We’ve photographed more than 400 weddings and engagement sessions over the last 10 years. And in recent years, we’ve loved capturing some of our couples’ lifestyle engagement session ideas! If you aren’t familiar, a lifestyle engagement session is just what it sounds like: an engagement photoshoot that’s styled in such a way that it could be real life! These sessions lend themselves to more candid moments, and even less posing than our typical photoshoots.

 

Now, let’s be honest. You’ll never hear us complain about capturing romantic engagement photos in a field at sunset. But we know for some of our couples, they feel more confident and comfortable in a more familiar setting. And as you’ll hear if you spend any time getting to know us, helping our couples feel confident and comfortable in front of our cameras is our #1 goal during couple portraits!

 

So if you’re looking for some lifestyle engagement sessions ideas for your own photoshoot, you’ve come to the right place! Here are 12 of our favorite ideas from past sessions, in no particular order.

 

 

1. Go out for Ice Cream

Ice cream dates never go out of style, which makes them a perfect lifestyle engagement session idea. There’s something about holding waffle cones, stealing bites, and laughing together that brings out a couple’s natural chemistry. The energy is always lighthearted and fun, and the setting feels wonderfully casual.

 

 

We love stopping at a local shop like Chaps Ice Cream here in Charlottesville, VA. We may photograph our couples walking down the pedestrian mall, sitting at bistro tables, or sharing a scoop while leaning against the retro counter. It’s relaxed, charming, and feels like a real date — which is exactly the point of lifestyle engagement photos!

 

Want to see more ice cream date lifestyle engagement sessions?

• Claire and Jake’s Downtown Mall Engagement Session
• Hannah and Dalton’s Chap’s Ice Cream Downtown Charlottesville Engagement Session

 

2. Go For a Ride

Movement adds instant visual interest to engagement photos. And that’s true whether you’re hopping on a scooter, rowing a boat across a pond, or zooming around on your Vespa! From an urban scooter ride through downtown Richmond, or a quiet moment together on the water, these lifestlye sessions feel adventurous and cinematic without requiring too much planning.

 

 

The good news is that you don’t need to actually travel very far. Moving from one end of a street to the other is plenty of time for us to capture photos that feel dynamic and playful. As long as there’s wind in your hair and a smile on your face, it’s a recipe for a great lifestyle session!

 

Want to see more lifestyle engagement photoshoots featuring movement?

• Noelle and Hunter’s Vespa Engagement Session in Richmond, VA
• Kendall and Connor’s Notebook-Style Fall Engagement Session at Waterperry Farm

 

3. Go to Your Favorite Bar

Bars make fantastic lifestyle photoshoot locations because they blend atmosphere with comfort. Whether it’s a dark, cozy cocktail lounge or a bright, trendy taproom, your favorite spot offers built-in character and meaningful context. We’ve photographed couples sipping cocktails, clinking glasses, or sharing a quiet booth, and the energy always feels authentic and intimate.

 

 

A bar can be especially meaningful for some couples. We flew down to Jacksonville, FL a few years ago to capture Ashlee and Mike shooting pool and sipping Coronas in the bar that they met just a few years prior! For Meg and Scott, mojitos and salsa dancing at Havan ’59 in downtown Richmond was a regular date night for them. So returning there for their lifestyle engagement session had them feeling like their authentic selves from the start!

 

 

In fact, bar’s make such great locations for lifestyle engagement photos, that they’re the #1 spot we photograph lifestyle sessions at! So whether you’re choosing a session location based on aesthetics or personal meaning, make sure your local cocktail bar makes it onto your short list. And of course, if your session will be here in Charlottesville, VA — just reach out to us and we’re happy to recommend a few of our favorite bars from a photography perspective!

 

Want even more lifestyle engagement session ideas from inside local bars?

• Keirstin and Shiv’s Fitzroy Bar Engagement Session
• Carson and Travis’ Alley Light Cocktail Bar Engagement Session
• Celia and Matt’s Engagement Session at Miller’s Bar in Downtown Charlottesville

 

4. Grab a Cup of Coffee

Coffee shops are classic lifestyle engagement session spots, and for good reason. They usually offer soft window light, muted tones, and a naturally slow pace. Whether you’re sharing a latte, reading a book, or just cuddling on a plush couch, these sessions feel sweet and naturally unposed. This is especially true if we’ll be capturing your session here in Charlottesville — there’s no shortage of beautiful coffee shops, no matter the aesthetic you’re going for!

 

Another benefit to coffee shop engagement sessions is how personal they can feel. We photographed Amasa and Don at their favorite neighborhood coffee shops, that they used to visit every weekend when they first moved in together. That added meaning and comfort really showed in their final photos.

 

Want to see more images from a coffee shop lifestyle engagement session?

• Amasa and Don’s Downtown Coffee Shop Engagement Session in Norfolk, VA

 

5. Stay In

Nothing feels more “lifestyle” than an engagement session in your own home! Staying in allows you to be completely yourselves — cooking together, lounging on the sofa, playing with your pets, or dancing in the kitchen. The backdrop is meaningful because it’s yours, and you’re instantly more relaxed in your own space.

 

 

We also love the cozy, intimate storytelling that happens naturally indoors. Noelle and Hunter made themselves a cocktail, sat in their beautifully-curated living room, and cuddled on the couch. And they didn’t need a ton of space to do it! Their apartment in downtown Richmond, VA was as micro as they come. But all the little moments photographed beautifully, and created a gallery full of real connection. Granted, Noelle is literally a museum curator, so it’s no surprise their apartment looked like an art gallery in its own right 😂

 

Want to see more imagery from an in-home lifestyle engagement session?

• Noelle and Hunter’s In-Home Lifestyle Engagement Session (Yes, this is the Vespa couple, too!)

 

6. Walk the Dog(s)

If your pets are part of your love story, they absolutely deserve a cameo in your engagement gallery. Walking the dog is a perfect lifestyle engagement session idea because it’s likely something you do every day. Therefore, it will feel incredibly natural to you both! It also gives you something to do with your hands and somewhere to look — a huge plus for anyone nervous on camera.

 

 

Dogs also create spontaneous, joyful moments that we couldn’t plan if we tried. Whether they’re tugging the leash, sniffing every leaf, or trying to jump in your arms, we’ll capture it all. Your gallery ends up feeling lively, genuine, and very “you.”

 

Want to see more lifestyle engagement photos featuring dogs?

• Sarah and David’s Indoor/Outdoor Engagement Session at the Wool Factory and Eastwood Winery
• Elizabeth and Trevin’s Dog-Friendly Rocketts Landing Engagement Session

 

7. Picnic Together

Picnic sessions strike that perfect balance between styled and relaxed. You can bring a blanket, a basket, some fresh fruit, flowers, or your favorite bottle of wine — just enough props to make it cute without feeling staged. The result is a warm, cozy vibe that feels straight out of a magazine.

 

 

We’ll photograph you lounging together, sharing a drink, or feeding each other snacks. It’s intimate without being overly romantic, which makes it a great choice for couples who want their session to feel fun and comfortable. A picnic can also be a great way to spice up just part of your session. Maybe we start with a very lifestyle-esque picnic, then head out into the field for more traditional sunset portraits!

 

Want to see more lifestyle engagement images featuring a staged picnic?

• Ethan and Remi’s Fall Pollak Vineyards Surprise Proposal
• Elizabeth and Trevin’s Libbly Hill Park Picnic Engagement Session (Yes, they also walked their dogs in the first half of this extra-long session!)

 

8. Go Apple Picking

Apple orchards are a fantastic seasonal option, as they naturally lend themselves to candid moments. Wandering the rows, picking fruit, or even feeding each other that perfect apple — it all creates built-in activities that help you relax and enjoy the moment.

 

 

Here in Charlottesville, Carter Mountain or Chiles are the go-to orchards for apple picking engagement sessions. Now, this is obviously a fall-only activity. But the autumn colors and mountain views make for a beautiful backdrop, and the entire session feels playful and charming. Plus, you end up with snacks! A true win-win 😂

 

Want to see more apple orchard lifestyle engagement photos?

• Lauren and Chris’s Apple-Picking Engagement Session at Carter Mountain Apple Orchard

 

9. Play in the Snow

Planning your engagement session around snow is practically impossible here in Charlottesville, VA. But for our local couples who can meet us with minimal notice, these winter-wonderland engagement sessions can feel like a fairytale. Snowy landscapes and cloudy skies offer soft light, clean backgrounds, and a romantic sense of quiet. Bundling up in coats, scarves, and hats also adds variety and texture to your ensemble.

 

 

Throwing snowballs, snuggling to stay warm, or brushing snowflakes off each other creates natural interactions that look incredible in photos. If you’re dreaming of cozy and whimsical, snow is hard to beat (if we can time it right).

 

Want to see more images from a snowy lifestyle engagement session?

• Jamie and Henry’s Snowy January Engagement Session on UVa’s Lawn

 

10. Visit a Brewery or Winery

Brewery or winery engagement sessions are relaxed, social, and full of laid-back charm. Whether you’re sampling a flight in the tasting room or leaning across a table on the patio to chat, breweries and wineries create an environment where couples instantly loosen up. The pint of beer or glass of wine probably helps with that as well 😉

 

 

We often take a stroll through nearby outdoor spaces, or pair the brewery with a nearby second location. The result is an easygoing session that feels like a Saturday afternoon date! Danielle and Rod often met at Blue Mountain Brewery outside Charlottesville when they first started seeing each other. It made for the perfect backdrop to the first half of their lifestyle engagement session! And Charlottesville certainly has no shortage of wineries and breweries to visit!

 

Want to see more images from an engagement session featuring a brewery or winery?

• Danielle and Rod’s Blue Mountain Brewery & Raven’s Roost Overlook Engagement Session
• Eesha and Patrick’s Giggly Downtown and King Family Vineyards Engagement Session

 

11. Browse a Bookstore

If you love reading together, a bookstore session is a dream come true. The aisles create interesting lines and shapes, and the book covers add visual interest without distracting from the two of you. Lili and Matt (an attorney and software engineer) are self-proclaimed nerds from New York City, so cocktail-bar-then-bookstore seemed like the perfect fit for them! After sipping on their bubbly, we headed over to a nearby bookstore and photographed them browsing the shelves and enjoying the quiet atmosphere.

 

 

Because of the hushed environment, there’s a built-in sense of stillness and closeness in a bookstore. It creates some incredibly intimate and thoughtful lifestyle engagement photos!

 

Want to see more images from a bookstore engagement session?

• Lili and Matt’s Cocktails and Bookstore Lifestyle Engagement Session

 

12. Have Dinner at Your Favorite Restaurant (or Three)

If you want your engagement session to feel like a real date night, your go-to restaurant is a perfect choice. Whether it’s an upscale dining room or a tiny neighborhood dive that you adore, we can capture that “night out together” energy in a way that feels personal and real. Ordering cocktails, sharing appetizers, or sitting at the bar gives you natural interactions to focus on instead of the camera. These sessions always end up classy, meaningful, and full of genuine smiles.

 

 

Hannah and John are true foodies. So we headed over to Belmont here in Charlottesville, and bounced from Tavola to Mas to Belle to Conmole, sampling drinks and apps all along the way. What felt like a restaurant tour to us was a typical date night for them! It made their engagement session truly lifestyle, and was full of great imagery (and food)!

 

Want to see more ?

• Hannah and John’s Restaurant-Hopping Lifestyle Engagement Session (Coming Soon!)

 

What’s Next?

Let us know if you have any questions about any of favorite lifestyle engagement session ideas — here in Charlottesville or anywhere in the world. Or, if you’d like to talk with us about scheduling your own lifestyle engagement session, click here to get in touch with us!

 

 

Thanks for reading 😊