LAST UPDATED July 22, 2024

1. Top Ten Tips for Fall Engagement Photos

1. Wear clothes that are comfortable!
2. Wear clothes that represent who you both are.
3. Wear clothes that compliment the fall background
4. Wear clothes that don’t steal the show (it’s not a high-end fashion shoot ;)).
5. Complimentary outfits are usually better than matching colors.
6. Feel free to incorporate accessories and props.
7. Consider the little details.
8. Bring more than one outfit.
9. Dress for the activity.
10. Most of all, have fun with it!!!

2. Why Take engagement photos

You and your boo are sooooo in love, and you just decided to go on one of life’s best adventures – marriage. Before you do, you want to celebrate this extraordinary period where you are about to dive into that adventure. One of the best ways to do that is with engagement photos!

You’ve probably got a lot of questions about engagement photos, including when to take them. If you landed here that means you are considering fall engagement photos. Well, let me tell ya, you are making a terrific choice!! Fall is one of the best and most beautiful times to take engagement photos. Warm tones, changing leaves, and all the most delicious foods – how can you go wrong? Hint – you can’t!

Your fall engagement photos can be used for a lot of different things from wedding announcements to plastering them all over your friend’s bathrooms. Not to mention, this is an opportunity for you to try out a photographer. That’s right, you can hire a photographer you love for engagement photos, to see if they are the ones you want for the real big day. You can also use your fall engagement photos as a way to experience something different. Let’s say you want an adventure elopement, you want to get a taste of what it would be like with an adventure engagement session. Or if you are having a traditional wedding, but want an opportunity to get a little bit more fun, this could be it!

Taking fall engagement photos is a brilliant idea to have a ton of fun, while experiencing and testing out a number of things. So let’s not waste any more time and dive right in!

3. Why Take fall engagement photos

As we already established – fall is FANTASTIC. Maybe you love fall, maybe it’s just the only time you have, or you just love some pumpkin spice lattes – whatever the reason fall is the best. You have so many options for colors, outfits, environments, and vibessssss. Look, if you want more proof, keep reading and check out these stunning photos.

4. Where to take fall engagement photos

I may be biased, but I think the best place to take any photos hands down is Colorado. But if you aren’t in Colorado, here’s what you should consider –

What do you want to feel for your engagement photos? Fall offers a lot of opportunities for different environments. Do you want city vibes? Mountain vibes? Fall colors? A beach? Start with these vibes to determine the general location. If you decide you want spectacular changing leaves – consider the North East, or Colorado Aspens. If you want city vibes, find your local city photographer and roam the streets having fun.

5. What to wear for your fall engagement photos

Now we’re getting to the real fun stuff! Here’s 5 rules for what to wear, with more info breaking down further:

1. Wear clothes that compliment your fall background.
2. Wear comfortable clothes (you don’t want to be too cold or warm).
3. If you wear patterns, keep it simple, and not loud.
4. Compliment each other’s outfits
5. Wear neutral / earthy tones.

One of the best things about fall engagement photos is the fantastic warm backgrounds you’ll probably take photos in. Think changing trees, pumpkins, gorgeous sunsets and gently flowing rivers. When in these gorgeous locations you want to make sure you compliment the backgrounds. That means don’t wear bright neon colors. No pastels (save that for spring or summer), or patterns that’ll go crazy. 

Check out this comprehensive guide on Engagement Photo Outfits

You absolutely want to wear comfortable clothes, which means also preparing for the elements you might encounter. Bring layers, prepared for war, cold, rain, snow, wet, dry etc… You definitely want to be over-prepared than under prepared. Better to have and not need than need and not have. Trust me, as a professional, if you are too cold or too hot, basically miserable, you’ll want to stop taking photos. You’ll be done for the day, and where’s the fun in that.

If you wear patterns, keep it simple. Don’t wear really loud and obnoxious patterns. Those can play well in the spring or summer, but the fall has so much beauty that you don’t want to overpower all that behind you. More importantly, loud patterns bring attention to the clothes and not the love you are celebrating.

Compliment each others outfits – wear jeans and white shirts, dresses and suits, dresses and dresses, blues and browns etc… You don’t want one person to pop out more than the other, and you don’t want to be mismatched in colors.

Wear neutral / earthy tones. Fall is all about earthy vibes. So find colors and patterns that work for the season.

6. Fall engagement photos fabrics

If it’s going to be a hot and balmy day, don’t wear wool. If it’s going to be chilly or cold, don’t wear loose and light cottony fabrics. You’ll also want to make sure your fabrics match each other. You don’t necessarily want someone wearing satin and the other wearing a lumberjack cotton sweater.

7.Sunrise or sunset fall engagement photos

Sunrise typically has far fewer people around than sunset, however, you gotta wake up super early to make it happen. Sunrise also typically has better weather, and you are far more likely to see stars and avoid showers and storms. The plus side of sunset is that you don’t have to mess around with your sleep schedule. You can wake up at a regular hour and ease yourself into sunset photos. You’ll also probably be far looser when it’s time to take photos, having had time to warm up with your photographer.

8. How much do fall engagement photos cost?

Engagement photos really vary in cost. Some photographers will take them for around $100, while others will charge over $1,000. Things to consider when looking at price is their experience, how much they put into the planning and logistics coordination, how many hours you get for the price, do you get free hi-res photos for free? Price doesn’t always correlate with quality, and every market is different. Photographers in Colorado, NYC, California are going to be more expensive than other areas like in Iowa, Virginia, and Arizona. You will definitely want to do some research, but also get on the phone and see if they are the right person for you!

I charge $600 for one hour, though I highly recommend booking for 2 hours, which is $900. I’ve been photographing elopements for years in Colorado and beyond, and help you put together the best possible day.

9. How Much Time Do You Need for fall engagement photos

This is a great question. A lot of photographers will book one hour, but I highly recommend at least 2! Here’s why – 

It takes time for every couple to warm up in front of the camera. For some couples thats only 15 minutes. For other’s it can take longer. But more importantly, you this is such an important time in your life and you definitely don’t want to shortchange yourself! You want to give your love freedom to express itself, and for you two to have fun.

And why limit yourself to what you can do? Some engagement activities require more time than others – whether it’s hiking among wildflowers, or snowmobiling through the winter mountains. Use this time to really enjoy yourselves. These photos can be a warm-up to an adventure elopement, or they can even knock that portion out if you are having a more traditional wedding. You also get practice with a photographer, perhaps the photographer you were thinking of booking for your actual big day! So definitely consider taking as much time as you need to capture the love you two have.

10. Fall Engagement Photos Ideas:

Just because this isn’t your actual wedding doesn’t mean you have to go short! There are lots of things you can do for your engagement photos, and I highly recommend doing at least one. This is a perfect time to capture you and your love doing what fills you with joy. The more you incorporate the things that you love to do, the more your photogs will represent you both and just as important – you’ll have a damn good time!

Here’s a list of things you can do during your engagement photos:

1. Jeep ride
2. Apple Picking
3. Swim
4. Kayak
5. Climb
6. Picnic
7. Brewery
8. Explore your local city
9. Surf
10. Get Naked 
11. Paint
12. Hot Springs
13. Cook
14. Get high
15. Mountain Bike
16. Bar hop
17. Restaurant Hop
18. Check out the local parks

My Fall Engagement Photos Packages

My engagement photo packages include the following:

1. Location Recommendations
2. Outfit Recommendations
3. At least 2 outfit changes
4. Timeline recommendations
5. Planning recs throughout
6. Free hi-res photo downloads
7. Sneak Peaks within 7 days
8. Full gallery within 8 weeks

Starting at $600 for one hour, within 1.5 hours of Denver.

Most popular package is $900 for 2 hours.

Travel fees for locations outside 1.5 hours of Denver