Stasa & Shane came to me wanting something “not so midwest” for their photos. Soooo we found some super PNW vibes near Lincoln’s Historic Haymarket District in Omaha instead!
**(Spoiler alert: these two are now MARRIED!! You can see their Nebraska wedding photos here!)**
Stasa & Shane’s forest engagement photos
Location #1: the coolest log mill
Like I mentioned before, when these two inquired with me, they told me they wanted an engagement session that wasn’t your typical midwest vibes. So when I found this log mill just south of Omaha, and they both loved its “PNW vibes,” we KNEW it was the perfect spot for them!!
I mean, who doesn’t think of the PNW when they see tons of logs and trees?! Nobody has to know we weren’t actually in a forest in the middle of Washington or Oregon!! 😉
One thing I LOVED about the log mill is that it provided sooo many opportunities for FUN poses and prompts for these two!! Stasa + Shane went from sitting on the edge of a log to walking between them (trying their best to avoid splinters) to standing on top of them, lookin’ like they were straight outta a movie poster. Am I right or am I right about that?!
Location #2: the Hitchcock Nature Center
Once we were done at the log mill, we headed up north for the views at the Hitchcock Nature Center in Honey Creek, IA! The grassy fields and wide open views at the center are to dieeee for. I know couples are often dreaming of golden hour when they plan their engagement photos, but let this session be the perfect example of how overcast skies can be SO dang dreamy!!
We had clouds galore during Stasa + Shane’s session, but tbh the gray sky looked so super cool over the fields at the nature center. Plus with the overcast weather came wind – which I always LOVE during sessions!! The way the wind blew the grass and the gorgeous red dress Stasa wore?! Unbeatable!!
Their fall engagement photo outfits – inspo for you!
Now you’ve probs already noticed by looking through these photos that this is one STYLISH couple!! They did a perfect job choosing their outfits for their fall engagement photos in Nebraska + Iowa. I’m going to go through each of their sets of outfits real quick to give you some inspo for your own fall engagement pictures!!
Outfit set #1
- Stasa: cream-colored, off-the-shoulder, oversized sweater with black pants
- Stasa’s cream-colored sweater was sooo perfect against the earthy browns of the logs!
- Shane: red & black flannel with black pants
- Flannels can always be iffy in photos depending on the color and size of the lines, but Shane’s flannel with big squares and deep red color was perf for fall!
Outfit set #2
- Stasa: emerald green knit sweater, plaid yellow/green/red scarf, burnt orange skirt, & ankle boots
- This outfit looked straight out of a fashion mag, am I right?? The combo of the deep green, the scarf, and the skirt made for the perfect + cutest palette of earth tones!
- Shane: cream-colored long-sleeve with dark-wash jeans
- Shane kept it simple for this one to let Stasa’s outfit shineee, with a light-colored shirt and dark jeans!
Outfit set #3
- Stasa: bright red, off-the-shoulder formal dress with a leg slit
- Clearly Stasa ended off their session with a BANG, showing off this stunnerrrrr of a more formal, red, glam dress. Who says you have to be casual out in nature and only formal at events?!
- Shane: white, long-sleeve, dotted collared shirt with black pants
- Shane rocked yet another patterned shirt, a light-colored collared top that paired perfectly with his dark pants.
These two KILLED it, and their outfit variety created soooo much added variety in their final gallery!!
It’s so truly humbling to be trusted by complete “strangers” to capture who “they” are and their unique love stories, like Stasa + Shane, (although I promise you these two have a new lifelong friend whether they like it or not). 🤷🏻♀️😜
Check out their wedding gallery here (yup, they’ve since tied the knot)!!
