We first met Jen when she was a bridesmaid at her good friend Ashley’s wedding. She and Ashley both went to Western Michigan University, and during Jen’s stint there in the dental hygiene program, she met Kalamazoo native, De’Ontre. The two of them immediately hit it off, and are busy planning their May 2020 wedding in Gladwin, which we have the honor of photographing. Jen and De’Ontre live in Kalamazoo area together, and since I was traveling over to the west side of Michigan to photograph a wedding on Saturday, we decided that Friday evening was the perfect option for us to be their Muskegon engagement photographer, being in town and all.

Jen and De’Ontre brought their two small chihuahuas, and we had an absolute blast watching their personalities come through in photos. Her one dog pre-dates their actual relationship, so the “I loved her first” sign he sported around his neck was super fitting, and adorable. We got to explore the PJ Hoffmaster State Park together with Jen’s mom alongside wrangling the dogs. In the shade the weather was perfect, but we all quickly discovered that the bright sunlight on the beach area was pretty brutally hot. Jen’s family is originally from Tawas, Michigan, so the beauty of a different lake than we are both “used to” (Tawas & Port Huron are both on Lake Huron) didn’t go unnoticed. Lake Michigan’s beautiful soft sandy beaches, and the sunset over the lake are both things that are completely unmatched. The sun is definitely featured heavily in this session, because it was so bright and the sky was nearly cloudless. We love an embrace the sun, and it’s a favorite of ours to allow ourselves and our equipment to create fun lens flares (like sun bursts, or the rainbow colored flare dots) to have it add to the beauty and overall feel of a session.

in 2020 and beyond, Mulberry & Sage is really aiming to begin specializing in destination weddings and destination engagement sessions. If you’re in the market for a western Michigan wedding photographer or Muskegon engagement photographer, we would love the opportunity to connect and chat with you! We hope you love this small preview into Jen & De’Ontre’s beautiful engagement session on Lake Michigan.