Catherine and Ryan’s hometown engagement session in White Bear Lake, MN

Catherine, Ryan, and I actually did this engagement session last fall during the week of their wedding! Catherine and Ryan live in the Washington DC area, and they weren’t going to be home in Minnesota until right before their wedding. They loved the idea of doing an engagement session, though, and decided that doing an engagement session would be a really fun way to kick off their wedding week celebrations! 

These pictures are so sweet and special! Doing an engagement session felt like a way for Catherine and Ryan to carve out time for just the two of them and take a little break from the busyness of wedding preparations. The pictures feel like a lovely contrast from their wedding photos, too, and tell more of the story of this chapter in Catherine and Ryan’s daily lives together. 

You can read more about how Catherine and Ryan met in the blog post I wrote about their wedding! Catherine and Ryan are both from Minnesota, and thought it’d be fun to do an engagement session that reflected what it was like to go on a date together in their shared hometown of White Bear Lake. It was a lovely way to harken back to the time when they dated in high school, but also to honor what they do together whenever they’re back home in Minnesota!

Catherine and Ryan’s engagement portraits 

We started the session by meeting at Cup and Cone, an iconic little ice cream shop in White Bear Lake! Ryan brought Catherine a small sprig of flowers from his mom’s garden, which is something he’s done throughout their relationship – a little theme that was so sweet to capture in these portraits! They waited in line for ice cream and then enjoyed some cones together, which was a super charming start to their date. 

We went on a walk down Main Street next. I love how these portraits really capture a sense of place – and what’s more, of a place that is really special to Catherine and Ryan. 

We made our way through a park to head towards the lake. On the way, we stopped at a gazebo that Catherine and Ryan have visited time and time again throughout their relationship. They have danced in this gazebo many times (how sweet is that?!), and they paused to have a happy dance moment together! 

Next, we headed out to the lake. I love these pictures of them walking out onto the dock, taking in the water and looking at the sky together. 

After a quick outfit change, we hopped into some beautiful wooden kayaks that one of their parents actually made! A quick behind-the-scenes fun fact: my second shooter and partner, Tyler, showed up at this point, and he paddled us in a double kayak while I snapped photos. (We both love being on the water and have taken pictures this way many times – it’s really fun!) It was getting close to sunset, and we had the calmest, most beautiful light. 

Catherine and Ryan, this was such a happy and sweet day! I loved reminiscing about it as I looked through your engagement photos. I’m so grateful that we got to work together – you two were such a joy to spend time with, and I love how your portraits turned out!