Vibrant Springtime Engagement Session at Reiman Gardens
Katie and Brady’s springtime engagement at Reiman Gardens in Ames was such a good time. I always love shooting in botanical gardens, but there’s something special about early spring when the greens are extra vibrant and everything is bursting back to life after a long winter resting.
We explored every inch of the gardens, from the sunny cascading pools at Sycamore Falls, surrounded by hundreds of red and yellow tulips in the Campanile Garden, to the delicate Japanese maples tucked away in the shade gardens. Katie wore her mom’s vintage dress, which looked so beautiful in the romantic gardens.
I knew from the start that I wanted to incorporate a park bench into this shoot. Katie and Brady had their first date in a park, and when Brady proposed, he tied his proposal back to that park in the most creative way. He made a video game about Katie’s life, and as she played through it, his character ended up on a bench in that same park. When she beat the game, she drove over to meet him in real life, and that’s when he proposed. I just LOVED this story, truly one of the most unique and creative proposals I’ve ever heard, so I wanted to have a reminder of it in their session for them.
I had already been to the gardens the week before to find the perfect symbolic bench for us—it was in a perfectly secluded area with a row of gorgeous arborvitae trees behind it, so we had our own secret little space for a moment. Brady sat on the bench and Katie leaned back against his chest, legs kicked up over the arm of the bench, and we took some of my favorite photos of their session. They looked ridiculously cool, and at the same time, so cute together.
We did a quick outfit change, and I loved Katie’s thrifted vest look so much. Katie and Brady wanted to pop into the Hughes Conservatory next, a lush tropical glass house where palms and cycads surrounded a tranquil waterfall and pond. It’s really beautiful inside, and in the center, there’s a covered structure dripping with orchids and absolutely massive tropical plants in every corner.
I loved spending the day wandering through the gardens with Brady and Katie. Everything was so full of life, and this session was the perfect way to welcome spring and celebrate what’s next. These sweethearts are keeping the nature theme going and getting married at one of my all time fave venues—I cannot wait for their wedding next spring at Iris Aisle in Winterset. 💌🌷🌿
