Savannah and Collin | Engagement | Riley Trails | Holland, MI

We had finished up with all of our regular spots along the trails, but we still had 10-15 minutes left before we headed out to our next location. Savannah and Collin had gone to change and as we waited along the path, we started taking some test photos near a tiny tree in the middle of tall grass. All of a sudden, we looked at each other and knew, "This was going to be worth a few extra minutes." We thought we knew every inch of Riley Trails, but on this evening, when we allowed ourselves to think "outside the box," we were able to capture some of our favorite portraits ever from this location!

As soon as Savannah and Collin hopped out of their car, they immediately started showing us their outfit options and getting Andrea's thoughts on which colors would go best together. (Notice we said getting "Andrea's" thoughts? Josh is perfectly fine with that too!) Even though they promised that they had never done any modeling, we were quickly blown away with how natural they were in front of the camera. Andrea even commented later in the shoot how "simply joyful" they acted in their photos, and as we got to know them, we are pretty sure that "joyful" describes how these two approach life.

We hadn't been back to Riley Trails since last year with Anna and Spencer's Engagement shoot, and thankfully for us (and Savannah and Collin), it was just as beautiful as we remembered it! The trees at Riley light up in a really special way during the late afternoon and as we scouted around to make sure it hadn't changed, the light began to dance through the leaves in such a beautiful way that we knew it was going to be perfect! After we spent the first hour at Riley, we quickly hoped over to a local beach where we were able to finish off the evening with stunning sunset and beach photos complete with dress twirls and romantics lifting shots!

Savannah and Collin, we can already begin see your wedding day in our minds because we saw a glimpse of it this night. The joy you two had with just being together was so evident in your laughs, in your smiles, and in your portraits! We can't wait to come along with you next year and celebrate your beautiful wedding! Until then, keep having fun being engaged and keep finding joy in the little things along the way on the road to your wedding day! All our best!

- J & A

All photos are property of Josh and Andrea Photography LLC.