Amber chose the Cleveland Botanical Gardens as her location because she did part of her internship there. We were very excited about the great overcast day and the perfect lighting until we got all the way out and there was a torrential downpour! Luckily we sought refuge in the kids tower where we had to wait it out. It was not an ordinary rain, it was a monsoon, so we were not going anywhere until it settled down. I am thoroughly looking forward to your wedding later this month at the Croatian Lodge!

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I have had the privilege of getting to know Beth and Chris. They are the most rockin’ couple I have ever worked with. We decided to go to downtown Cleveland “down by the river” to do their engagement shoot. The main reason for that location was because they are having their wedding at the House Of Blues. In addition to being such a musical couple, Beth’s son is also very musical and will be part of the entertainment at the wedding reception. I am thoroughly looking forward to this!

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Coincidentally Jen grew up in Copley, which is where I am based out of, so we decided to shoot in my backyard. I have a dilapidated red barn in the back and it over looks my neighbor’s haystacks and black cows. There are some great colors and textures to choose from. It was fun getting to hike around with the two of them and their facetious senses of humor! I look forward to their wedding which will be taking place at the beautiful Sheraton Inn & Suites in Cuyahoga Falls.

Heidi and John were one of the most laid back couples I think I’ve ever met. They are so happy in love and I could tell from the moment I met them that they were truly meant to be. Two families combine and will become one. Two hearts come together to form a wonderful union. Their love for each other is beautiful.

I must admit, at first I was a little skeptical. I mean, this is my little brother we’re talking about here. I have to be the protective older sister, right? No one was EVER going to be good enough for the best guy any girl could ever want, my little brother. My little, well, let me rephrase a bit, my little-BIG brother. Mike stands a mere 6’5″ tall when he’s not wearing his cowboy or construction boots. Mike and I have always been really close, so needless to say, I have high expectations of a woman for my brother, whom I hold in such high regard. Mike is a rugged guy and has always wanted a girl who can complement his ruggedness.

So a couple years ago, Mike started hanging around this girl Brittany. She seemed nice enough and in nursing school, a very honorable profession, considering our mom is one as well. There were a couple of things right away that impressed me. I overheard Mike on the phone saying he’d be working on his truck all night and she could come over if she wanted. Now, ladies, let’s be honest, how many of you would actually want to sit there for a couple hours while your man is in the hood of his truck? That doesn’t sound like the most exciting of nights, right? Not for Brittany! Another was one evening Mike was cleaning his guns. Brittany was sitting there right beside him cleaning as well.  What I didn’t realize until a long time later, was that the gun that Brittany was cleaning was not Mike’s, it was hers! This chic owns her own gun?!!! I mean, that’s a match made in heaven for Mike.

After dating for about a year, Mike decided to pop the question. He was very excited about it and so were the rest of our family. Mike let our grandma Nana, who was not well at the time and passed shortly after, know that he was going to ask Brittany to marry him and she smiled. This was a very special time for all of us. While Mike and Brittany were out camping one weekend, just the two of them, Mike decided to ask Brittany to be his wife. Of course, ecstatic, she said yes. They set their wedding date a year later…

This engagement shoot was obviously very special to me, and since Mike and Brittany decided to get married in our parent’s backyard, we decided that would be a good location to do the engagement shoot as well. Please enjoy, and don’t forget to leave a comment!

The picture on the right was one of the first taken in the session. Mike was being totally funny and for some reason did not seem very comfortable in front of the camera. So, being my brother, I made fun of him. He with, "Geez Jenn, I'm not a FREAKING MODEL!!" This was quite possibly one of the funniest things Mike has ever said, especially hearing it in his uber deep voice. Thanks Mike!

As I mentioned earlier, we decided to do the shoot in my parent's backyard. They live in Copley, where we grew up our whole lives, and where I recently relocated. My dad has all these cool things on the property to use as props.

One of the awesome things on my parent's five acres is this run down old barn, which now resembles more of a shack than a barn. Some people may say to tear it down, but I say NO WAY! That's the perfect thing to shoot against!

So this old shack-barn was probably built in the 1920s...well, maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit... but it was built a long freaking time ago and I think this is the original coat of paint. In addition to the red color, the thing I love the most about it is the texture that the peeling paint creates.

I have to admit I was a little nervous about shooting this engagement session in particular because it's my brother's engagement and of course I want the absolute best for him. One thing that made it easy for both myself and them was their fun attitudes and interaction toward each other.

Mike seriously wanted to clown around the whole time, which at some moments was making me wonder how they were all going to turn out, but what I realized was all the clowning around was getting the most amazing raw smiles and facial expressions! Good job Bro!

Loving the cat tails in the background.

Mike's expression on the right is such a typical look of his.

Mike and Brittany spent their entire first summer together riding Mike's new Harley Rocker C. You'll see soon how important the bike is.

Awe, how sweet.

Taken at the future site of their wedding ceremony. You'll see those pictures coming soon!

Hope you enjoyed these special pictures. Make sure to check back soon because I’ll be blogging about the wedding as well! See you soon!

~ jennifer M