3 Beautiful Nature Locations for Engagement Pictures Between Des Moines and Omaha

Are you and your fiancé in a major metropolitan area in Iowa but looking to get away from it all for your engagement pictures? And I don’t mean ‘get away from it all’ as in booking a Caribbean vacation (as awesome as that would be), but just getting out of the city and in to nature.

That’s just what Kelsey and Ryan did.

Both raised in the Council Bluffs area with many great options for engagement photo locations in town as well as in Omaha, they (and when I say ‘they’ I really mean Kelsey 😜) were excited about the option to do something different.

My husband’s parents live on several acres in Southwest Iowa, with views for miles of the beautiful rolling hills, farm fields, and wind turbines. And sunsets? Absolutely stunning with completely unobstructed views, something very hard to come by in an urban location.

With Lake Icaria just 7 minutes away from my in-law’s property, I told them we could incorporate the rolling hills, a gravel road, a wooded path AND a beach for their session if they wanted to make the short drive to Adams County. Plus dinner with my in-laws beforehand to seal the deal!

Full disclosure - Ryan is our oldest nephew, and boy oh boy are we proud of him and SO incredibly happy for him and Kelsey as they prepare to begin their life together!

Before dinner, I photographed Kelsey’s beautiful engagement ring while she and Ryan chatted with my in-laws and my husband. It’s truly stunning.

After dinner it was time to head out and start Kelsey & Ryan’s engagement session! Thankfully we had absolutely beautiful weather, although it was a little on the breezy side. I was a little concerned with Kelsey having long hair, but she had a friend do her hair for the session and it looked incredible in an up-do with delicate flowers. So, a beautiful up-do and no need to worry about wind blown hair!

Location #1 - Rolling hills, trees, and tall native prairie grasses

We started out in the yard near the house as the sun was streaming beautifully through this tree.

These evergreen trees were planted by my in-laws when their home was built in the early 80’s as a wind break from the strong north winds, especially being up high on a hill.

The tall grasses added a really pretty softness to these shots.

I hadn’t intended on using my father-in-law’s old car garage as a backdrop but this made for a fun frame for these images! You’d never know that while I was taking these photos, my boys were launching their model rocket just down the hill! 😂 Ryan even helped run to find the rocket after it dropped with its parachute!

Location #2 - Country Roads

This hilly gravel road lies just to the south of my in-law’s property and is seldom traveled, so it was a great place for some very romantic, golden, backlit photos.

Location #3 - Lake Icaria

Lake Icaria is a very popular destination in Adams County and the surrounding area, with it’s 650 acre lake, wooded nature/hiking trails and peaceful campgrounds. We truly could have done all of their photos right here at the lake because there is so much beauty in one spot.

This row of evergreen trees sits at the top of a hill right next to a parking lot, and with the golden light of the setting sun shining through it was so soft, warm, and romantic.

Lake Icaria is home to several wooded nature trails. Since we were losing daylight quickly we didn’t trek too far in to the woods but found the neatest spot along some steps at the bridge for them to stop and cuddle just a bit.

The sunset on the lake was stunning that night! The sky with its blues and pinks reminded me of cotton candy, and with the colors that Kelsey and Ryan wore that evening it complemented them beautifully. The beach is a great area to take your shoes off and enjoy a leisurely stroll in the water.

The views from the jetty were gorgeous. It was the perfect place for them to sneak away from others enjoying the lake that evening.

I intended to end our evening with the photos on the jetty, but as they walked away I realized we still had some beautiful sky (it was starting to get dark by this time), so just when I told them we were done I had to say “Oh wait! Just a few more!” SO glad we ended the evening with these.

Kelsey and Ryan are excited to begin their life together next summer, and what better way to decorate their first home together than with artwork from their engagement session! This is a stock image of a bedroom, but wouldn’t it be great to enjoy your photos in your home like this?

Or, this framed and matted collage would look incredible in a living room as shown here, or, arranged horizontally in a hallway.

It’s easy to incorporate a variety of scenes into a single session, you just have to get a little creative sometimes and get out into the country! Tell me in the comments, which location was your favorite? Did you prefer the rolling hills and tall grasses? The gravel road? The wooded path? Or did the beach with the cotton candy sky speak to you the most? I’d love to hear!