Table of Contents:
- How to Personalize Your Washington Engagement Session
- 12 Best Places in Washington for Engagement Photos
- Washington Engagement Photo Packages
Engagement photos are such a special opportunity to capture the essence of your relationship before you tie the knot. So why not turn them into an unforgettable celebration of your love, instead of the regular old shoots you see with awkward poses and boring locations?! In this guide I’m gonna give you my top tips for planning a session that you LOVE + actually feels like you, plus the 12 most beautiful engagement photo locations in Washington.
If you haven’t quite made things official yet and are looking for somewhere epic to pop the question, click here! *cue status change from “in a relationship” to “engaged” on FB (is that even a thing anymore??)*
How to Personalize Your Washington Engagement Session
Go into it with your own vision
I’m begging you, don’t settle for a generic Washington engagement shoot that feels like it could belong to anyone! If you take the time to personalize your session in a way that reflects who you are as a couple, instead, I promise your photos are going to be a thousand times more meaningful in the long run. Otherwise you’re just gonna end up with photos that look like they came straight off a Pinterest board, but not in a good way—like, in a “that could literally be anybody in that photo, there’s nothing unique about it” way.
Start dreaming up your own vision by thinking about what makes your connection special, and then that will effortlessly shine through in your photos. Consider:
- What sets you apart from every other couple
- What you love most about each other
- What brought you together in the first place
- What you love to do together
- Unique aspects of your personalities
- What makes you feel like your best selves together
This is your moment to create memories that are as one-of-a-kind as your relationship, so don’t be afraid to get creative and make your engagement shoot feel authentic, fun, and truly reflective of your love story.
Choose a meaningful location
Don’t just choose anywhere for your session! Washington is obviously filled with crazy beautiful locations that would make ANY engagement photos look good, but your photos will be extra special if you take them somewhere that holds meaning to you. Like the spot where you first met, your favorite hiking trail, a park you’ve always wanted to visit for the first time together, or a cozy cafe where you like to spend your Saturday mornings. If a place is significant to your relationship or your love story, you’re going to love your photos so much more!
Plan your favorite activities
Activities are by far the easiest way to incorporate your unique love story into your relationship! Plus, doing activities you love can make you way more relaxed + present, than if you were just posing stiffly and feeling awkward.
Below are some activities you could do during your session—but remember, only choose what actually makes sense for the two of you and not just what you think would look cute. The more genuine joy and happiness you feel during your session, the more you’ll actually be able to SEE your emotions come out in the photos. And you’ll now have real, positive memories associated with those photos, rather than just looking at them and remembering how awkward you felt in that pose that felt inauthentic, or at that location that you didn’t really care about!
- Playing your favorite board games
- Cooking or baking together
- Taking a boat out on the water (here’s a cute one you can rent!)
- Hiking, biking, or backpacking
- Listening to your fave playlist while dancing in your living room
- Going for a walk in a pretty park
- Enjoying a mountaintop picnic
- Grabbing a bite to eat at your fave restaurant
If you’re digging the idea of including activities in your future wedding or elopement, might I suggest an adventurous rock climbing elopement? Where are all my fellow climbers at? 😉
Or if that’s not your thing, maybe one of these 15 adventurous elopement ideas will be!
Include your fur babies
I will always always tell you to bring your pets along to your session, because let’s be real—they’re just as much your children as any human children are haha! I freaking love when couples bring their adorable four-legged friends to shoots, it makes it so fun and personal because you’ve got the whole fam there, and we can capture all the love between you.
Wanna know my fav ways to include your pets in your engagement or elopement? Here’s a guide you should definitely check out—it’s specifically dedicated to cats since I’m a cat mom myself, but all of the ideas will work for dogs too!
Turn it into a romantic getaway
This one is especially great if you’re heading into the mountains somewhere, or taking your engagement photos in a national park! Because if you’re already going out of your way to do that, why not turn it into a mini couples getaway? Find a cute Airbnb to book, spend time exploring the area, and make a trip out of it, even if it’s just for a night or two. You deserve it!!
12 Best Places in Washington for Engagement Photos
Remember how I told you to choose a location that’s meaningful? You didn’t think I was just going to leave you hanging, did you? 😉 I put together a list of my 12 favorite locations for engagement photos in Washington to help you get started, from picturesque mountain ranges to enchanting rainforests. Trust me, we’ve got no shortage of incredible places in WA, and it’ll be easy peasy to find somewhere you’re dying to visit together (or somewhere you’ve already been and want to go back to).
Snoqualmie Engagement Session Locations
Snoqualmie is a great area for engagement sessions!! It’s close enough to Seattle that it doesn’t require a ton of planning or a long drive—in fact, some of these locations are only 30 minutes from the city.
Gold Creek Pond
Gold Creek Pond is a classic Washington engagement and elopement location. It’s super easy to access, with a paved loop around the pond that’s fully ADA-accessible, which is pretty cool and unique to most other mountainous locations in the state! The reflections of the mountains in the pond are gorgeousss, and the vibrant blue water is to die for. Just know that this pond gets pretty dang busy on weekends, especially when the weather is nice and everybody flocks to the mountains!
Snoqualmie Falls
Snoqualmie Falls is definitely one of the most iconic destinations in Washington, and it’s ease of access makes it suchhh a great spot for engagement photos. Literally all you have to do is walk down an easy 0.5 mile trail through the forest, and all of a sudden you’re at the falls! The forest you walk through to get there is almost like a mini version of the Hoh Rain Forest, but way closer to Seattle haha. The moss-covered trees and lush ferns already make the trip worth it, and then you get to the crazy beautiful falls that’ll have your jaw dropping down to the dirt.
Check out this artistic elopement at Snoqualmie Falls for some super unique session inspo!
Rattlesnake Lake
I love Rattlesnake Lake because it’s another location that’s so easy to get to! The lake doesn’t require any hiking to access, but there are trails around the recreation area if you want to add some miles to your session. The lake itself is BEAUTIFUL, with multiple picnic areas and wooded paths to explore, and then there’s the Rattlesnake Ledge Trail you can trek for panoramic views of the incredibly scenic area. Honestly, though, you don’t even need to do that because the views from the base of the vibrant blue lake are just as amazing.
Olympic National Park Engagement Session Locations
I will literally never stop telling people to take their engagement or elopement photos at Olympic National Park. The diverse landscapes are totally unreal and give you SO many options to choose from. In fact, I’ve got a full ONP elopement guide you can read if you wanna dive deeper, or are considering eloping there!
Lake Crescent & Marymere Falls
I combined these two because Marymere Falls is located right off the shores of Lake Crescent, so I’m counting it as one location. This epic alpine lake is in the northernmost part of ONP, about 35 miles from the town of Forks and 20 miles from Port Angeles. It’s hella easy to access, not requiring a hike at all, and the views are unreal. I mean, do you see those layers of mountains in the distance?! Sooo dreamy, no matter if it’s bright and sunny or dark and gloomy! Honestly the moody, foggy weather is part of the magic of this area, and it makes the lake look super spooky. Marymere Falls is a quick and easy hike that’s accessible from the shores, and is an easy spot to add to your itinerary!
Hoh Rainforest
Who wouldn’t want to spend their engagement session meandering through a whimsical, enchanting forest covered in lush moss, endless ferns, and probably a good amount of raindrops? The Hoh Rainforest is an iconic part of Olympic National Park, located on the west side about 1.5 hours from Lake Crescent. It’s the most well-preserved rainforest in the WHOLE northern hemisphere, which you can definitely tell—the way the forest floors and the canopy feel like they’ve barely been touched by humans is just incredible. It’s definitely the most peaceful, tranquil environment you could ask for, if that’s what you’re picturing for your engagement sesh.
Mt. Storm King
The panoramic views you get at the summit of Mt. Storm King are worth every single step you take throughout the 4-mile roundtrip hike, I PROMISE. It can be steep at times and there’s def a bit of elevation gain, but the hike through the dense forest leads to some of the most magnificent views in all of Washington!
Ruby Beach
Forever a favorite of mine. Ruby Beach is everything you could want in a Pacific Northwest engagement photo location: it’s moody, it’s beautiful, it’s dramatic, it’s wild. . . plus it’s got allll the Twilight vibes if you’re into werewolves and vampires. You’ve probably seen the sea stacks that the Olympic Peninsula is so famous for, in photos before without even realizing it! Oh, and you won’t wanna miss the Tree of Life and all the crazy cool roots it’s got sprawling across the coastal rocks.
Rialto Beach
People often get Ruby and Rialto Beach confused because of how similar they look! Whereas Ruby has amazing views that are easier to access, Rialto Beach is bigger and has more hiking options. Both are wildly scenic and beautiful so you really can’t go wrong! But Rialto Beach also has the iconic Hole-in-the-Wall seastack, which is about a two mile walk from the parking area and offers super dramatic coastal views. The best part about these two beaches is that they’re accessible and stunning all year round, rain or shine, clear skies or fog!
Mt. Baker Engagement Session Locations
If you’d like to venture into the mountains, but want to stay a bit closer to Seattle, I highly recommend checking out Mt. Baker! There are SO many jaw-dropping viewpoints, overlooks, and hikes, ranging from easy walks just steps from the parking lot, to miles-long treks for more experienced hikers. And of course I have a Mt. Baker Elopement Guide for you, too, because it’s just as incredible for elopements as it is for engagements 🙂
Artist Point
Artist Point is the starting point for a ton of Mt. Baker’s most epic trails, located at the end of the Mt. Baker Highway (about 3-3.5 hours from Seattle). A lot of my couples choose Artist Point for their engagement session because it’s so incredibly breathtaking but doesn’t require a long hike, if that’s not your thing! There are a few different trails from Artist Point that are super easy and take you to insane viewpoints, and there’s even a paved, ADA-accessible trail around one of the prettiest spots on the mountain, Picture Lake. I will ALWAYS say yes to a Mt. Baker adventure—but keep in mind that during the winter, the final part of the road to Artist Point is closed off to vehicles due to snow!
Bagley Lakes
Just down the highway from Artist Point is the Heather Meadows area, which boasts plenty of gorgeous trails, alpine lakes, colorful wildflowers, and spectacular mountain backdrops. The hike to Bagley Lakes takes you to two gorgeous lakes (hence the name lol), and is often way less busy than the trails further up the mountain at Artist Point. It’s a great option for couples who want a small hike during their session, but nothing too long or challenging!
North Cascades Engagement Session Locations
Last up is the North Cascades, yet another rugged and epic mountain range in Washington. This park is amazing because 1) it’s free to enter, 2) it features sooo many hikes of all levels, and 3) there are all kinds of cozy mountain towns to explore!
Diablo Lake
Diablo Lake is always a yes for me, with its otherworldly turquoise blue waters and surrounding mountains. We can explore the base of the lake, check out some of the trails around it, and go kayaking or boating! The main vista point is worth a stop if you’re just driving by Diablo to get to another location, even though sadly photos aren’t allowed there anymore. You’ll literally feel like you’re looking out at a real-life scenic postcard!
Winchester Lookout
Want a moderately difficult hike that’ll take you to some freaking crazy views? Look no further than Winchester Lookout! You’ll get to see not only Mt. Baker from the summit, but also Mt. Shuksan, Mt. Larrabee, even some Canadian peaks out in the distance. There’s even a cool old fire lookout at the top that you can hang out in, and that’s super cute in photos!
Below are two Winchester Lookout elopements that you can scroll through for inspo:
Washington Engagement Photo Packages
Ok so you’re a total engagement session pro now, right? Jk—I don’t expect you to be! That’s why I’m here to help you plan the whole thing. My Adventure Session package is perfect for engagements at ANY of these locations in Washington, and you’ll get location reccs, custom timelines, vendor reccs, and more from me! Literally anything you need, I got you. Can’t wait to help you plan an incredible Washington engagement session that feels uniquely yours! Reach out now!
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