I started photographing weddings in 2016 and have captured over 125 since - each one beautifully different. I’m here for the real stuff: the quiet glances, the messy tears, the unrepeatable in-between moments that make your story yours.

Hi, I'm Melissa!

behind the lens

let's connect!

Start Your Journey

Ready to capture your love story?

Make your engagement session a date night

Turning your engagement session into a date night

What if you made your engagement session into a date night?

If the idea of a superposed and formal engagement session does not float your boat, then don’t plan for it to be that way! I love engagement sessions that are laid back, low stress, and allow us to ease our way into the session. We can meet up for drinks or coffee before and just take our time.

“We are super awkward and uncomfortable in front of the camera.” That is what almost 100% of my couples tell me during our first phone call together. So naturally, when it comes to the engagement session, there is a little bit of nervousness. If that sounds like you, I have an idea to help calm those nerves and create a way to help you actually ENJOY your engagement session.

First, I will tell you that TRULY, I have never had anyone who is awkward and unphotogenic in front of my camera. Second, it comes down to confidence and comfortability. The more time we spend together, the more comfortable you become and less focused you are on the fact that you are getting your picture taken. So if you have an engagement session coming up, here are my tips!

Plan out the time

Plan for us to spend 1.5-2 hours together. I know it feels like a long time. But I promise you, when we make a plan to explore a city or go to the beach or drop into a couple of different locations, that time goes by really quickly. Trying to force you to get comfortable in a really short time frame, simply put, isn’t gonna work. Taking our time to talk, joke, laugh, and get to know each other over time does allow that to happen. And the comfortability? It results in authentic, fun, and beautiful photos.

Couple walking hand in hand in a cross walk in Boston.

A couple standing smiling at one another with the Boston skyline in the background.

A couple spraying champagne towards the camera in the Boston seaport.

Plan the right activity for a date night engagement session

Next, pick an activity that you actually ENJOY. Enjoy going to breweries? Let’s go to one (or a few – I’ll be your DD). Like to spend your Saturdays walking around the city? Let’s go to all your favorite spots and find a few new ones along the way. Want to head out on a boat? I’ll jump in the lake with my go pro 🙂 (true story). Enjoy sunrise? Let’s meet up early and get it down and go grab coffee afterward. Spend your free time hitting up hole-in-the-wall places? Let’s hop in the car together and check them out. Honestly, the sky is the limit! Your engagement session should be a reflection of what the two of you enjoy as a couple. I’m down for WHATEVER you want to do and wherever you want to go.

A couple standing on a boat dock, smiling and laughing.

A couple sitting together while driving a boat and cuddling.

A couple sitting on a boat together, smiling and laughing as they drive.

Engagement session at a Brewery in Boston

A couple waits for ice cream together on a date night.

A couple sits together on the same side of the table at a coffee shop smiling and laughing.

A close up detailed shot of two hands holding coffee cups, with emphasis on the engagement ring.

Wear what you feel comfortable in

Wear what’s comfortable (and bring an outfit change). I always tell my couples to bring a change of clothes. Start out in something a little more dressy (if that’s what you want to do) and then bring something comfy to end the session in. Depending on the location of your session, choose something that works for where you are and what you’re doing. Even if you don’t end up changing, you have the option available to you to change things up a little bit. Another great option are accessories! You can bring a different sweater, or a change of shoes, to change up a look easily.

A couple standing together and laughing inside an empty bar.

A couple laughing and snuggling at the bar counter.

A close up, detailed shot of two hands holding mixed drinks, with the engagement ring visible.

A couple walking with the sun and the Boston skyline behind them.

A couple laughing with their faces close together.

A couple dancing on a dock, with the sun and the Boston skyline behind them.

Remember to have fun

Go into it with a positive attitude. You’re getting to hang out with (at least hopefully) your favorite person – and I just also happen to be there 🙂 I’m a pretty good time if I do say so myself. I crack jokes and am sarcastic with a slightly dark sense of humor and I like to keep things moving. Not into PDA? Don’t worry about it – these sessions don’t have to be the two of you all over each other all the time. Connection happens in a lot of different ways and you don’t have to be lip-to-lip for that to be evident.

A couple sitting together in an empty bar.

Are you getting married soon? Looking to get your engagement photos done? Be sure to reach out! I would love to hear about your wedding plans and how we can work together to create a fun photography experience from start to finish! You can schedule your session by clicking HERE.