Alaina & Christopher’s Garden Engagement Photos at Thornden Park

It was a hot July day, and I met up with Alaina and Christopher at the E.M. Mills Rose Garden at Thornden Park in Syracuse for some garden engagement photos. The rose garden makes up just a small corner of the 76-acre park, but is a true showpiece with more than 3,000 rose bushes, completely maintained by volunteers.

The three of us took our time exploring the garden together and chatting about their story and their wedding. The heat was noticeable, but they were so present and happy to be there that nothing could ruin the moment. Their plentiful smiles and laughter kept us in the moment, and my camera was going almost nonstop trying to capture it all.

The rose garden is small but mighty, with huge bushes filled with flowers that created magical backdrops for their dreamy garden engagement photos. I kept my eyes peeled the entire time for the perfect rose on which to shoot Alaina’s gorgeous ring. I ended up using a sturdy white rose with layers of petals that popped in front of some dark greenery.

Once we had made our way around the rose garden a few times, we headed out into the rest of Thornden Park. Along with the rose garden, this 100-year-old park features an amphitheater, lily pond, and tons of lush greens. My favorite part is all the brick walkways and old stonework!

I snapped a few final photos of the happy couple near the edge of the E.M. Mills Rose Garden before we parted ways. I absolutely adored photographing Alaina and Christopher and can’t wait for their April wedding at Bayshore Grove in Oswego, NY!