Engagement sessions are a time for you and your boo to have fun, get to know your wedding photographer much better, and to get some sick photos of you two together before the big day! Engagement sessions are also a great time to let your personalities shine through, and to incorporate your interests into your engagement photo session so that your photos - and your experience overall - feels unique, fun, and a true reflection of you two as a couple!
As an Elopement and Intimate Wedding Photographer based in New Hampshire, I have soooo many fun ideas for Engagement sessions in New Hampshire, especially during the Summer, that I'm so excited to share with you today to help you brainstorm what you'd like to do during your engagement session!
It's actually pretty simple: I am a strong believer that Engagement sessions should feel like a date for you and your partner! I like to encourage the couples I work with to think of some of their favorite date nights/day dates, or just generally what they enjoy doing together. Is it scoping out different bars? Is it playing tennis together? Maybe you're homebodies and enjoy cooking new recipes together, or watching movies on your tv together! Whatever it is, I always want YOU to get excited about the activity that you're choosing, because that excitement and genuine happiness will naturally come across in your Engagement photos.
So definitely sit down with your partner and brainstorm some activities you may want to do during your Engagement Session to level up the fun! If you're feeling stumped, don't worry! I've put together a list of 10 Fun Engagement Session Ideas For Summer, and I'll be sharing it with you now!
Let's jump right in!
10 Fun Engagement Session Ideas For Summer
1. Swimming
2. Boating / Paddle Boarding
3. Ice Cream Tour
4. Water Fight
5. Sunrise Hike
6. Fairs / Festivals / Farmers Markets
7. Campfire + S'mores
8. Cool Coffee Shop / Fun Bar
9. At-Home Movie Night
10. Explore Lavender + Sunflower Fields
1. SWIMMING
Is there anything better than submerging yourself into a body of cold water on a hot Summer's day?! A refreshing Engagement Session idea would be to go explore a local swimming hole, lake, or hey, even a pool in the backyard! I documented an Engagement Session on a reallyyyyy hot day once, and the couple and I explore explored some hidden waterfalls in South Western New Hampshire, so there really are so many possibilities!
But seriously, how fun would it be to swim with your partner, maybe have a charcuterie board picnic, and pop some champagne during your sunny, water-filled Engagement Session?! Think of how adorable, sexy, and playful those photos would be!
2. BOATING / PADDLE BOARDING
Going off the water theme, if you and your partner like to be active and enjoy paddling, then let's incorporate that into your Engagement Session! This is such a great activity to do if you want to feel a little more relaxed during your session, and have a love for candid photos for sure. Consider taking your favorite cold beverage out on the water with you and soak up the sun - or sunset?!!! Seriously, this activity would be SO incredibly fun!
3. ICE CREAM TOUR
Could I really make this list without mentioning a good old fashioned ice cream date?! It's a classic and we love it! You can set up an ice cream sundae bar at home, or share a banana split at your favorite mom + pop ice cream shoppe!
Have a list of favorite ice cream spots? Let's turn your engagement session into an Ice Cream Tour, and go visit each of your fav spots for a little sweet treat! Bonus points if you have a pup and bring them along for pup cups!
Some of my favorite, local ice cream places include Super Scoops in Henniker, NH (SO many dairy free options available and I always end up getting the espresso chip), Tenney Farm in Antrim, NH (they have ice cream and a really love farm stand/shop with fresh, local produce and products), and Beech Hill Farm & Ice Cream Barn in Hopkinton, NH (they have SUCH an array of flavors, a store with local goodies, and animals on the farm that you can walk around to visit + pet).
4. WATER FIGHT
Okay, this is a FUN one! In my head, I'm picturing an epic water gun fight in your backyard or in a local park where you and your partner face off against each other. We could spend the first half of your session getting the nice, classy Engagement photos, and then for the second half you two can have at it with a HUGE water fight! I feel like this could be a great time, especially on a hot, Summer's day. Who's up for this idea?!
5. SUNRISE HIKE
Outdoorsy couples, this one is for you! If you know me, you KNOW I'm team Sunrise, so I'm always up for a sunrise hike no matter the season. That being said, a Summer time sunrise hike is a little extra special because the sun does, admittedly, rise suuuuuuper early, but that just means that less people are willing to wake up for them! I find the colors of a sunrise to be sooooo dreamy, and would be the perfect, quiet way to start the day with your favorite human as an activity for your Engagement session. Once we get to the top of our hike, you can unpack a little breakfast picnic and some hot coffee (or Matcha) in a thermos, and enjoy the sunrise on a picnic blanket all snuggled up together. Ugh, how perfect does that sound?!
6. FAIRS / FESTIVALS / FARMERS MARKETS
The bright lights, the fun food, the movement, the playfulness - fairs and festivals have 'date night' written all over them! Going to the local fair always reminds me of being a teenager in the summer with a crush on a cutie, and honestly, that is such a sweet, nostalgic feeling that I think we'd all like to bottle up! So why not capture those vibes in your engagement photos?! I could totally imagine a whole session at the fair, with polaroid pictures to accompany digital photos to up the nostalgic feel. Definitely a dreamy setting!
For a more chilled vibe, what could be better than perusing your local Farmers' Market?! Local flowers, freshly baked goodies, and even live music on occasion, a Farmers' Market is the perfect little date spot. You and your partner could even walk around and pick out a little gift for each other, made by a local maker, leaving you with a sweet keepsake from your Engagement Session! A date at the Farmers' Market gives off sweet, wholesome, whimsical vibes that I, for one, am here for!
7. CAMPFIRE + S'MORES
Who can think of Summer without thinking of a good ol' campfire with S'mores?!
This would be SUCH a fun date for you and your boo, and would double as the sweetest Engagement Session! Picture this: you and your partner are cozied up next to a fire at night, sharing a picnic blanket, and seeing who can roast their marshmallow to the perfect golden brown color. Things get messy as you eat your S'mores, which has you both belly laughing. Then you lay down on the blanket beneath, only to have a blanket of stars fill the sky above you.
This is my kind of romance! You would receive such unique and stunning Engagement photos from this date night for sure!
8. COOL COFFEE SHOP / FUN BAR
I love feeling like a local wherever I go, so when I explore a new place, I'm always on the hunt for the cutest coffee shop, or the bar that's the most fun. For your Engagement Session, you and your partner could pick a location - either new to you, or an old fav - and we can go explore what beverages they have in store! Maybe it's the most aesthetically pleasing coffee shop and you two play a card game at a table as you sip your coffee and matcha. Or perhaps you have a favorite bar that has fun drinks and a pinball machine inside! Let's scope out these areas together and get some really unique Engagement Photos for you without feeling like you're posing in super stiff poses the whole time, ya know?
9. AT-HOME MOVIE NIGHT
I would loveeeee to document this kind of Engagement Session!! It would be so casual and cute as you and your partner cozy up on the couch to watch your all-time favorite movie (or the one that's guaranteed to get you two laughing up a storm). I'm talking plush blankets, popcorn, beer, and your favorite sweet treat for the movies.
If you've got an outdoor space we could use, we could elevate this date idea by having the movie play outside! Let's get a big screen put up in your backyard, and some comfy seating so that you two can watch your favorite film under the stars. If you and your partner are movie buffs, this Engagement Session idea is a no brainer!
10. EXPLORE LAVENDER OR SUNFLOWER FIELDS
This idea is such a goodie! Lavender farms are great for a mid-summer Engagement Session, and Sunflower Fields are ideal for late July / early August! If you and your partner are vibrant, fun-loving people, I feel like this would be the perfect date idea for you. Imagine the rich colors you would have in your Engagement Photos with the lavender or sunflowers as your backdrop. So gorgeous! You could your own bunch of flowers as well, and support a local business while you're at it! The sweet, positive, and happy vibes would be inevitable, and your Engagement Photos would be epic.
Pumpkin Blossom Farm in Warner, NH has a great lavender field you could visit!
Coppal House Farm has an annual Sunflower Festival over in Lee, NH that would make for the perfect sunflower Engagement Session!
It's important to note that, when visiting Lavender Fields or Sunflower Farms that you do your research! There may be special fees and guidelines for professional photography services in such areas that you'll need to be respectful of :)
So those are the 10 Engagement Session Ideas For Summer!
Which one was your favorite?
Did any ideas pop into your mind while reading through this list? I'd love to hear your ideas!
And, of course, if you're looking for a fun photographer in New Hampshire for your Engagement Session, I hope you think of me to help you bring your wildest date ideas to life in a way that feels true to you, and is a hell of a good time!
Thanks for reading, and speak soon!
Christy
The Francis Frames
@TheFrancisFrames