Kirsten and Noll's Woodsy Engagement Session at Lanterman's Mill in Mill Creek Park in Youngstown, Ohio
I love personalization. I especially love when my couples want to stay true to who they are and be surrounded by things that mean something to them. When Kirsten mentioned shooting her and Noll’s engagement session near Lanterman’s Mill in Mill Creek Park (Youngstown, Ohio) because that’s where Noll proposed, I thought it was a perfect idea! We started by the mill with the covered bridge and cool stone architecture as a backdrop. By wandering around for an hour or so, I really got to know them as a couple and see just how well they mesh together. Their interaction with each other is sweet and silly and playful, which was fun to photograph! I actually thought Noll would be the shy one, but he was joking around the entire session. In all of the goofiness, he brought out this special quality in Kirsten that I hadn’t seen before. It was very apparent to me that they both find a level of comfort in each other unlike anything I’ve seen in a long time. The joy in their laughs and the smiles on their faces were 100% real. They balance each other out in a way that is just so beautiful and it makes me overjoyed to see how truly happy they are together!
Towards the end of the session, we hiked a few minutes down to the water, where Noll proposed to Kirsten. On that day, they were taking a walk in the park, as they often did. Once they got to some large rocks down by the water, Noll pretended like he needed to tie his shoe and asked Kirsten to hold something for him. That something was a ring box. When she opened the box, she was surprised to see the very diamond that was in her mom’s engagement ring. Noll had been planning for quite some time, with the help of Kirsten’s mom, to get a custom ring made for Kirsten. It was the ring band she wanted but never thought she’d get, with the diamond her dad picked out for her mom many years ago. It was such a sweet sentiment and truly meant a lot to Kirsten, which just goes to show how perfect these two are for each other. I’m looking forward to seeing more sweet, personal touches at their August wedding at The Lake Club in Poland, Ohio!
