Summer Engagement Session in Southwest Michigan – Cory + Gabrielle

We spent such a fun afternoon with Cory & Gabrielle for their summer engagement session at Fernwood Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve!

Cory and Gabrielle live in Indiana and are planning an intimate Upper Peninsula elopement later this summer. They hoped to make a trip up this spring to finalize wedding plans in person and have their engagement session, but their busy schedules made this difficult. Gabrielle had emailed with the trip changes and we ended up opting to schedule their engagement session for early in their wedding week.

While this isn’t ideal (we recommend scheduling your engagement session at least a month ahead of your wedding), we knew it was what was best for Gabrielle and Cory. However, I realized in June that we were going to be within an hour of their hometown soon, and messaged to find out if they would like to meet up the weekend we were down for Spencer and Caitalyn’s wedding. Gabrielle said definitely, and mentioned there was a botanical garden nearby that they had been wanting to visit. I couldn’t believe it when she suggested doing their engagement session at Fernwood Botanical Garden – that’s where we were going to be for the wedding the same weekend!

Cory and Gabrielle made a trip to Fernwood ahead of time to explore, and they loved it so much they purchased a membership. They’ve enjoyed spending the spring and summer walking much of the 105 acres of garden and trails. I can see why – we spent two days photographing on the property and still left entire areas of the preserve untouched!

Summer Engagement Session in Southwest Michigan

One thing I was unprepared for was just how hot and humid lower Michigan is in the summer! It was 94 degrees Friday afternoon, and only slightly better in the shade. Cory and Gabrielle were total troopers and said the temperatures are normal for late June. I sure am glad they’re coming to the Upper Peninsula for their wedding, haha! We did our best to stay out of the direct sun, which is easy to do with Fernwood’s many canopied paths.

Summer Engagement Photos at Fernwood

Cory and Gabrielle chose great outfits for their summer engagement session. I love when couples dress up and treat it like a special event. Additionally, they had perfect coordination because Cory’s shirt was a different color than Gabrielle’s dress. This helped her pop next to him instead of blending in.

Just hopping in to remind you that it was 90+ DEGREES!! These two are so natural and comfortable together. I was so glad they were such pros at dealing with the temps.

Gabrielle & Cory, thank you for finding time for your summer engagement session in your busy schedules! We can’t wait to see you again next month when you drive north to become husband and wife!