Ideas on Where to Have Your Engagement Photos Taken

How to decide where to have your engagement session.

An engagement shoot is a great opportunity for you and your beloved to get comfortable in front of the camera, as well as a good chance to develop a rapport with your potential wedding photographer.

By Emily Lasnier

Photo: Vue Photography

An engagement shoot is a great opportunity for you and your beloved to get comfortable in front of the camera, as well as a good chance to develop a rapport with your potential wedding photographer. Often, couples are focused on what they should wear for these photographs, and when during their engagement they should take them. However, the “where” is also an important question to answer, as there are so many location options. We find – at the most general level – that there are two schools of thought regarding where engagement shoots should take place: you can choose to complement or contrast your wedding. 

If you would prefer your engagement session to complement the eventual photos of your nuptials, you may want to book the shoot a year before your celebration, so that the seasons will match. Selecting a location similar to your venue is an especially apt choice if you want to use the pictures for your save the dates, in order to give people an idea of what to expect on the big day. For example, if you and your sweetheart are getting married on a yacht, a photo shoot on the beach will nicely allude to the spot. For couples hosting a destination wedding, one of the trips to meet with vendors could be a valuable opportunity to get some pictures taken. 

With the amount of decisions that come along with planning one’s nuptials, compromises often have to be made. If you have trouble deciding on a certain style or location for your wedding, engagement photos can be a nice way to embrace the second choice. For those who host their event in the city, but look longingly at photos of rustic celebrations, the engagement session is a great opportunity to showcase a more country or bohemian side. Lovebirds who have a hometown wedding may want to tour their favorite spots in the city where they currently reside, so their home together isn’t completely left out of the festivities. 

Additionally, shared passions and hobbies of a couple can influence the location of wedding photos. The ballpark of your favorite team, your weekend hiking trail, or the neighborhood farmer’s market are all great options that can show who you are in your everyday lives. 

View one couple's romantic Central Park e-session, learn which mistakes to avoid for your engagement shoot, and read expert tips from a photographer on how to personalize your session.

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