As a Charlottesville engagement photographer, I love helping my couples choose the perfect location for their session! There are a few different ways to go about selecting your location. Most of my engagement sessions are in Charlottesville and Richmond, but I’ve also photographed sessions everywhere from DC to Miami to Portland.
I’ve found these tips to be useful no matter what city you’re in though – read on for ways to brainstorm your engagement session location!
1. Revisit Where You Met
Consider going back to where you met, had your first date, or even got engaged. Many couples who met in college go back to their campus for the engagement session (or Grounds if you’re a UVA alum). Bringing it back to the locations of some of your biggest moments together can be so romantic and a great memory to look back on and compare!
2. Show off Your Stomping Grounds
Let’s show off the city you call home! We can explore the city together, and take a trip down memory lane. What’s your favorite place to relax with a coffee, grab ice-cream, or get a drink together? Make it a mini date night where you reflect on your relationship in the place you love.
3. Take a Flight
Having a destination wedding? Or traveling somewhere that holds meaning in your relationship? Whether this is at your venue or another place you love in that city, I’ll go with you! I can’t think of a better way to get in the wedding mood by taking your engagement pictures at the spot you’ll soon say, “I do!”
4. Stay Home
I’ll also go to you! Snuggling up with your partner at home is a great way to get comfortable in front of the camera and document your home together at this point in your lives. You can even stay in your PJs and enjoy a slow morning with coffee and your partner. In-home sessions are so cozy and fun!
5. Choose an Activity
What are your favorite activities to do together? Whatever it might, we can plan that do that activity during your engagement session! Hiking, cooking, painting, apple-picking…I’ll basically tag along for your date night and take some fun pictures. Whatever you enjoy doing together, let’s make it happen.
6. Match the Wedding Vibe
Take into consideration the vibe of your wedding, and how we can incorporate that into an engagement session location for the perfect engagement photos. For example, if you’re planning a chic, elegant event in the city, consider locations that are also urban and elegant, such as with the classic architecture of DC’s memorials and monuments. Whereas if you have more rustic vibes, an open field might be a better fit, such as along the Monticello-Saunders trail.
7. Special Considerations
Have a four-legged friend you want to include in your pictures? Make sure the location is dog-friendly. This helps ensure we don’t run into any snags during the session, and can enjoy getting some fun pictures of the three (or four!) of you together.
Maybe you’re not sure at all, and that’s okay, too! While answering the engagement session questionnaire choose a few vibes and leave the rest to me. I’m happy to suggest some options and help you narrow them down. After all, that’s what I’m here for!
Looking for your Charlottesville engagement photographer? Let’s chat!
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