Fall Engagement Session in Brookside Gardens | Annalise and Rafael

Fall engagement session at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland, photographed by Baltimore wedding photographer Cait Kramer.

There is something about peak fall golden hour that makes everything feel like it was made to be remembered. Golden, warm, unhurried— Annalise and Rafael’s fall engagement session at Brookside Gardens was exactly that.

These two are the kind of couple you just know will be so natural in front of the camera before you even pick one up.

Genuinely some of the sweetest people I’ve met — warm, steady, and so fully in it with each other that you can feel it just standing next to them. No performance to manage. No nerves to talk through. Just two people who really enjoy being around each other.

I’ve photographed Brookside Gardens across every season leading up to Annalise and Rafael’s engagement session, and fall was the one that stopped me in my tracks.

To be fair, this garden is a showstopper in any season. But with the foliage at peak color, the light rich and gold, and the whole park taking on that kind of warmth, every frame felt like it was already a memory before we’d even left. We wandered from one end to the other together, pausing in the quiet moments for these two to giggle or twirl or whisper something sweet in the other’s ear. They barely needed any prompting from me— they’re just that sweet.

And just a moment for one more thing worth noting: Annalise’s outfit. I mean I’m obsessed. She opted for a cream sweater over a silky skirt: elevated and soft at the same time, and completely effortless against all that color behind her. It was THE perfect engagement session outfit for fall photos— something that felt so very bridal and chic while also being so cozy and autumnal all at the same time.

The story of how they found each other is one of those that feels like it was taken straight from a romance novel.

Annalise and Rafael met at work— at a senior living facility. She handles the numbers. He keeps everything running. They started as two people who show up to take care of others every day, and managed to find each other somewhere in the middle of it.

Their proposal almost happened twice before it actually did.

Rafael had a boating day planned, then a trip to Florida that fell apart after Annalise was seriously injured. But through it all, they were by each other’s sides, cheering the other on, knowing where they wanted to take their relationship but allowing life to lead, trusting that the tougher seasons and delays would only make them stronger. By August, the moment finally happened! On a quiet afternoon in her mom’s backyard, Rafael asked Annalise to marry him.

Now back to their Brookside engagement session…

These two just get each other. They walk side by side without needing to talk yet also know how to break it down on the dance floor. (As seen on their wedding day at Raspberry Plain Manor 💁‍♀️) The way Rafael looked at Annalise with stars in his eyes when she wasn’t looking and the way she lights up when she catches his eye… like I’m just obsessed with these two. These in-between moments — the ones nobody plans for — are the ones that stay with you and are the ones that make for the sweetest photos too.

Now… are you ready to scroll through some of the pretty from our time together?! I can’t wait to share these two with you But before we do… if you landed here because you are planning your own engagement session, HI! Welcome. Brookside Gardens is stunning in any season, but fall there is something else entirely. If you’re looking for a fall engagement session photographer in Maryland, I’d love to be part of your story. Tap here to learn more.

Fall engagement session at Brookside Gardens in Maryland, photographed by Baltimore wedding photographer Cait Kramer. Autumn engagement session at Brookside Gardens in Maryland, photographed by Baltimore wedding photographer Cait Kramer.