A lot of times we keep on hearing how planning your wedding is this and that, but we rarely hear about planning an engagement session. The reason behind this might be the fact that a wedding is undoubtedly the biggest affair of somebody's life, that can overshadow each and every activity leading up to the big day. But it is essential to remember that, just like wedding photographs, to capture the sense of celebration and excitement, engagement photos are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities too. Also, it is the best shot to know your professional engagement photographer, who will also probably shoot your wedding day.

You are engaged, and now you are going to get married! What can be more exciting than that? Stunning engagement portraits not only show how your relationship develops, but they will also be the most frequently used pictures up until the wedding. They can be used for stunning save-the-date cards, wedding websites, engagement and wedding announcements, gorgeous wedding invitations, engagement party invitations, and beautiful wedding favors. You have a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with your wedding photographer and makeup artist when you have an engagement photo session. You can decide your wedding timeline and map out all the must-have wedding photo lists. It provides a sneak preview of your special day and serves as a practice run for your wedding photo album.

An engagement typically lasts between 13 to 18 months. Some people prefer shorter engagement periods, planning their big day in as little as 7 to 12 months. These time frames might seem lengthy, but once you begin planning your wedding, the days will fly by before you can even decide on the perfect wedding dress. As you get busier with all the wedding planning, an engagement photo session might soon become just another thing on your to-do list. It is therefore best to schedule your engagement photos as soon as possible.

The timeline for your engagement shoot will also depend on how you plan to use them. Hence you should take a lot of photos to remember the special moment your fiancé slips an engagement ring on your finger, whether it is a private proposal between just the two of you during one of your sizzling date night ideas or a grand proposal with a crowd of friends. This is an important turning point in your relationship, one that needs to be treasured and documented on camera. Most importantly, a photo taken right after a proposal will capture your unbridled joy. 

Apart from that, during the wedding planning process, when you are likely to build a wedding website and mail out 'save the date' invitations to your guests along with designing a gorgeous guestbook and print photographs for your bridal shower and events, these engagement photographs from your engagement photography session, will help you to elevate the experience for both of you as well as your wedding guests. Prepare your stunning engagement portraits to make rounds on Instagram as your wedding date approaches, and feel butterflies right in your gut every time you see them! 

It is also very necessary to loosen up in front of the camera before the wedding day so that you look naturally at ease and there are no awkward moments to process as the wedding photographer captures every move on your wedding day. Your professional wedding photographers will get to spend some time with both of you before the wedding day, during the getting-ready process, the first look, the wedding ceremony, the family portraits, and the wedding reception, and know them personally before the wedding day is always an added perk as you swap stories and share laughs. In between this, you also have to think about a gorgeous engagement location to commemorate this day in the best possible way! This is where the city of love- New York comes in.

For every New York native, it is very easy to see why people travel from all over the world to take pictures here. America's Big Apple is filled with exciting locations for romantic engagement photography sessions with some of the world's most popular parks, restaurants, and neighborhoods, with the magnificent skylines punctuating the entire backdrop like a dream. With the iconic black and yellow cabs dimming in the background, and the bustling coffee shops on a Monday morning, from the great New York architecture to the beautiful flower gardens of Central Park, it is definitely worth the trip to have your engagement photography in New York. 

The popular engagement locations of New York City can spark a sense of magic in your couple's photography session with a range of vibrant and diverse backgrounds. Whether it is about the greatest American icon, the Statue of Liberty, symbolizing freedom, and standing at a height of 152 feet from the base, or the historic Central Park which can be your next destination to click some amazing NYC couple portraits that are also iconic to the TV show 'Friends' along with many other television shows and Hollywood films. The Empire State Building, The Chrysler Building, and One World Trade Centre are three of the most iconic skyscrapers of the New York Skyline that you can bring to your New York engagement photography session celebrating the very vibe of NYC cityscape. Celebrate your own piece of Europe in Little Italy, a quintessential neighborhood in Lower Manhattan filled with souvenir shops, Italian restaurants, boutiques, entertainment venues, and lounges which are perfect for you to unwind in the evening time while letting our New York engagement photographers capture your beautiful moods in candid portraits.

Considered to be a haven for lovers of art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the MET is considered to be the most famous museum in the United States featuring an enormous collection of cultural artworks and artifacts from around the world. The Rockefeller Center and the Radio City Music Hall in Midtown Manhattan can present you with numerous photo ops as these Midtown Manhattan tourist spots featuring art deco skyscrapers and entertainment venues are designated city landmarks of NYC. The High Line of Manhattan can bring some beautiful candid New York couple portraits as this exciting new attraction is a 1.45-mile-long elevated linear park built on a former rail line.

Another crown jewel of the United States, the Grand Central Terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan featuring the famous cascading Grand Staircase grand beautiful restored ceilings with the iconic American flag can be your next destination that is also featured in many documentaries and films of world cinema. Considered to be one of the most expensive and elegant streets in the world, in the borough of Manhattan, 5th Avenue is perfect for evening couple photography in New York when the entire street lights up like a dream.

Sending a warm vibe across our hearts on a moody winter day, we met our fascinating New York couple- Thanh and Ross and welcomed the chance to document this brilliant love story set in New York. The New York native couple was always fascinated by the picturesque NYC engagement photo locations, and we could easily see why. Adding a dash of glamor and chic spirits to the New York engagement photography session, in the winter of 2022, Thanh and Ross made their way into our journals. 

As quoted by Thomas Wolfe, "One belongs to New York instantly. One belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years." The sense of anonymity and inclusiveness of New York, where amidst the fast-paced life and the ever-busy faces, the extraordinary sense of embrace is truly phenomenal. Whether you are having your NYC engagement photography session in your favorite go-to coffee shop or want to revisit the spot of your first date, whether you want to visit your favorite library or want to capture the sunset from Brooklyn Bridge during the golden hour, our ace engagement photographers in New York are teamed with a sense of incredible intuition to capture the candid shots. 

On a bright winter morning when the sky outside was slightly overcast, our gorgeous couple showed us their pretty and playful personalities in their New York engagement photography session. The timeless and striking engagement portraits took place at the ever-so-historic New York Public Library, located at 476 5th Ave, New York. The reasons why Ross and Thanh chose this popular New York landmark as their engagement location were so easy to see as this Beaux-Arts landmark building on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street houses outstanding indoor and outdoor engagement portrait opportunities. They had their hearts set on this landmark engagement location in New York that is often known as Stephen A. Schwarzman Building to commemorate the momentous occasion with a romantic photoshoot.

The New York Public Library, which has 88 branch libraries and four major research libraries spread across the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, includes the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. Outstanding research collections in the humanities and social sciences are housed in the Beaux-Arts landmark building on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, which is frequently referred to as the "main branch." 

You shouldn't skip visiting the iconic main branch of the New York Public Library if you are traveling to New York City for your engagement portraits. You don't have to be a fan of books to appreciate the grandeur of this structure, which has played a significant role in the city for more than a century. The real treasures are inside, but many tourists only stop to take pictures of the famous lions outside before moving on to other attractions. The city of Paris served as inspiration for the library's iconic Beaux-Arts design. The layout of the New York Public Library became a model for libraries all over the world and was regarded as one of the best works of Beaux-Arts architecture.

The New York Public Library building is located in the center of Manhattan, close to many of NYC's most recognizable landmarks. Bryant Park, which feels like a small sanctuary surrounded by the skyscrapers of Midtown, is the library's "backyard". There are always activities going on in Bryant Park, whether it's summer night movie screenings or the Christmas market and free ice skating in the winter. These activities can be done in addition to a leisurely stroll or a nap on the lawn while our New York engagement photographers capture you in action. You can also find Rockefeller Center or the Empire State Building, by walking just a few blocks uptown or downtown for your NYC engagement portraits.

Starting from the stately architecture to the panoramic views of picturesque sceneries engulfing the engagement location, every angle can be a dreamy backdrop for your New York wedding photography session. From the majestic black sculptures and iconic statues in the background to the cobblestone grounds and quaint benches, this engagement location in NYC can give your couple photography a whimsical aspect. The old-world charm is celebrated by our New York couple photographers in the long lines of benches with immaculately landscaped backgrounds that surround this iconic New York spot, as the thoughtfully artistic elements of the event spaces speak volumes in photography sessions. 

Maybe it’s their general sunny disposition or the overall warm sunny vibes of the photoshoot but this is surely a couple who sparked an unmissable happy feeling on this bright day. There is something about them that remains an overall theme throughout all the photographs. Let us take a leisurely stroll across the photojournal of Thanh and Ross's special New York engagement photography session!

Our beautiful to-be bride Thanh shone like liquid gold as she wore a long white wedding dress with an illusion and embroidered neckline. The gorgeous wedding dress swept the grounds like a dream as she paired it with her stunning engagement ring and bridal bracelets. She even went for a second engagement outfit which was a midi-length black and white lace dress. The pretty chic engagement outfit hugged her at the right places and the elegant golden bridal strappy heels made the minimal accessory look perfectly in place. Teamed up with minimal makeup and a neatly tied hairdo, our bride completed her stunning bridal look.

The minimalist engagement day makeup perfectly accentuated her beautiful face. While orchestrating the formal engagement photography look, Ross wore a two-piece formal groom suit with a crisp white shirt and satin black tie for a complete black tie look. His dapper black shoes, perfect hairdo, and neatly shaved look portrayed a very classy room look. There was effortless ease that Thanh and Ross had in their interactions that translated beautifully in their New York Public Library portraits, making way for stunning engagement photographs that can bring a smile to anyone’s face.

The formal engagement wardrobe was perfectly balanced and seized precious moments forever in the most heartwarming captures. Our stunning couple decided to bring their New York nativity into play by posing at various places that ranged from the bright graffiti walls featuring colorful parrots to the quaint little benches parked intricately beneath the soaring glass windows. They moved around this landmark of New York City and posed in front of a wide range of backgrounds. Some of the pretty couple shots ranged from the couple holding hands candidly to them sitting in quaint benches surrounded by vintage architecture. Ranging from the beautiful interiors of the vintage-inspired backdrops to posing in front of the classic cascading stairs, this couple had their hearts racing with their unfaltering chemistry.

This New York engagement photography session surely warms the heart and leaves us with a feel-good feeling in the heart. The effortless streak of the couple ran throughout the day, and they seem like the couple who will laugh and dance through the highs and lows of life with equal vigor. This is the kind of spirit we love seeing more of. Simple happy love that cannot be contained and seeps through the picture even years down the lane. We love it!