There’s no denying, Seattle has some of the best locations to plan your engagement photo shoot. Here are the top 15 locations throughout the city to capture every moment of your love story.
1. Discovery Park
I have to hand it to Discovery Park when it comes to Seattle engagement photo locations. The versatile landscape of the park makes it a fun location for exploring and creating a varied photography experience. For Mackenzie and Cameron’s Discovery Park engagement photos, we spent some time on the rocky shores of the Puget Sound. But, when I met with Jenna and Marcus for their engagement photos, we took a different approach. I worked with them on a picnic-like experience for engagement photos that were laid back and captured the genuine connection they share. Meanwhile, Nikki and Wayne chose to get dressy for their session and enjoyed a romantic sunset stroll through the park while I captured every moment.
What to Expect | Beautiful engagement photos in a natural setting with views of greenery and the water. If you want to get adventurous during your engagement photos, pack or wear the appropriate footwear for exploring.
Best Season For Engagement Photos at this Location | Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall.
2. Center for Urban Horticulture
If you’re looking for more Seattle engagement photo locations with lush landscapes in a natural garden center, I highly recommend the Center for Urban Horticulture. This location is over 16 acres of well-manicured gardens in a variety of beautiful tones. It’s filled with pathways and small breakout areas that provide different backgrounds for a variety of engagement photos in a stunning setting. The Center for Urban Horticulture is open daily from sunrise to sunset and is free of charge for entry. I highly recommend a spring or summer engagement photo shoot at sunrise or sunset to capture those delicate golden tones! You can see how I worked with Eliza and Michael for their engagement session at this location, by following this link.
What to Expect | Engagement photos with sweeping views of well-manicured gardens. The Center for Urban Horticulture does allow leashed dogs if you’d like to include your fur baby in your photos. There are rental spaces throughout the center but there are plenty of ways to avoid the crowds for a more intimate experience.
Best Season For Engagement Photos at this Location | Spring or Summer.
3. Pioneer Square
As a Seattle Native and small business owner, I love the idea of capturing engagement photos right in the middle of ‘it all’. Pioneer Square is a bustling neighborhood with historic buildings, coffee shops, and some of the best places to grab lunch. What gives Pioneer Square its charm is its store fronts frequented by other locals along with its arts district vibe. It’s a gorgeous location to use as a backdrop for engagement photos, if you’re not afraid to get walk through the streets, holding hands, and exploring the shops together.
I worked in Pioneer Square with Samantha and Thanh and a local glass artist allowed me to capture a few of their engagement photos inside their shop. I was honored that they permitted us access to their shop. Their stunning work perfectly captured the light that day and is now depicted in the backdrop of Samantha and Thanh’s photos. I also worked with Cecilee & John in Pioneer Square. But for their photos, we focused on hanging out in the more quiet and secluded Waterfall Garden Park.
What to Expect | You can almost certainly depend on some sort of foot traffic in Pioneer Square which will be dependant on the time of day. Don’t be afraid to make a day out of it! Plan on grabbing lunch or dinner when your session is over for a date night-like experience you’ll never forget.
Best Season For Engagement Photos at this Location | Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall.
4. Downtown Ballard
Downtown Ballard is another stop on the list of Seattle engagement photo locations that puts my couple right in the mix. Ballard is a waterfront neighborhood known for being the go-to spot for foodies! The picturesque streets are lined with trees and the building facades and storefronts are stunning works of architecture. Each of these elements creates beautiful engagement photos that keep the focus squarely on you, and enhance the backdrop of your engagement photos.
Marlena and Vincent’s love story all started with a friendship get-together at a local pizza spot in Ballard. Capturing their engagement photos at the location where it all began was the perfect way to tie together their story from the very beginning all the way up to the days before their wedding. Hannah and Ayo’s engagement photos were captured in the fall, and we wanted to create an effortless experience that felt like hanging out with friends for the day. We captured their session in Downtown Ballard as well, and you can see their photos at this link.
What to Expect | Downtown Ballard will have a little less foot traffic than Downtown Seattle but you should still expect some onlookers during your session.
Best Season For Engagement Photos at this Location | Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall.
5. Golden Gardens Park
If you’re looking for a stunning location to capture sunrise engagement photos, Golden Gardens Park is it! They open at 4:30 am so there is plenty of time to enter and capture that glowy light when the sun rises. As a bonus, I can almost guarantee that the park will be pretty empty (depending on the time of year) so there will be plenty of space to approach your engagement session with ease.
When I worked with Kirsten and Alex to capture their engagement photos, we needed a location and we needed it ASAP. That meant digging through my round-up of Seattle engagement photo locations and finding one that would fit their needs and their timeline. That location just so happened to be Golden Gardens Park. The park offers trails, stunning views of the Puget Sound, and a rugged coastline. This allowed Kirsten and Alex to pull off two unique looks for their engagement session. You can see all the details of their Golden Gardens Park engagement photos, at this link.
What to Expect | Golden Gardens Park is one of the many Seattle engagement photo locations that also allows dogs, with specific areas of the park dedicated to allowing your dogs off-leash. For a sunrise photo session, public parking is available on Seaview Avenue NW.
Best Season For Engagement Photos at this Location | Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall.
6. Downtown Seattle
As much as I love Downtown Ballard for engagement photos, I have to admit Downtown Seattle is just as stunning! The foot traffic and the hustle and bustle of the comings and goings of Downtown Seattle add to the charm of the city. But also a sort of vibrancy and energy to your engagement photos. I love working with my couples to run through the streets (safely of course) of downtown Seattle during their session.
The feeling of the rest of the world going about their day-to-day activities while you are in a bubble of excitement celebrating your engagement is a feeling unlike any other. Courtney and Lexi wanted to recreate the magic of their first date, so we traipsed around the streets of downtown Seattle during their engagement photos. When I captured Brianna and James‘ engagement photos, they were fresh off their proposal and on the way to their (surprise) engagement party. Each session had its own unique dynamic while embodying the buzz of downtown Seattle.
What to Expect | Be ready for anything! Downtown is the perfect place to go glam and run through the streets or pop inside a local business or restaurant to grab a drink during your session.
Best Season For Engagement Photos at this Location | Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall.
7. In Studio
It’s not always warm in Seattle. In fact, the weather here can be a worthy adversary. So I understand that not every couple wants to spend their engagement photo experience running around outdoors. While I love the range of natural open spaces in the Seattle area, I also love having the ability to provide my couples with an in-studio photography experience if that’s what works best for them.
The studio is open year-round so you don’t have to worry about battling the cold or an impending rain shower opening up over your session. In addition to being completely private; no onlookers or foot traffic like public outdoor spaces (something my colleague Branson Maxwell thinks about for his clients in Utah) you won’t have to battle with the wind either. Making it the perfect opportunity to hire a professional hair and makeup artist for frame-worthy engagement photos – which I highly recommend!
What to Expect | A warm and cozy studio experience with heaps of natural light, exposed brick, and comfortable furniture. The studio is a loft-style space that allows us to create a range of backdrops using a variety of tones or props for your indoor engagement photos in Seattle.
Best Season For Engagement Photos at this Location | Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall.
8. Amazon Spheres
There is never a shortage of Seattle engagement photo locations that provide that ‘wow’ factor! The Amazon Spheres is just one of them and they are a wonder all their own. They were built as a place of reprieve for Amazon employees to lounge or take in the views. Inside, the Spheres feature over 40,000 varieties of plants from the cloud forest regions of over 30 countries including rare plants you won’t find anywhere else!
I will admit, that the Amazon Spheres can be difficult to access unless you are acquainted with a badged employee, which was how I was able to capture this session. It’s not impossible to enter but there are restrictions, and I’ve listed them below. However, that’s not to say we can’t shoot your engagement photos just outside of this architectural marvel!
What to Expect | Beautiful architecture with rare tropical botanicals. The Amazon Spheres are open to the public from 10 a.m.– 6 p.m. PST on the first and third Saturday of each month and visits are limited to one hour. There is no coat or bag check inside the Spheres so you will have to carry your items. Additionally, if you are carrying a bag it cannot be bigger than 12” x 12”.
Best Season For Engagement Photos at this Location | Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall.
9. Beachside
With the Puget Sound practically in our backyard, there is no shortage of waterfront locations for a Seattle engagement photo experience! Whether accessed from a park or another stunning location such as Whidbey Island, Seattle offers plenty of locations for you to take in the peaceful views where the water meets the shore. The best party about beachside engagement photos is the approach we take is entirely up to you.
For Angela and John’s beachside engagement photos, we created a picnic setting on the beach. They grabbed a blanket, mixed up their favorite cocktails, and enjoyed a charcuterie spread while I snapped every moment of their engagement.
What to Expect | Photos with water views! It can be breezy by the water so don’t fuss with the hair too much. Also, be prepared to end the session with a walk in the water right at the shore for maximum fun.
Best Season For Engagement Photos at this Location | Summer.
10. Bellevue Botanical Garden
If you’re looking for a whimsical garden experience out of your Seattle engagement photo location, I highly recommend Bellevue Botanical Garden. It features over 53 acres of cultivated gardens, including restored woodlands, and natural wetlands. In fact, the name ‘garden’ is a bit of a misnomer because Bellevue Botanical Garden is comprised of several smaller gardens. Each garden was created to educate visitors while honoring the ancestral homelands of the Coast Salish people.
Bri and Bobby were celebrating their brand new engagement and we needed a location that honored the beauty of their love story. I recommend capturing their engagement photos at Bellevue Botanical Garden and the results were stunning!
What to Expect | A variety of gardens with rich colors. The garden is open from dawn until dusk all year round. There is no entry fee and parking is completely free in the ‘Garden Lot’. You can now take the Bellevue BellHop (Bellevue’s first 100% electric, on-demand, and free shuttle service) to access the garden.
Best Season For Engagement Photos at this Location | Spring or Summer.
11. Washington Park Arboretum
Another stunning location that provides a whimsical feeling to the backdrop of Seattle engagement photos is the Washinton Park Arboretum. The park rests on the shores of Lake Washington and features 230 acres of exquisite plant life and vegetation. Within the park, you’ll find a Japanese garden, numerous trails, and the famed ‘Azalea’ way.
From time to time, the park also attracts ‘visitors’. During Steph and Lauren’s engagement session, an owl landed on a nearby branch! It was an awesome moment that added a new level of fun to their already exciting cosplay-themed engagement photos.
What to Expect | Each season at the park brings its own unique variety of flowers and topiaries, you can find a full guide to what’s in bloom, at this link. The Park is open daily from dawn to 8 pm and is completely free of charge to enter.
Best Season For Engagement Photos at this Location | Spring, Summer, Fall.
12. Volunteer Park Conservatory
Honoring the horticulture preservation of Seattle, the Volunteer Park Conservatory is a space that is both welcoming and filled with beauty. The Volunteer Park Conservatory is a botanical garden and conservatory located in Seattle at the end of Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill. The conservatory was modeled after London’s Crystal Palace and is made up of over 3426 glass panes that have all been fit into a wood and iron framework. It’s filled with light in every direction and has earned its spot on this list of Seattle engagement photo locations.
I have worked in this area of the park with two of my couples for their engagement photos. The light is undeniable and it’s a great location to stroll around and enjoy at a leisurely pace. Kat and David’s engagement photos were captured at the Conservatory the night before their wedding. They came into town with their pups in tow for a fun sunset engagement photography experience. With Ellen and Cameron, we created a fun picnic-like experience that included the champagne flutes they purchased in advance of their wedding. Each session was unique in its own way but filled with the gorgeous light that the park is known for.
What to Expect | A breathtaking glass greenhouse surrounded by lush blooming florals and greenery. The park is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm. A single-day pass costs $6 for entry. The park also offers free admission on the first Thursday of each month.
Best Season For Engagement Photos at this Location | Spring, Summer.
13. Pike Place Market
Arguably one of Seattle’s most iconic locations, Pike Place Market is a fabulous engagement photo spot. Pike Place is home to Seattle’s original farmers market and now features over 500 small specialty businesses that offer locally sourced artisan foods. And yes, it’s home to the famous fish-throwing show!
As a born and bred Seattle native, I know how busy Pike Place can get. But, I also know where and how to experience Pike Place away from the throngs of tourists. There are plenty of hidden-away locations throughout the market for a more private photography experience. That was the exact approach I took for Emily and Jovon’s engagement photos and we had such a blast!
What to Expect | Pike Place is a hot spot for tourists so expect it to be busy any time of the year! Hours vary depending on what you’d like to visit during your Pike Place experience. You can find detailed information at this link. Parking is available at the Pike Place Garage which offers three convenient entrances. If you plan on taking in the market after your session, you can expect parking for 4 hours to cost around $20.
Best Season For Engagement Photos at this Location | Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall.
14. Olympic Sculpture Park
A gorgeous outdoor location that features art and plant life, Olympic Sculpture Park has a hip and trendy vibe. What I like about Olympic Sculpture Park is that it provides versatility with every step. There are artworks to take in for the backdrop of your photos, but the lawn of the park is also a wonderful option for recreating one of your favorite hobbies!
Shubham & Sagarika are avid hikers and I saw the importance of reflecting that in their engagement photos. However, due to our timeframe and their upcoming destination wedding, we had to get creative with how we showcased their love of hiking through their engagement photos. They brought along a tent and their favorite hiking gear and we set up on the lawn of Olympic Sculpture Park!
What to Expect | Outdoor sculptures and art installations that are displayed on Seattle’s waterfront overlooking the Salish Sea. The Park is open 365 days a year from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. Leashed pets are welcome to visit the park. Admission is completely free and parking is available at the PACCAR Pavilion garage.
Best Season For Engagement Photos at this Location | Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall.
15. A Location Special to You
Oftentimes, I will find that the couples I work with share a bond over something truly special in their life. That could be through a shared hobby, a career, an affinity for the arts, or simply the love they share in the home they’ve built. I find that the best way to retell their love story is by capturing their Seattle engagement photo shoot at locations that best contribute to the visual aspect of their relationship.
I’ve worked with my couples at their favorite local pizza spots, locations where their first date took place, or at their place of employment. Chanda and Teroi both work in community services, specifically Teroi works as a medic. When we had the opportunity to capture their engagement photos at the Seattle Fire Department, I jumped at the chance to include Teroi’s first responder vehicle in their photos. You can see every unique moment of their session, at this link.
