A Woodland Fairytale Engagement Session in Copper Harbor, Michigan
Updated: 2 days ago
Photography and Story by Andrea Brandt | Lume Photography
A Hidden Fairytale on Lake Medora
Niki and Taylor had booked Anam Cara Cabin on Lake Medora for their first trip to the Keweenaw Peninsula together. They wanted a wooded, fairy-inspired engagement session that celebrated their love of nature and looked like a scene from a romantic fantasy novel. Anam Cara’s imaginative architecture, artist-made details, surrounding forest, and lakeshore offered an incredible setting for that vision, with room to explore both the woods and the water.
I met them at Anam Cara’s main house as they finished getting ready. The property is full of extraordinary handmade details, including custom lighting created by the owners. Outside, the couple wrote letters to one another in a beautifully bound custom notebook before heading into the deep forest for photographs with candles.
Letters, Lanterns & a Sunset Canoe Ride
When this couple first reached out, they told me their friends thought they might actually be woodland fairies! They had met through Detroit’s techno scene and were celebrating their engagement with their first trip to the Keweenaw Peninsula together. They wanted photographs that brought their love of nature and each other into the world of a dark romantic fantasy.
Music is still a shared part of their relationship, and they enjoy listening to EDM and techno together, along with indie rock and indie folk.
Raven & Dove Flora Art designed florals featuring locally sourced flora and provided a beautiful canoe for the session. At the Point House, the couple climbed into the canoe and paddled around the point on Lake Medora as the sun set. They already love paddleboarding together, so spending part of their engagement celebration on the water fit beautifully.
Afterward, they went for a dip in the lake, where I created some of the evening’s most haunting, otherworldly photographs. The session ended with them heading back inside to dry off and warm up. From the handwritten letters to the sunset canoe journey, it really was a woodland and water fairytale!
Congratulations to Niki and Taylor! You can read more about their story here.
Vendors & Creative Credits:
Photographer: Andrea Brandt / Lume Photography
Outfits:
Dress: Mokosh Dress by AYA Sacred Wear
His Shirt: ASOS DESIGN regular-fit overhead shirt with Henley collar in black
His Pants: ASOS DESIGN Reclaimed Vintage pull-on pants in brown
Location & Lodging: Anam Cara, Lake Medora, Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan
Floral Design & Canoe: Raven & Dove Flora Art — floral design including custom headpieces, canoe decor and bouquet, and garland featuring locally sourced flora; canoe provided for the session.
Lanterns: Barebones Forest Lanterns
Additional Creative Credit: Anam Cara’s owners created the main house’s custom lighting. Their work also includes The Illumignossi Project, which guides participants in creating lamps as spiritual works of art.
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