Centennial Gardens Destination Engagement | Claire & Rush | Houston, TX

It’s always a dream for a photographer to be able to explore new cities and venues while photographing their couples. The perfect opportunity presented itself for me to photograph Claire & Rush in their own city of Houston, Texas for their Centennial Gardens destination engagement in early summer! And what a beautiful evening it was!!

While Claire and Rush are getting married next Spring in Natchez, Mississippi, they currently reside in Houston, Texas. When I realized that I already had a trip planned to the city for an editorial shoot, I immediately reached out to them! It was a special opportunity that we weren’t going to let pass by! Luckily the dates (and the weather) worked out to our advantage.

We planned for the engagement session to be at McGovern Centennial Gardens and around Hermann Park. This location nestled in the heart of Houston is truly magical! The gardens boast a spacious central lawn that is absolutely beautiful! It is home to more than 490 new trees of over 50 species, hedge shrubs, perennial bulbs, azaleas and 4.5 acres of grass.

As for Hermann park itself, here is a little history on it:

In May of 1914 Houston real estate investor and industrialist George H. Hermann announced publicly his intention of deeding to the City of Houston 285 acres of this property for a municipal park across the street from the Rice Institute and thus Hermann Park was born. A century later, Hermann Park is 445-acres of beautiful green space and is visited by an estimated 6 million people per year.
https://www.hermannpark.org/history/timeline/

I had SO much fun with Claire and Rush on this warm evening in late May. We could not have asked for more beautiful and dreamy sunlight. These two were so sweet as they walked and twirled through the beautiful gardens. After the gardens closed, we explored the rest of Hermann Park. This included another highlight for me which was the large reflecting pool. It was a picture perfect location and couple!

I cannot wait to celebrate with Claire and Rush again next April for their Spring garden party wedding in Natchez! As for me, this Centennial Gardens Destination Engagement is one I’ll always remember and will hold a special place in my heart!