Calder Plaza Casual Summer Engagement Session | Jackie and Charlie

I am SO excited to celebrate with Jackie and Charlie this weekend for their wedding at Frederick Meijer Gardens!! I hope the sun is shining like it was at their Calder Plaza casual summer engagement session!! The Gardens is definitely a dream location for local photographers – botanicals that bloom year round? Multiple indoor greenhouses? Yes please! I’m most looking forward to their First Look, which Jackie wants to do inside the cactus room! I loooove the southwest look and feel, so a room full of cactuses (cacti?) definitely makes me happy!!

Jackie and Charlie definitely wanted a downtown look for their engagement photos, but didn’t necessarily want to do the Blue Bridge. I think the only thing that rivals the bridge in terms of iconic places that screams “Grand Rapids” is the Calder!

As much as I love shooting downtown, somehow I had never been here before! I came a little before the session to check it out and was absolutely blown away! Not only was the sun shining perfectly, but the buildings created wonderful reflections for perfect lighting in every direction! Put a couple that giggles the entire time in front of my camera, and I am a happy camper!!

I love the way the Calder just perfectly frames them here!

Look at how cute they are!!

There’s never a wrong time to practice your first dance 🙂

Seriously this might be a new favorite spot!

With this gorgeous green space right next to it?! How perfect!

This photo completely embodies the perfect summer to me!

And of course I had to play in these beautiful purple flowers!

Thanks for taking a look at Jackie and Charlie’s Calder Plaza casual summer engagement session! Don’t forget to follow Schu’s Shoots Photography on Instagram and Facebook to catch their wedding sneak peeks!