McKenzie + Phil’s Edgewater Park Engagement Photos
There is something about a September evening on Lake Erie that makes Cleveland feel especially beautiful. For McKenzie and Phil’s Edgewater Park Cleveland engagement session, we planned for a relaxed evening filled with plenty of movement, laughter, their two very enthusiastic dogs, and one particular willow tree that made this location feel just right.
McKenzie was drawn to Edgewater Park because of the large willow tree sitting along the edge of Lake Erie. It was a meaningful choice for more than just the beautiful backdrop. Next September, she and Phil will be getting married at Gervasi Vineyard, where the lake and surrounding landscape will create a similar romantic setting for their wedding day.
It felt a little like a preview of what is still to come.
Engagement Photos at Edgewater Park in Cleveland
Edgewater Park gives us so much variety without needing to travel from location to location. We were able to photograph McKenzie and Phil beneath the willow tree, along the waterfront, and eventually down on the beach. With Lake Erie in the background, the park gave their engagement photos that effortless mix of nature and Cleveland that works so beautifully here.
Edgewater Park is part of Cleveland Metroparks’ Lakefront Reservation and stretches along the Lake Erie shoreline, giving couples plenty of room for both quiet, natural portraits and more playful images near the water.
For McKenzie and Phil, I wanted the session to feel polished without making every photo feel overly posed. We created some of those more formal, timeless portraits they will be able to enjoy for years, but we also left plenty of space for them to interact naturally.
That balance feels especially fitting for the wedding they’re planning.
McKenzie has described wanting their wedding day to feel magical, almost like she and Phil are tucked away in their own little world together. Phil gravitates toward elegance and timelessness. Their engagement photos gave us an opportunity to begin blending those two ideas before the wedding day even arrives.
Jackson and Bentley Join the Engagement Session
Of course, we couldn’t have an Edgewater Park Cleveland engagement session without including two very important members of the family.
Jackson and Bentley joined us for part of the evening with the help of McKenzie’s sister, Olivia, and her boyfriend, Josh.
And these boys came prepared.
They smiled for the camera like seasoned professionals and were genuinely some of the best behaved four-legged engagement session participants I could have asked for.
Mostly.
They only attempted to dislocate McKenzie’s elbow once.
Naturally, it happened at the very end of the session when we made our way down to the beach.
I’ll still call that a win.
Having Olivia and Josh there was incredibly helpful because once we finished the photos with the dogs, Jackson and Bentley could go hang out with them while McKenzie and Phil focused completely on each other. If you’re thinking about bringing your dogs to an engagement session, having an extra set of hands is one of the easiest ways to make it work without having the entire session revolve around managing leashes.
When Cleveland Weather Changes the Plan
If you’ve spent any amount of time near Lake Erie, you know Cleveland weather gets a vote in your plans.
Unfortunately, the skies opened up before we could finish everything we had planned, cutting our session about 30 minutes short.
Would I have happily taken another half hour with McKenzie and Phil? Absolutely.
But one of my favorite things about their gallery is that it doesn’t feel like a session that was cut short.
In the time we had together, we created a really beautiful mix of portraits. Some feel refined and intentional. Others feel completely candid and effortless. We photographed beneath the willow tree, along the lake, with Jackson and Bentley, and down on the beach before the rain officially won.
Sometimes the goal isn’t to force the original plan to happen exactly as expected. It’s knowing how to use the time, light, location, and circumstances you actually have.
And we did exactly that.
From Edgewater Park to a Gervasi Vineyard Wedding
Next September, I’ll get to photograph McKenzie and Phil again, this time for their wedding at Gervasi Vineyard in Canton.
The connection between their engagement session location and wedding venue makes me love McKenzie’s choice of Edgewater even more. Gervasi’s sprawling property includes lakes, walking paths, beautifully landscaped grounds and its Tuscan-inspired Villas, creating another setting where water and greenery will become part of the story.
By then, the camera won’t feel nearly as unfamiliar.
That’s another reason I value engagement sessions so much. Yes, we create beautiful photos, but we’re also learning how you naturally interact together, what kind of direction feels comfortable, what makes you laugh, and when you need more guidance versus when I can simply let a moment happen.
As a Cleveland wedding photographer, that time together before the wedding day helps me photograph couples in a way that feels natural, intentional, and true to them. When the wedding day arrives, we aren’t starting from scratch.
When the wedding day arrives, we aren’t starting from scratch.
And for a couple who wants their day to feel magical, elegant, and most importantly, present instead of pressured, that’s exactly where I want us to be.
McKenzie and Phil, I cannot wait to do this all over again next September.
Preferably with slightly less rain.
And perhaps a stronger grip on the dog leashes.
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