You've heard me say this before, and you'll continue to hear me say this for a lifetime:
Your engagement session should feel like a date!
Since it's Fall, my FAVORITE time of the year, it's only right that I preach this a little more because there are SO many ways to make your engagement session a little more fun in an autumnal way.
I made a similar list last year of the best of the best date ideas to include in your Fall engagement session, but I wanted to update it. New year, new ideas, ya know?
We've seen the tried and true Fall dates, and hey, they're classics for a reason - apple picking, pumpkin patches - we love to love 'em. This list, however, challenges the standard activities you often hear about for Fall Engagement Sessions. This list is fresh, cozy, and oh so fun.
So button up your flannel, lace up your boots, and grab a cozy, warm beverage! Let's jump into the leaf pile of Fall Engagement Session Ideas!
Here's the list at a glance:
Fall Engagement Ideas
Go Hiking
Backyard Movie Night
Bake Something Together
Carve Pumpkins
Fire with S'mores, Cuddles, + Boozy Drinks
Cozy Stargazing
Leaf Peep
Ghost/Spooky Session
Goodwill Outfits
In-Home Rainy Day
Go Hiking
This suggestion is a classic, and one that I will almost always include in these Engagement Session Ideas lists. Hiking is great in all seasons, as long as you're properly prepared. Fall is my personal favorite season to go hiking in because the weather cools down a bit so I'm not sweating as much (lol), and the views are IMPECCABLE one the foliage is in peak season! For your Engagement Session, I would suggest a short and sweet hike with great views and instant gratification. I have a few location suggestions in South Western New Hampshire that I can recommend to you if you book your Engagement Session with me, and trust me when I say those session always turn out EPIC! This Engagement Session would be perfect for the couple who loves spending quality time with each other, doesn't want traditional, overly-posed photos in front of the camera, and who genuinely like hiking + exploring new places together.
Backyard Movie Night
This is another Engagement Session idea that I will recommend in multiple seasons, specifically Summer + Fall, yet the vibe is definitely different in the Fall. There's more incentive to cozy up under a pile of blankets with your partner when the temperatures have dropped a bit, and you can include hot apple cider to help keep you warm as well. Whether you watch a movie on your laptop, hang a sheet up between trees, or invest in movie screen for the backyard (actual goals not going to lie), your backyard movie date will be the perfect, cozy, and cute Engagement Session this season has ever seen. Bonus points if you decorate your backyard with mums, twinkle lights, and pumpkins! This session screeeeeams "physical touch is my love language," but also would be top notch for those who value quality time as well.
Bake Something Together
This is a fun idea because it can go one of two ways: 1, you and your partner support each other lovingly as you each create a masterpiece in the kitchen, or 2, it gets super competitive very quickly and ends in a food fight - both of which are epic and seriously fun ideas for your engagement session! Add an autumnal spin on the date by baking apple cider doughnuts, pies, or even an autumn-themed cake! These photos would be perfect for the playful couple who doesn't take life too seriously, and also counts food as their love language :)
Carve Pumpkins
This Fall Engagement Session idea is super laid back and also genuinely fun - who doesn't love carving pumpkins?! Okay, so I'm sure there are actually loads of people who don't enjoy this activity - it's a sensory overload for sure, and can get quite messy (which may be a selling point to some, but understandably not for all). Regardless of whether you carve a pumpkin, paint it, or do an alternative, rather creative decorating of it, this would be a great way to let each of your personalities shine individually, and also provide a sense of who the two of you are as a couple. The sharing of tools, the verbal expressions of what you think of your partner's pumpkin - or hey, maybe you work on one together! The idea here is to spend time together, embrace the messiness of carving/painting/decorating a pumpkin, and just have a great time being together.
I can already picture allllll the candids that would come your way, and how we could easily transition into slightly more directed photos as well, providing you with a good mix of both in your engagement gallery. It also would give me loads of time to document the engagement ring(s) while you two are getting messy with your pumpkins. This Engagement Session idea could also pair with #8 in this list if you want to end the session by putting your carved pumpkin on and/or in front of your head for a few photos. Could be cute, and could definitely bring on loads of giggles.
Fire with S'mores, Cuddles, + Boozy Drinks
Another all-time favorite Fall Engagement Session idea is to have a fire! In Fall, the colors of the trees around you will be poppin', which will make for the coziest-looking photos. You can dress in your favorite cozy-fall outfit (for me that would be leggings, an oversized flannel or sweatshirt, high socks, and either boots or my grandpa-looking sneakers haha) - you can wear whatever you want, but I loooooove a cozy Fall moment if you haven't noticed 👻
You can also gather your comfiest blankets to sit around the fire, roast some s'mores, and drink warm, boozy beverages (or any beverage you choose of course)! Bring your guitar, or make a Fall playlist that we can have going on repeat on a bluetooth speaker, and get the sweetest Engagement photos that you'll squeal over for a lifetime.
Cozy Stargazing
I know a lot of photographers rave about golden hour, and hey, they should because the lighting at dawn and dusk is stunnnning! I would love, however, to introduce you to another gorgeous time of day for photos, especially in the Fall, and that's blue-hour and beyond! Blue hour has this underrated beauty to it where the world feels so still and, well, blue! I feel like it doesn't get the attention it deserves, which means that your Engagement photos will look totally unique! Trust me, I know that the sun setting earlier and earlier in the Fall is pretty sad and difficult to handle - as much as I love this season, it's a reason to be saddened by it as well. A positive way to look at it though is that the sunset is earlier, which means you don't have to stay up until odd hours of the night for nighttime photos! If you push past blue hour, the sky will darken, and the stars will begin peeping through the night sky. What better way to document your Engagement than to document the stars as well! A true symbol of what's in store for you both as a couple, and a way to say, we've got this. Nighttime photos with the stars would be out of this world for your Fall Engagement Session!
Leaf Peep
We love to hate leaf peepers...but we can't blame them! The leaves changing color in New Hampshire is one of the most magical sights to experience! It's no wonder people travel from all over the world to come to little ol' New Hampshire to see the colorful foliage for themselves! Whilst I would suggest avoiding the white mountains around peak leaf peeper season (as you'll be stuck in traffic for aaaages), I would definitely suggest going on a little car ride down old dirt roads in your area to find your favorite spots! Then, for your Engagement Session, we can ride around together, listening to your fav Fall music as we go, and you can show me your favorite foliage spots! Coming from a very small town in New Hampshire myself, this is an activity I have a soft spot for. I feel like it's a country kind of romance that everyone should experience. Who knows, you might even discover you and your partner's new favorite spot!
Ghost/Spooky Session
By now we've probably all seen the trend of people putting on sheets and sunglasses and walking around in different areas looking like cute ghosts doing human things...but I still LOVE this idea! I don't necessarily think this needs to happen throughout your entire Engagement Session, but how fun would it be to wake up early and run around a sleepy city like Keene, NH where I'm based, when the fog hasn't quite lifted yet, and get some cute (I mean, very spooky) photos taken together during your engagement session! Do you like to skateboard? Are you into photography yourself? Painting? Walking your dog? This could be a fun way to incorporate those interests into a segment of your Engagement Session, helping your funky and playful personalities shine through.
If you're feeling extra spooky, why not really play that up with skeleton face paint, or a tarot session in a foggy woodland area? I'm definitely manifesting some spooky events like this in my future because I think it's such a fun way to celebrate the spooky season, and your engagement, all in one! And hey, if you want a Halloween wedding or elopement in the future, please please please keep me in mind!!!
Goodwill Outfits
Now THIS is what I consider fun! I love a Goodwill trip, and I feel like hitting up a Goodwill in the Fall just feels different (in the best way)! One idea I've had floating around in my head for a while now is for a couple to spend the first part of their session going to a Goodwill and picking out a thrifted outfit to wear in their photos, and then going and getting a maple creemee, or a fall beverage of choice. I know this might not be the most Fall-related theme, but for some reason the cozy thrifting vibes are calling my name this season. I'm here for it, are you?
In-Home Rainy Day
Last, but certainly not least, is a Fall Engagement Session idea that I think would be PERFECT for that classic, cozy rainy day. Picture this: you and your partner have an in-home engagement session, wearing your favorite cozy Fall outfit, and playing your favorite record / music (is that Fleetwood Mac I hear?). You two are singing and dancing together and getting lost in the most epic Fall vibes. When you're tired from all the dancing around together, you two can snuggle up on the couch and get some sweet, cuddly photos together to commemorate just how fun and intimate your relationship together is. You two can prep for an indoor Halloween/Fall movie marathon, and I'll snap some gorgeous photos of you both before the marathon begins. If it sounds like the perfect Fall day, that's because it is.
So there you have it, those are my updated and slightly-unique Fall Engagement Session Ideas!
Which one are you going to try out for your Engagement Session?
Have any other autunnal Engagement Session ideas that should make the list next year? Let me know in the comments - I'd love to hear from you!
I hope you enjoyed this list, and have tons of Fall date idea inspo now, whether you use these dates for your engagement session, or for a festive date with your boo!
Thanks so much for reading, and speak soon!
Christy
The Francis Frames
www.thefrancisframes.com
@TheFrancisFrames