Engagement Sessions

Series of romantic engagement photos taken in front of a brick church with ornate doorway.
A romantic sunset engagement photo shows a couple embracing in warm golden light.
Series of winter engagement photos showing couple walking along snowy lakeshore at sunset.
Autumn engagement photos with couple walking through fallen leaves by a lake.
Series of autumn engagement photos with couple walking through fallen leaves under golden oak trees.
A playful sequence of photos showing an embrace by a lake on a sandy beach.
Romantic winter photoshoot with soft sunlight filtering through trees by a lake.
Couple walking together on a winding gravel path through a scenic countryside setting.

Engagement photos are so important! All of my wedding packages include a complimentary engagement session. This is an awesome way for us to get to know each other and avoid potential awkwardness on the big day. Your engagement session also gives you an idea of my shooting style, and we get to have some fun and create some beautiful images!


Your engagement session is a great opportunity to do a trial run for hair, nails, and/or makeup. Don't forget to clean your ring, so we can get some of those *fabulous* up-close ring shots. If you have a beautiful keepsake box, bring it! That would make a wonderful prop for ring photos.


Dates: Most clients schedule their sessions on Saturday & Sunday, so my weekend times book out several weeks in advance, but my weekday afternoons are often available with less notice. My fall schedule books months in advance, so if you're interested in a September, October or November session, book early!

Time: The best light for your photos will occur during “golden hour,” which is the hour immediately before sunset or right after sunrise, when the sun is close to the horizon and casts soft, rich light on the earth. Even after the sun disappears behind the horizon, we still have 20 minutes or so of soft twilight that’s ideal for photos. To establish a start time for your photo shoot, look up the sunset time for our shoot date (and location) and subtract an hour. That’s the best time for us to start.

*Remember, the sun sets much earlier during winter and much later during summer, so make sure to factor that in when choosing your portrait session date, especially if you’re taking off work or have evening plans afterward.

  • Did you know there’s a golden hour right after sunrise too? I would LOVE to plan a sunrise shoot with you! The benefits of a sunrise session are that we get the whole place to ourselves, and my mornings usually aren’t booked up weeks in advance like my weekend evenings.

Locations: The location of your session is up to you! The first thing to decide is whether you’d like your session to have an urban or natural feel. Are you city people who love culture and architecture? Let’s do some photos in New Town at St. Charles! Or do you love nature and trees? Shaw Nature Reserve is perfect for that! Want a unique look? Elephant Rocks is awesome!


My style guide is packed with great info on locations, style tips for him + her, and all kinds of goodies. Request a guide and I'll send it your way! :)