It was so much fun capturing Emily + Nick in their element recently for their Northwoods engagement session! We wandered through the beautiful trees in Manitowish Waters, enjoyed lake views, and I got to photograph two people so in love & over the moon to be getting married in a meaningful, beautiful way. I know you’re about to fall in love with these photos + want woodsy engagement photos of your own! 😉
Emily + Nick’s Northwoods Engagement Photos
About the couple
I absolutely love getting to meet new couples and learn about not only their relationship, but each of them individually! It was so fun chatting with Emily + Nick during their engagement session, and hearing about both of their journeys as entrepreneurs in Fox Valley. Emily is an incredible interior designer and soon-to-be event planner, and Nick is an amazing pastry chef! You can follow Emily on Instagram & see her gorgeous work @kenwickdesigns, and let your mouth drool over Nick’s delicious creations @littlenickybakeshop.
The family cabin in Manitowish Waters
We chose the Northwoods in Wisconsin for Emily + Nick’s engagement photos – not only because of how beautiful the area is, but because they are actually going to be getting married in the Northwoods, too! They chose the Northwoods as their engagement & wedding location because Emily has always loved coming up here to her family’s cabin in Manitowish Waters, so of course we had to incorporate that meaningful part of her life into their photos.
All the Northwoods vibes
For their engagement photos, I really tried to capture the Northwoods elements of the location: the beautiful lake, log shed, light flares from the bright sun, old-timey signs on the cabin walls that gave us allll the up-north-vibes, and the green forest.
One of my favorite photos from the entire session is the one below, shot through the window on the side of the cabin, that makes it feel like we’re (non-creepily) getting a glimpse at a brief intimate moment between Emily + Nick! It feels so sweet and authentic to their true relationship, getting to spend time together in this beautiful place that holds extra meaning for Emily & her childhood.
How to create meaningful + authentic engagement photos
I absolutely love that we chose the Northwoods (specifically Manitowish Waters) for Emily + Nick’s engagement session because of the special memories Emily has there. Being engaged is already such a special time of transition in your life, and one way you can help your engagement photos truly reflect you & your partner is to incorporate meaning in ways like this.
Do activities you love to do together (cook a meal, play a game, read books), visit your favorite place, explore a new place, and overall just spend quality, intentional time together doing what you love. This will create the most genuine, natural engagement photos possible, and will allow the two of you to feel like you’re in an organic setting, rather than feeling any pressure to pose or perform for the camera!
The more intention, the more meaning behind our time together – and the more meaning behind your engagement photos. Because truly, what’s the purpose of engagement photos if you look at them and remember feeling awkward in front of the camera, rather than wonderful memories of the quality time you spent together?
Wisconsin & Michigan Engagement Photo Inspiration
If you’re looking for more real-life engagement photo inspiration, I’ve got plenty for you to scroll through! Check out a few of my recent engagement sessions below, as well as a couple resources that may be helpful to you in planning your upcoming wedding or elopement.
[…] out these Woodsy Engagement Photos in the Northwoods, Wisconsin for some Manitowish Waters photo […]