{A Summer Engagement Session at Lake Cornelia, IA}

I don’t think I’ve ever smiled so much during an engagement session! Every time I turned around, these two were laughing about something. Not the kind of laughter you fake because a photographer told you to. The real kind! The kind that makes your favorite photos happen somewhere between the poses!

Spending an evening with Chloe and Zach felt less like work and more like tagging along with two people who genuinely love being together! They have such an easy, playful relationship, and I don’t think there was a single moment when they weren’t making each other laugh! And if I’m being completely honest…it didn’t take long to notice that Zach is absolutely smitten with Chloe! The way he looks at her says everything. Their story is just as sweet as they are!

Sometimes people come into your life because someone else sees what you can’t yet. In their case, that someone was Chloe’s Aunt Lisa. Over the years, Lisa became good friends with Zach’s mom while making trips to Clarion to have her hair done. Somewhere along the way, she decided these two needed to meet…and thankfully, she trusted her instincts. The rest, as they say, is history!

When Zach started planning his proposal, it was clear he wanted it to reflect what matters most to them: spending time with the people they love. He planned a day of golfing 18 holes with friends at Clarmond Country Club, making sure Chloe had no reason to suspect anything out of the ordinary. After she finished putting on the 18th green, Zach got down on one knee. She was completely surprised! And the surprises weren’t over yet. Because the 18th green sits just below the clubhouse, Zach had secretly arranged for their family and friends to watch from above. As soon as Chloe said “yes,” they were able to celebrate with the people who had been cheering them on all along. I can’t imagine a more perfect way to begin this next chapter!

For their engagement session, we met at Lake Cornelia on one of those summer evenings that photographers dream about. The temperatures had finally cooled off, the light was soft, and the lake gave us the most peaceful backdrop for the night. It was the perfect setting for these two! We wandered around, talked about wedding plans, laughed our way through the evening, and captured this sweet season before they officially become husband and wife next summer.

As beautiful as Lake Cornelia was, my favorite part of the evening had nothing to do with the location. It was watching the little moments unfold naturally. The way Chloe could make Zach laugh without even trying. The way he looked at her when she wasn’t paying attention. The subtle moments in between that show the strongest relationships don’t have to prove anything…they simply enjoy being together! Those are always the images I find myself coming back to! The ones that feel less like poses and more like memories (my favorite kind!).

Chloe and Zach, thank you for trusting me to capture such an exciting season of your lives! Spending the evening with you only made me more excited for your wedding day! If your engagement session is any indication, next summer is going to be filled with so much laughter and so many unforgettable moments! I truly can’t wait to celebrate the two of you!