Engagement Photo Locations: How to Choose the Perfect Spot

Perfect Engagement Photo Locations

Are you thinking about how to pick a perfect location for your engagement photo session? It requires some thought and couples always ask me for suggestions.

And while I’d happily pick an engagement photo location for you, my past wedding photography clients have been awesome in choosing their own perfect location after a chat with me.

I’ve photographed engagement photo sessions all over the UK and even in Florence, Italy! All the while gathering thoughts on what works best.

So, I’m here to share my best advice for choosing the ideal location for your engagement photo session to suit you both. One that will be the perfect backdrop for images that you’ll cherish forever.

Location prompts to get the ideas flowing

Grab a pen and start writing down ideas that come to mind for these prompts, so you create a list of engagement shoot location ideas:

Where did you first meet?
What’s something you like to do together in your spare time?
What’s a place you like to visit together?
Where was the proposal?
How about your home?
Where’s somewhere that would be a contrast to your wedding venue?

Hopefully you now have some options to chat about together!

Choose a spot with variety

If you can, choose a location that has options for sitting down (benches, grassy areas, rocks), offer nice spots for walking (woodland paths, along rivers), or things to lean against (doorways, arches). This means you’ll get a really nice variety of images!

Hire a National Trust site (or any venue) for your engagement photo session

I loved this pre-wedding photo location at Shugborough Hall. This couple paid to hire the venue for a couple of hours one morning. Pathways, flowers, buildings, benches, gardens and steps a-plenty for lots of variation in their final gallery.

Tip: Always check if the venue allows you to move dates if the weather is really bad, especially if you’ve had to pay for the hire.

a couple walk hand in hand and the bride to be is throwing her back and laughing with Shugborough hall in the background for their engagement photography session t Staffordshire's National Trust site Shugborough hall

an engaged couple, sit on steps at Shugborough Hall Staffordshire and look at each other for their enagement session

Using your wedding venue

I know it’s important to some couples to meet me at the wedding venue. Especially if you want to show me particular spots you’d like to capture on your wedding day. I always suggest venue visits should be at the same time of year as your wedding day, so that the light is similar to how it will be on the day.

Hire an Airbnb or at-home sessions

If you’re booking a city break between now and your wedding, I could come along for a short while and capture you in the swanky rented apartment in your favourite city!

Match the location to what you’ll wear

In another blog post, I cover my suggestions for what to wear on an engagement session. But if you have your heart set on a nice dress and heels, then hiking up a hillside in Wales probably isn’t going to be the best choice for you! Maybe a late afternoon stroll through a city might be a better option?

My aim during the engagement session, as it is with any session – even your wedding day – is to capture your love for each other.

So, if we do end up in a field with nothing around for miles, I’ll make it work. The images will still be a celebration of you as a couple, showing off your love!

Wedding planning can be exhausting and stressful, so if you’re wondering “Do we really need to do this?” Take five and breathe, and have a chat about it together. This post might help you decide if you really need an engagement photo session.

Do whatever feels right for both of you.