement shoots is a dream for me. If you want to do something cool, adventurous, or epic… just ask me about my bucket list of photography ideas! Two years ago, Chris and Elizabeth woke up before sunrise to meet me at the Iowa State Capitol for engagement photos. It not only is a gorgeous space, but boasts a stunning view of downtown Des Moines!
Savannah and Harrison met through Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. Both of them are students there, and involved in the military and ministry. They both value leadership, faith, and fun! I’d known Savannah for a few years (as acquaintances) and although I hadn’t met Harrison until the day we took their engagement photos, we got along great. Both of us are NEEDTOBREATHE fans, so really, what else is there to know!? #immediatefriends
It’s hard to describe the emotions that you feel when your best friends fall in love and get married. Morganne is my 3rd “super close” friend to get engaged and (almost!) married. It’s been a whirlwind year but, as they say, “when you know, you know.” And aint that the truth!!! Bobby and Morganne met through church just over a year ago or so. They went through the whole awkward dance of talking/not talking. Finally, in May, they had their first date. Now, a year later that same month, they’ll walk down the aisle as husband and wife. And I’ll be bawling my eyes out behind my camera so don’t mind me. ;)
I adore these two humans! I met Kurt long before Kristen was in the picture. He’s always been a solid man of God, serving those around him with humble strength. I can’t even remember meeting Kristen, but I do remember her senior year, we just “clicked” and I decided that this girl was one that I wanted to keep up with after college. Not that we’re best friends, but I have a fond place in my heart for this girl! She and Kurt started dating that year, and it just made sense.
I first connected with this duo in the fall. They’re a ton of fun, and I knew pretty quickly that I wanted them on my team! Thankfully, they liked me too, and booked me for their 2019 wedding! Eric and Katie will get married in Des Moines next September with a wedding reception at Stoney Creek and ya bet I can’t wait for all that glorious beauty!
I’m still so in awe that this evening happened! (Even though I knew about it for months in advance!) Morganne has been one of my best friends since we met 4 years ago at Iowa State. We’ve walked through a lot of life together and it’s so so bizarre that we’re actually old enough to be getting married, not just talking about it. But when Morganne told us girls about Bobby (this guys she liked) and then a few months later, when we met him… we just knew that he was a great fit for her.
