Every so often a couple shows up with such an easy, adventurous, go-with-the-flow energy that the photos practically make themselves. That was Nicholas and Noelle. From the first few minutes, it was clear these two simply enjoy each other — and when a couple is that at home together, all I really have to do is get out of the way and catch it.

Nicholas and Noelle laughing and dancing in a field of tall grass at Matthaei Botanical Gardens

A summer garden in the middle of the city

We met on a July evening at Matthaei Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor, and honestly, I couldn't have dreamed up a better spot for these two. Summer had the whole place showing off — fresh flowers absolutely everywhere, a beautiful bridge with the forest rising up behind it, and open fields of tall grass and wildflowers. It gave us that dreamy, wide-open country feeling, all while tucked inside a busy city. The best of both worlds.

Noelle and Nicholas embracing on a wooden bridge, forest rising behind them

Golden light and a dress made to twirl

As the evening sun dropped low and golden, Noelle's white flowy dress did the most magical thing — it caught the light and floated with every twirl Nick spun her into. We wandered from the flowers to the fields to the tall grass, and the two of them just kept laughing and leaning into each other. Those unguarded, in-between moments are always my favorites, and Nick and Noelle handed me a whole evening of them.

Noelle's white dress cascading in a dip as Nicholas holds her in the golden evening light

Photos that actually look like you

The best sessions never feel like a photoshoot — they feel like an evening you'd have wanted to spend together anyway, just with someone there to remember it for you. That's exactly what this was. The images we made truly look like Nicholas and Noelle: adventurous, easygoing, and completely crazy about each other.

Thank you both for such a fun evening. Here's to many more adventures ahead. 💛