There is something magical about a hidden falls engagement session. This place has everything I love – woods and water and stone and earth – and it is filled to bursting with the most incredible light. Every time I walk through these old woods, I can’t help but revel in the history here and think of those who have wandered these paths over the course of years long since passed. How many people walked here, searching, hunting, dreaming. If I close my eyes and sit quietly, the emotion trapped within this place becomes palpable. It lingers sweetly on the back of my eyelids and hums in my ears. At times I swear I can still hear the quiet echo of children chasing wild through the thickness of summer heat, the damp air clinging to their clothes as they rush to the river for a swim.

I am completely in love with this exact place.

Last week, I spent a lovely evening here with an exceptional couple, and it was absolutely perfect. Meredith and Kevin ventured into the woods with me and braved the mosquitos and the mud for their session. They read letters to each other, opening up over their hopes and fears, and promised to love each other for life. They laughed. They hugged. They ran. And they shared an evening, in front of my lens, loving each other in that exactly perfect way that they do. Wholly. Without inhibition. With every ounce of joy they possess.

In a few short weeks these two are getting married in a beautiful park in Saint Paul and I cannot wait for their wedding.

But until then, here are a few frames from the time we spent together most recently: