It may have been cold but WOW, what a day! This session was so much fun to shoot and Michelle & Nate are hilarious! We spent most of our time talking about Mad Men, The Office or Breaking Bad. If we weren’t channeling Don Draper, we were laughing hysterically about how much of a creeper I am when I shoot… hiding in bushes, laying on the ground, peaking around corners, etc…

Michelle is an aluminums of Notre Dame and Nate is getting his PhD there in Computer Science. I met them both at Bride’s Night Out and we immediately hit it off! We turned a 15 minute convo into 90 minutes, discussing everything from good tv to foreign affairs! It was such a pleasure!

We started our session at Beutter Park in Mishawaka to hopefully capture what little bit of fall we had left. Mission accomplished for sure as we were able to find several great backgrounds even with the snowfall from earlier that morning. From the first shot, I knew it was going to be a great day! These two killed it, even my light checks… they could smile or be serious right on cue!

Off we went to Notre Dame for the largest part of the session. Since Michelle & Nate both bleed Navy and Gold, we had to pay homage to the Irish! Every time I come to this beautiful campus I find a new nook that I’ve never seen before. We had ball even though we were starting to lose feeling in our fingers.

Last but not least… downtown South Bend! We got super lucky in the fact that the skyway between Double Tree and the Art Museum were unlocked. We did some cool lighting shots inside the skyway and then a couple on the stairs. We then braved the cold and ventured around downtown, looking for inspiration. I found an ally with an old iron door and told Nate to give me his best Don impression… he nailed it! I love how dark and film-like these photos are! Next we walked just a few steps down and found the art work on the wall of La Salle Grill. It really matched our old-timey theme and the look was on point! Lastly was the middle of the street night shot photo. The sky was crazy blue and all the street lights gave off a gorgeous yellow glow. We were freezing but it was all worth it. 😉

Michelle & Nate – Thank you for trusting me with not only your engagement but now your beautiful August wedding! I’m so honored and can’t wait to start planning with you! And most importantly, I love that I can call you friends! <3 S

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Photography: Sarah Sage Photography LLC