Planning a wedding requires a lot of decision making. Before the big day arrives you’ll need to take engagement photos, send out invitations, reserve a venue, and on, and on, and on. It can be overwhelming, but I’m here to take some of the guesswork out of the first item on your list—the engagement photos! Over my years of photographing engagement sessions, I have come up with a formula that works for nearly any session. I have laid out my process and timeline, season by season, below!

All Engagement Sessions

I suggest that my couples book their engagement session 3 to 6 months before the wedding day, to avoid stress. Because my weekends are filled with weddings, I shoot engagement sessions on weekday evenings.

As a general rule of thumb, I recommend two locations max for an engagement shoot. By not traveling around to multiple locations during the session, we are able to capture more photographs of you and your fiancé .

I am happy to shoot a sunrise session if the location requires it. If the location is popular and is more likely to be busy during a weekday evening, I might suggest a sunrise photo shoot instead. However, do plan on following the schedule below for your engagement session.

If you're looking for more help in planning your engagement sessions, check out my blog posts on How to Choose a Location for your Engagement Shoot, What to Wear to Your Engagement Pictures, and What to Expect at Your Engagement Session. These will help answer any additional questions you might have!

Winter Engagement Sessions

I consider December to mid-March to be my Winter Engagement Session window. If we are taking your engagement photos during these months, our session will typically take place between 3 to 5 pm. However, if our session takes place after the time change in mid-March, that start time will be an hour later.

Spring Engagement Sessions

Between April and May, the sun is out longer and later in the day. I typically schedule my April engagement shoots between 5:30 to 7:30 pm, and May engagement shoots between 6 to 8 pm.

Summer Engagement Sessions

As with all my engagement sessions, I start summer sessions two hours before sunset. Between June and August, that time is typically 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Shooting at this time of the day is typically cooler, which is ideal for us all!

Fall Engagement Sessions

Between the months of September and November, the evening light and sunset times are drastically changing day by day. In September, I start shooting engagement sessions from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. From the third week of September through mid-October, I shoot from 5 to 7 pm. After the first week of November, and through the end of the year, engagement sessions are 3 to 5 pm.