Love Through the Storm: Iyesha + McColl’s Northern Michigan Engagement

Offield Family Nature Preserve 2025

This spring, Northern Michigan got hit hard with an ice storm swept through the region, snapping trees, scattering branches, and transforming familiar landscapes into something unrecognizable. As photographers, we’re used to weather being unpredictable. But this storm? It changed places we’ve photographed for years, especially one of our favorite spots near Harbor Springs.

We met up at Birch Tree Bakery to start the session (because let’s be real — warm drinks and cozy conversation always set the tone). From there, we wandered through a few nearby locations, watching the way the aftermath of the storm had shaped the scenery. Where there were once lush wooded trails and soft, quiet greens, now stood open patches of sky and fallen limbs. A little wild. A little raw. And somehow… still beautiful.

And then there was Iyesha and McColl, calm, joyful, and full of love. As soon as we began, they moved through the storm-touched woods with ease, laughing, holding hands, and grounding the entire session with their connection. It felt like a metaphor, honestly: how love can feel steady even when everything around you is shifting.

These two were a dream to photograph, natural, connected, and so clearly meant for each other. Their Northern Michigan wedding is coming up this summer, and we can’t wait to celebrate with them again.

If you're planning your own engagement session in Northern Michigan, or thinking about saying “I do” somewhere up north ice storm or not we’re here for it. From snowy Harbor Springs elopements to summer lakeside weddings in Petoskey, we believe every love story deserves to be captured honestly and artfully.