These two beautiful people are absolutely something special! So of course their Wallace Marine Park engagement session was nothing short of amazing! It was full of giggles, kisses, and playfulness that just had me gushing behind my camera. Jon and Emily are so sweet together and so very meant for each other. God knew what he was doing when he put them together!

How we met

I’ve known Jon for a few years now and we met through our church in Salem. In fact, his parents are the pastors of our church and are some of the kindest people I have the privilege of knowing! Jon is one of 5 siblings in a very closely connected family. So you can imagine their joy and excitement when he brought the beautiful and sweet Emily into their lives. They can’t wait to have her as their new daughter and sister! I was over the moon when they contacted me to ask if I would be their wedding photographer! Especially when they told me they are having a morning ceremony and a brunch reception with mimosas! What an epic idea!

The Engagement Session

For their Wallace Marine Park engagement session we actually ended at a second location in Salem. These two are some of my favorite local spots in our city. We began at Wallace Marine Park in West Salem and these two dressed to the nines! They followed my engagement session style guide to the T and showed up looking amazing! Would you believe Emily found that dress at TJ Maxx?? A woman after my own heart. Haha! One thing I love about this park is the walking bridge that goes from one side of the river to the other. The light was incredible in this location to capture the bridge in the background of some of their images.

We then packed up and drove across town to one of my other favorites, Minto Brown Island Park. This time of year in the fall was my absolute favorite time to shoot here and you can see why with all the stunning colors and tall beautiful grass. The landscape here really takes your breath away! We began with a cute outfit change and lots of playful giggles and laughter, followed by some sweet snuggles. You’ll even notice two different rings on here! The flower shaped one is the ring that Jon proposed with that belonged to his grandmother, who was present for the proposal. I absolutely love how sentimental they are!!

A Favorite Moment!

One of my favorite moments was toward the end when Emily asked if we could get some photos of her head resting on Jon’s shoulder as that is her favorite place to be. Talk about my heart melting!! Of course, beautiful, we can certainly do that pose! I love to help my couples feel comfortable and pose them in natural and beautiful ways, but I am always open to poses that they may have in mind and want to try. This session was a fall themed, sun drenched dream.

Congrats, Jon + Emily! I can’t wait for your brunch themed wedding day!!

Want to see more of our beautiful city of Salem? Take a look at Becca + Chris’s engagement session at Willamette University right down town!

https://joniloraine.me/2020/02/06/becca-chris-willamette-university-engagement-session-salem-oregon/