We lucked out with the weather while taking Ashley & Steve’s winter engagement photos that took us all over downtown Grand Rapids and Provin Trails in Grand Rapids Township. We had a balmy 37 degrees on a Saturday morning right in the middle of the artic blast that has gripped Michigan over the past few weeks. Ashley is a California girl now dealing with the cold, cold winters the mitten state has to offer… but that did not deter her from rocking a sequin shamrock Badgley Mischka dress. She brought the chic and Steve brought a little bit of country with his dark purple cowboy boots. We stayed mostly around the Amway hotel so we could pop inside and warm up when needed. Since Ashley is from Cali and Steve from Michigan, they wanted use a few locations that make Grand Rapids unique as their backdrop. The Calder sculpture being one of them. We ended the downtown Grand Rapids session at Reserve Food & Wine for a taste of bubbly since this is where Steve asked Ashley got engaged. Then we headed to Provin Trails for some woodsy shots to add outdoorsy to the urban.

I have had more couples take advantage of winter engagement photos this year than ever before. Not only are these sessions fun,  you can get really creative. The downtown Grand Rapids urban setting provides interesting backdrops and the muted lighting of winter compliments every complexion.  Who doesn’t love a sequined dress in the snowy wooded outdoors.  Throw in a quilt and a comfy outfit and you have a completely different look. These are some of the reasons winter engagement photos are my favorite!