Elise and Gabe’s engagement session was all smiles as we spent a beautiful fall day together!

Our day started at the studio where Nidia of Blushing Beauty Hair did Elise’s hair and makeup. During that hour, Gabe and I exchanged travel stories and realized our common love for Europe. In fact, Gabe proposed to Elise in Italy… now that’s a proposal!

After hair and makeup was finished, we traveled to our first location, the Japanese Garden in Mishawaka. It’s the perfect place to shoot because it’s small, quiet and few people know about it. The fall colors were in full affect so each photo had a beautiful background.

These are my absolute favorite images from the day! The willow tree provided the perfect frame to put Elise and Gabe in. The green was gorgeous and it made them stand out even more. Plus you’ll notice that these two can’t take a bad picture so each moment was amazing!

Back to the studio for a quick outfit change and then off we went to Notre Dame. Gabe had the great idea of selecting places that were specific to them as a couple and leaving the iconic Notre Dame spots for the wedding day. I thought this was brilliant and helped tell the story of how they got here.

Our first stop was the bench is in between their two dorms, O’Neill and McGlinn Hall, where Elise and Gabe kissed for the first name. Affectingly named ‘the kissing bench’, by me, they told me the story of how they had gone to a dance that night and afterwards sat on this bench and had their first kiss.

Secondly, we walked to Bond Hall where Gabe spent the majority of his college career getting his Bachelors in Architecture.

We tried a few spins but Elise’s shoes and the uneven grass didn’t mix well. But that’s okay because the giggles were priceless.

There was a bench near Bond Hall where Elise and Gabe spent a lot of time talking and building their friendship and later relationship. The ‘talking bench’ was still wet from the rain earlier in the day but no worries, it made the perfect spot for the ring shot. Next August, we’ll be sure to get a few photos of them on the bench. (I’ll bring a towel just in case.😉)

As we started walking around from Bond Hall, I noticed the large pillars and steps. Perfect place for a few snuggles!

Our last stop on the Notre Dame tour was O’Shaughnessy Hall where Elise got her Bachelors in English. I love the unique look of the building.

With our Notre Dame tour complete, it was time to hit our final location of the session, downtown South Bend. Elise and Gabe changed into their last outfit and we had fun with reflections on the west side of the DoubleTree Hotel.

We took a little stroll to the Morris for our night shots. I always love this part of downtown because of all the lights and color.

Epic end to an epic session!

To Elise and Gabe – Thank you for choosing me to capture your engagement and of course, wedding day! I know postponing wasn’t ideal but I’m so glad that fate brought us together! You are both wonderful people and I can’t wait to get to know you better! All my love – S

To see their full gallery, click here.

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Photography: Sarah Sage Photography LLC

HMU: Blushing Beauty Hair