Emma + Brayden | Engagement Session at Bickelhaupt Arboretum | Clinton, Iowa

February in Iowa is always a bit of a gamble. Some days it feels like the tundra, and some days it surprises you with just enough warmth to make being outside tolerable.

Emma and Brayden’s engagement session landed on one of those lucky days.

Still chilly (this is winter in Iowa) but nice enough to take a quick walk through Bickelhaupt Arboretum in Clinton. The arboretum is actually under construction right now, but we decided to use it anyway. Instead of the usual entrance, we parked along the road and wandered in like a few polite trespassers with a camera.

But honestly, Emma and Brayden made my job easy. They have been together since high school, and that long history shows up in the simplest ways. Little glances, inside jokes, the kind of comfort that doesn’t need much direction from me…which is always a good sign heading into a wedding day, because things tend to move quickly and the best moments usually happen in between the planned ones.

These two will be getting married in June, and if their engagement session is any indication, it’s going to be a beautiful day filled with the kind of moments that matter most.