One of the first questions I am always asked after booking a wedding is where should we take our engagement photos? It would be easy to just send you a list of my top five to ten favorite spots in the area near me or around Chicago, but it is so much more personal when we choose a place that is special to you.  To help get your imagination flowing, here are my four favorite types of locations for engagement photos. 

Immersed in Nature

For the nature lovers or those that really just love being outside together, I LOVE a good garden session.  It is so relaxing and such a great space to have an intimate session with one another immersed in the peacefulness of nature.  Take a walk through your local botanical garden, cuddle at your favorite forest preserve or lay low on the beach.

For many of my nature sessions, we spend a lot of slow time together in the forest preserve walking around and taking in the scenery. If this sounds like your speed check out some of the locations I have listed below or look around your hometown for a botanic garden or forest preserve for your session.

Some of my favorites, Des Moines Botanical Gardens, Fransen Nature Center, ISU Horticulture Center, and the Chicago Lakefront

Urban Downtown Areas

Did you two meet out on the town or spend your first couple of years having date nights throughout the city?  Let’s walk around and enjoy the skyscraper views!  Cities or other urban styled spaces within small towns offer so many beautiful and unique backdrops perfect for any engagement session.

When looking through your local urban spot, think through places like your favorite restaurants, alleyways, murals, or skyline views. All these make gorgeous backdrops for your city session.

Some of my favorite cities to photograph in include, Chicago, Burlington Wisconsin, and Downtown Peoria.

Festivals/Carnivals

Taking your engagement photos at a festival or county fair is honestly SO much fun. Between the lights, the crowds, the people surrounding you, and the fun foods, you’re bound to have a BLAST at your county fair engagement session.

Have a favorite yearly event you love going to, or some other sort of event? Farmers markets, city streets or other yearly events make for such a fun date night and engagement session backdrop. Here are a few ideas for your own engagement session: Walworth County Fair, Peoria Seasonal Festivals

In Home/Cozy Environment

Are you two home bodies?  Really just hoping to document some of the intimate time you spend with your dogs and other fur babes?  Let’s have your engagement session at home!  We can snuggle on the couch, sip some wine or spend some time in your backyard.  If you’re craving a cozy engagement session but you’re not too keen on having photos taken in your home per say, have your cozy session in an intimate spot like your local brewery or even an air bnb!

Here’s an example of a gorgeous AirBnb in Peoria, and one of my favorite breweries.

How to choose where to take your engagement photos

There are SO many beautiful places to take your engagement photos throughout the midwest, and there really aren’t any right or wrong answers. Take some time to sit down with your soon-to-be spouse and brainstorm different options for your session. Think about your relationship, the things you like to do together, the places you spend your time together, and where you spent some of the earliest moments in your relationship together. More than likely one or a few of those locations fall into one of the categories on this list!

Planning your engagement session?  Check out my “What to Wear for Your Engagement Photos” blog post for ALL the engagement session tips!