Happily Ever After: Elizabeth & Paul at Squire's Castle

Stories Forever Weddings

Oct 28

2 min read

Elizabeth & Paul wanted an engagement session that felt like a storybook, so we met them at Squire's Castle in Willoughby Hills. The old stone castle, with its arched doorways and tall windows, gave us exactly that, and the two of them filled it with the kind of easy affection that makes a fairytale feel real.

A Castle in Willoughby Hills

Squire's Castle sits in the Cleveland Metroparks' North Chagrin Reservation: a stone building with towers, arches and open windows that has become one of Northeast Ohio's favorite places for portraits. We started outside, using the towers and the lawn to show the whole scene, with Elizabeth in a long white dress and Paul in navy.

Elizabeth & Paul at the front entrance of Squire's Castle in Willoughby Hills, Ohio

Elizabeth & Paul in a doorway of Squire's Castle with the stone towers rising around them

Elizabeth & Paul small in the archway of the castle's stone wall

Elizabeth & Paul standing together beside a tower of Squire's Castle on the lawn

Through the Arches

Inside, every doorway frames the next one. We placed Elizabeth & Paul in the brick and stone arches and let them move toward each other, reach across the doorways and settle onto the steps together.

Paul reaching for Elizabeth across a stone archway at Squire's Castle

Elizabeth & Paul framed through a dark stone doorway inside Squire's Castle

Elizabeth & Paul standing under a brick arch inside Squire's Castle

Elizabeth & Paul sitting close on the steps of a brick archway at Squire's Castle

Window Light

The castle's tall windows let soft light fall across the dark stone, which made for some of our favorite portraits of the session: quiet moments with the two of them close, and a few laughing ones too.

Elizabeth & Paul standing close beside a tall window inside Squire's Castle

Paul holding Elizabeth in soft window light against the castle's stone wall

Elizabeth hugging Paul from behind as he smiles

The Little Details

One of the simplest frames says the most: their hands reaching for each other against a black background. We also put together a short film from the session, which you can watch on our Instagram.