After being in the wedding industry for almost 9 years and scouting out the best locations for our couples, we’ve gathered quite an extensive list of spots that your engagement session could take place in. Some of these locations require a permit or charge a fee, but most places are free.

There are a few things to consider when choosing the location of your session, and they are as follows:
1. Do you prefer outdoors with lots of trees, flowers, and water nearby, or do you like more of an urban city vibe?
2. Places like Longwood Gardens are BEAUTIFUL to photograph at, but with it being open to the public, it gets very busy. And, it can be hard to avoid people in the background of your photos at times.
3. Does your location have strict hours or close early? We typically like to shoot about an hour and a half before the sun sets (during golden hour), so if the location you’d like your session done at closes early, we’d need to do your session earlier in the day.
4. Consider the season. Places like flower fields/farms will only be in bloom in the spring/summer.
5. Are you the adventurous type and want to incorporate some hiking, boating, fishing, skating, etc. into your session?

Wedding planning can be overwhelming as it is, so we’ll share our recommendations with you after we get a sense of your style and what you like best.

The following locations are mainly located in Central Pennsylvania. We’ve shot at a lot of them, but some we haven’t yet been to, but heard they’re beautiful places. We’ve categorized them into different styles, but a lot could fall into more than one category. Check them out and let us know what you think!

Classic & Elegant

• Conestoga House & Gardens in Lancaster
• Lock Ridge Park in Alburtis
• Kings Gap in Carlisle
• Lititz Springs Park in Lititz
• Masonic Villages in Elizabethtown
• Harrisburg Capitol Building
• Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster

Urban

• Downtown Hershey
• Downtown Carlisle and Dickinson College
• Downtown Lancaster
• City Island in Harrisburg
• Downtown Philadelphia
• Downtown Bethlehem

Rustic

• Nissley Vineyards in Bainbridge
• Grings Mill in Reading
• Shank Park located in Hummelstown
• Long’s Park in Lancaster
• Overlook Park in Lancaster
• Simpson Park in Mechanicsburg
• Conrad Weiser Homestead in Womelsdorf
• Rock Ford Plantation in Lancaster

Water

• Children’s Lake in Boiling Springs
• Spring Meadows Park in Boiling Springs
• Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Gardners
• Opossum Lake in Carlisle
• Mt. Gretna Lake & Beach
• Fort Hunter Mansion & Park in Harrisburg
• Founders Hall in Hershey
• Messiah College Campus in Mechanicsburg
• Gifford Pinchot State Park in Lewisberry
• Columbia River Park in Columbia
• Lancaster Central Park in Lancaster

Adventure

• Chickies Rock in Columbia
• Wildwood Park in Harrisburg
• Rocky Ridge Park in York
• Lower Allen Community Park in Mechanicsburg
• Wissahickon Valley Park in Philadelphia
• Tucquan Glen Nature Preserve in Holtwood
• Thornwald Park in Carlisle
• Ned Smith Center in Millersburg
• White Cliffs of Conoy in Marietta
• Nolde Forest in Reading

Flower Fields & Greenhouses

• Country Joy Flowers in Elizabethtown
• Golden Hour Flowers in Mechanicsburg
• Paulus Farm Market
• Hershey Gardens in Hershey
• Heuter’s Greenhouse in York
• Meadowbrooke Gourds in Carlisle
• Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve in New Hope
• Longwood Gardens

Amazing Views

• Negley Park in Lemoyne
• Waggoner’s Gap Hawk Watch
• Pinnacle Overlook in Holtwood

Destinations

• Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey
• Adirondacks in Eagle Bay, New York
• Brooklyn, New York
• Manhattan, New York

Sometimes your venue will even allow you to have your engagement session done on their property, so that’s another option to consider! As we photograph at new locations every year, we will keep adding to this growing list.

We love when couples choose a location for their session that complements their wedding. For example if you’re planning a chic, elegant wedding, it may be fitting to take your engagement portraits among the classic architecture downtown, while a local park or flower-filled fields may be more fitting for a couple planning a more rustic affair. The best session locations are often meaningful places to the couple; however, we’re also happy to make recommendations. From ski slopes to lavender fields to apple picking and college campuses, the options for engagement session locations are endless!

2021 is almost completely booked for us, so if you’re planning to get married any time next year, we’d love to see if we’d be a great fit for you! Getting to know our couples personally is something we’re extremely passionate about. We’d love for you to browse our website, email us at hello@soulfocusmedia.com, or give us a call at 717-422-6857. We can’t wait to chat with you!