Olivia and Jonathan’s joyful and serene engagement session near Lake of the Isles

Olivia and Jonathan are such sweet, kind people. I photographed their engagement session last fall, and I’m thrilled to share those portraits with you today as they are getting married this week! I first met Olivia while photographing her sister Eliza’s wedding a few years ago. A referral is truly one of the best honors I can receive as a photographer, so I was overjoyed when Olivia reached out asking me to photograph her and Jonathan’s engagement and wedding. It feels so special to get to work with their family again. 

Olivia and Jonathan love spending time outside together, so they chose to take engagement portraits in meaningful outdoor spaces. They had recently moved into a home in Minneapolis near Lake of the Isles, so they wanted photographs of them walking around the lake, as they do daily, as well as sitting in their favorite outdoor spaces at home. They envisioned their portraits feeling relaxed, romantic, and authentic– capturing the everyday joys of life as a couple.

Engagement portraits with their sweet dog

While Olivia and Jonathan primarily wanted a portrait styled session where the focus of the portraits would be on the two of them, they also wanted to include their dog Loki in some of the portraits. As an animal lover, I am always thrilled when clients want to incorporate their pets into the photoshoot. We began the session with several candid-feeling portraits, capturing Olivia and Jonathan walking beside the lake and snuggling their dog. There is so much easy-going joy in these portraits. 

Couple portraits at their home

We then went to Olivia and Jonathan’s home where I photographed them on their outdoor decks overlooking the lake. Their happiness is palpable here, and the lush autumnal foliage behind them adds wonderful warmth to these portraits. 

More engagement portraits alongside Lake of the Isles

After dropping Loki off at home, we finished the session walking through another beloved spot alongside Lake of the Isles with gorgeous views of the water, fall trees, and Minneapolis skyline. Some of these photographs feel fun and candid, capturing Olivia and Jonathan laughing easily with each other. Others feel tender and romantic, capturing the sweet intimacy of their partnership as they gaze lovingly at one another. With the landscape of their everyday lives as their backdrop, Olivia and Jonathan look joyful, serene, and settled.