Haley & Tyler’s Engagement Session at Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas

Right now as I’m writing this, it’s actually January, and the tones from this fall shoot have me dreaming of more colorful days than what is outside my window. The autumn of 2018 was incredibly rainy and wet, and my sweet bride, Haley, was so accommodating as we both checked our weather apps daily trying to figure out the best day for us to drive down to Arkansas for this shoot.

I love Petit Jean State Park. Heck, I love Arkansas in general. (Sorry, Missouri!) The light is warm and the trees are usually a bit more green and colorful than in Missouri and it’s always worth the drive down for our Arkansas brides. Not to mention, Arkansas has the best access to cliffs. The overlook at Petit Jean requires no hiking– just park your car and you have the perfect landscape in front of you, including one cliff facing east (great for sunrise shoots) and another facing west (perfect for sunset, which is when we shot).

Something that I have been wanting to do for a few years now is offer bouquets for engagement sessions. I know I’m more flower obsessed than most probably, but I think having a few flowers at any shoot really makes it something special! For Haley’s shoot, I purchased some garden roses, ranunculus, and foraged some greenery to create this bouquet to have some example photos to show our 2019 brides to convince them that yes, this is a must-have add-on for your shoot! I personally love how “autumn-y” it turned out and how it complimented Haley’s adorable outfit!

If I’m honest, during our drive down I thought for sure it was going to be a grey and cloudy day. It had been drizzling as we pulled out of our neighborhood and I was mentally starting to bite my nails because I really wanted a beautiful shoot for Haley and Tyler! But, just as we pulled into Petit Jean, a soft, pinky-peach sunset peeked through the clouds. I was so inspired by the beautiful light after so many rainy days that I think I shot this session in only about 45 minutes! Although, when you have a girl as beautiful as Haley, it’s not like it’s that hard to get a good photo. 😉

Can’t wait for your wedding, Haley and Tyler! It’s going to be one for the books!