McKenna & Braxton’s Editorial Engagement Photos at The Lytle Park Hotel

Some love stories feel like they were always meant to happen.

McKenna Deaton and Braxton Eiserman’s story is one of those for me—not only because these are two people I love dearly, but because somehow, long before they knew they belonged together, I was already connected to both of their stories.

And, as it turns out, I may have had just a little something to do with bringing those two stories together.

Their two-day engagement photoshoot took us from the sophisticated interiors of The Lytle Park Hotel in Cincinnati, Ohio, to a vintage-car editorial in Lexington, Kentucky. The result was exactly what McKenna envisioned: sexy, sophisticated, Vogue-inspired engagement photographs that felt less like traditional engagement pictures and more like pages pulled from a fashion magazine.

But the story behind these photographs began many years before this engagement session.

From Family Photographer to Matchmaker

I have known Braxton since he was six years old because I have always been his family photographer.

I photographed him as the cute, rowdy little boy, through those wonderfully awkward middle-school years, and eventually for his senior portraits. I have been behind the camera for so many of the Eiserman family's special moments that watching Braxton grow up has been part of my own journey as a photographer.

And, of course, I have known McKenna since the day she was born.

About five years ago, McKenna was talking to me about how difficult it was to meet a really great guy.

And suddenly, I remembered something.

When I photographed Braxton's senior pictures, his mom, Lea, and I had talked about his plans for college. She mentioned that Braxton was going to the University of Kentucky. McKenna was also at UK, and Lea had said something along the lines of how nice it would be if our kids could meet.

Well...

I remembered Braxton.

And I started making my case.

"He's taller than you!"

"He's very handsome."

"He's driven."

"He plays football for UK."

"He's super smart and is going to be an architect."

"And he has GREAT parents. You would love them!"

Oh—and his brother Zach is hilarious.

I apparently made a pretty convincing sales pitch.

They have been together ever since.

And as the story goes, that's all she wrote.

Sometimes I joke that the invisible string connecting these two people I love so much was... me.

And now we're planning their wedding.

An Editorial Engagement Session Instead of Traditional Engagement Pictures

When it came time to plan McKenna and Braxton's engagement photographs, we knew these couldn't feel ordinary.

McKenna wanted something sexy, fashionable and sophisticated. She wanted Vogue-inspired posing, beautiful lighting and photographs with a true editorial, magazine-quality feel.

She wasn't looking for the typical engagement session.

She wanted fashion.

She wanted drama.

She wanted photographs that looked like them.

My friend and fellow photographer Andrea Chapelo had the idea of photographing their engagement session at The Lytle Park Hotel in Cincinnati, and the minute we started thinking about the possibilities, we knew it was perfect.

Andrea joined me for the session and helped photograph McKenna and Braxton, and having another creative photographer there made it even more fun to push the concepts, lighting and posing. Not to mention, this gave McKenna and Braxton confidence in knowing their wedding photography would be just as amazing since Andrea agreed to be one of the photographers!!!!

Why The Lytle Park Hotel Was Perfect for Their Engagement Photos

The Lytle Park Hotel gave us something completely different from the outdoor engagement locations people traditionally expect.

Its elegant architecture, sophisticated interiors, open lobby and beautiful bar immediately created the upscale atmosphere we wanted.

Instead of trying to make a location fit the vision, the hotel became part of the story.

The beautiful open lobby gave us space to create photographs that felt polished and luxurious while still allowing McKenna and Braxton to interact naturally.

At the bar, they raised a glass and toasted their engagement.

It was such a simple moment, but photographed in that setting, it became something completely different—a celebratory image that felt like it belonged in a magazine.

Professional Lighting Made the Hotel Come Alive

Indoor hotel photography can be beautiful, but lighting makes all the difference.

Rather than relying entirely on the existing light inside the hotel, we incorporated professional off-camera lighting to shape the photographs and give them the polished, editorial quality McKenna wanted.

That allowed us to highlight the architecture and ambiance of The Lytle Park Hotel while keeping McKenna and Braxton beautifully lit.

The result was dimensional, dramatic and sophisticated rather than simply looking like photographs taken inside a hotel lobby.

This is one of the reasons I love creating sessions around a concept instead of simply choosing a pretty location.

The location is only the beginning.

Wardrobe, posing, lighting, expression and direction are what turn that location into a photograph.

The Elevator Photos: Sexy, Moody and Completely Editorial

And then there were the elevators.

Andrea and I immediately saw the possibilities.

The smaller space, reflective surfaces, dramatic lighting and close proximity between McKenna and Braxton allowed us to create some of the sexiest photographs of their engagement session.

These weren't traditional "smile at the camera" engagement portraits.

They were intimate.

Confident.

Moody.

Fashion-forward.

Exactly the kind of images McKenna had envisioned when she said she wanted her engagement photographs to feel like a Vogue editorial.

Sometimes the most unexpected corner of a location becomes the place where the magic happens.

Day Two: A Vintage Car Engagement Session in Lexington, Kentucky

But we weren't finished.

The next day, the engagement shoot continued in Lexington, Kentucky, giving McKenna and Braxton an entirely different look for the second half of their session.

Thanks to Greg Reynolds, we were able to borrow a gorgeous vintage car for the photographs.

And suddenly we had another editorial.

The classic car gave the photographs a timeless, cinematic quality that complemented the polished hotel images beautifully while still feeling completely different.

That is one of the things I love about planning a multi-location engagement session.

Your engagement photographs don't have to have one look.

They can tell different parts of your story.

They can be elegant in one location, sexy in another, playful in another and timeless somewhere else.

The common thread isn't the location.

It's you.

Creating Engagement Pictures That Feel Like You

I believe engagement photography should be more than a prerequisite for a wedding announcement.

This season of your life deserves to be photographed intentionally.

McKenna knew exactly how she wanted these images to feel, even before we knew exactly what every photograph would look like.

That's where the planning matters.

The Lytle Park Hotel gave us sophistication and glamour.

The elevators gave us drama and intimacy.

The bar gave us celebration.

The vintage car gave us something cinematic and timeless.

And McKenna and Braxton brought the part that can't be manufactured—their connection.

The Invisible String

Photographing this engagement was emotional for me in a way that most sessions simply can't be.

I've photographed Braxton since he was six.

I've photographed his family through the years.

I've watched McKenna grow from the little girl in front of my camera into this beautiful, confident woman.

And somewhere along the way, one conversation with Braxton's mom became another conversation with McKenna.

One introduction became a first date.

And that became a relationship.

And now it has become a wedding.

The invisible string linking these two people together may have been there all along.

I just happened to give it a little tug.

Congratulations, McKenna and Braxton.

I love you both more than you know, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for you.

And now...

Let's plan a wedding.

Looking for Editorial Engagement Photography in Kentucky or Cincinnati?

If you love engagement photographs that feel editorial, sophisticated, fashion-inspired and completely personal, your session doesn't have to look like everyone else's.

At Suzanne Deaton Photography, we create intentionally planned portrait experiences built around the people we're photographing—from wardrobe and locations to professional lighting, posing and the final artwork.

Based in Hazard, Kentucky, Suzanne Deaton Photography photographs clients throughout Eastern Kentucky and beyond, including Lexington, Cincinnati and destination locations.

Your engagement photographs should capture more than what you looked like.

They should capture what this season of your life felt like.