Aliya + Brandyn | Engagement | Hager Park | Jenison, Michigan

As we watched Aliya and Brandyn stroll through the grass, you would have never known that just a few hours earlier, we were on the verge of cancelling and rescheduling their engagement shoot. The clouds were forming, then disappearing, and then forming again; and each time we looked at the weather, a new forecast for rain popped up on our phones. After some quick messages back and forth, the four of us decided that it was worth the risk to try and go for it. A few hours later, our cameras took the first picture and we began what we can only describe as the best “going with our gut” decision we’ve ever made!

Although we met Aliya and Brandyn in person for the first time at Hager Park, we had “met” Aliya many times before, either via Zoom or Instagram. Her sweet nature combined with inner confidence shown through the many screens we met her through, and by the time we finally met in real life, we felt like we already knew her! Meeting Brandyn was like catching up with an old friend as the guys passed the session time by talking about sports and work (when Brandyn wasn’t in front of the camera of course). However, when we brought them together, these two simply reflected all the elegance and joy of a couple who is truly made for each other; and sometimes, we simply found ourselves capturing candid moments between them while they waited for us to move to a new location.

With all of our recent engagement sessions being at our “regular” locations, Hager Park gave us a nervous excitement as we pulled up to the tiny park nestled in Jenison, MI. After a few minutes of walking around, we simply looked at each other and said “This place is going on ‘The List’!” We have often craved a location that has woods and fields while still providing us those natural “bright” surroundings that we always look for, and simply put, Hager Park has it ALL! However, we didn’t just stay at Hager the entire time, but we got to finish out the session at Aliya and Brandyn’s new house, completely with a puppy/dog mini photo shoot!

Aliya and Brandyn, the more we get to know you, the more we see the beautiful ways that the two of you complete each other. The little laughs and jokes you both shared between photos reminded us of…well, US on the photo shoots that we’ve been on! As you look forward in the next year to prepping and planning, remember to keep smiling, keep laughing, and keep having fun as you two move towards the best day ever! And hey, if our calendar is clear, we just might show up too! *wink wink* Until then, enjoy your blog and the photos that come with it! All our best!

J + A