Engagement Session in Toronto: Planning an E-Shoot

Being engaged is an exciting time in your life; you’re in love, and on the cusp of starting a new life with your best friend. Having an engagement session in Toronto is a great way to encapsulate this magical time, so that you can look back on it years down the road. Whether you’re planning your own engagement session in Toronto or helping a loved one put theirs together, there are some key points that you’ll want to cover to ensure a successful session. For some hints about things to remember and tips to make your engagement session one to remember, keep on reading.

Planning an Engagement Session in Toronto

intimate Toronto engagement session in a field with dreamy sunlight

Pick a Season

Contrary to popular belief, there’s no bad season to have an engagement session in Toronto. Couples have beautiful weddings in the summer, spring, fall, and winter, and can do the same when it comes to their engagement photos. Spring is a great option for couples that would prefer some garden photos, since everything is in full bloom. The fall offers some awesome nature shots as well, with reds, yellows, and burnt oranges of fallen leaves. While not many couples want to brave the Canadian winter for their engagement pictures, it can totally be worth it. The season that you select it up to you, and depends on the theme you want your photos to have.

Toronto's Dundas Square engagement session with male holding his fiancé in the airToronto Island inside a boat engagement session with couple looking into each other's eyesToronto engagement session infront of stoney building. The couple poses with umbrellas to emphasize the beautiful rainy day

Pick a Location

You have a general idea of what you want your backdrop to look like, and how it’s time to figure out the details. Your location will have a huge impact on how your photos turn out and will definitely influence your theme, so it’s important to make your choice carefully. Some couples also opt for multiple locations, which is usually a good idea if you want more than one theme or look. One important thing to keep in mind when picking your location is that some locations—especially those indoors— require a permit. It’s best to check with your photographer beforehand to make sure everything is sorted out before the day of the shoot.

For some general ideas about where you should have your shoot, take a look at the different themes below.

Intimate sunlit engagement session in a Toronto park

Rustic

If you’re going for a rustic vibe, you can’t go wrong with a barn or winery. They’ll give you an authentic old wood, rustic vibe that’ll be channeled through your photos.

The couple is posed in front of rustic barn wood for a Toronto engagement session

Natural

If you’re looking for a natural backdrop for your engagement session in Toronto, then you can choose from one of the city’s many gorgeous woods, rivers, lakes, beaches and hills. Any one of these options will give you the natural look you’re searching for.

Couple posed with a natural forest and water backdrop, foreheads pressed together for an intimate glow at sunset

Park

Toronto has a ton of parks that’d be perfect for any e-shoot. There are formal gardens and modern public spaces to choose from, making it one of the most versatile options. Whether you want photos of a planned picnic or just of you and your better half going for a walk, you can’t go wrong with a park photo session.

Couple posed at a beautiful Toronto park for an engagement session

City

Are you a city person? There are a million and one reasons to love Toronto, and some couples want to display our beautiful city in their engagement session. Everything from old factories, modern skyscrapers, quaint bridges, and graffitied walls represent all that T.O. has to offer.

A couple poses in front of Toronto's CN Tower backdrop for their engagement session at sunset

Personal

An engagement session is all about you as a couple, so why not choose somewhere personal to the both of you? Whether it’s where you first met, where you had your first kiss, or where you got engaged, selecting a location that means something to the both of you will make your photos that much more special.

At home Toronto engagement session. Couple plays together in their home with a football making a natural and fun photoshoot.

Activity

Opting for an activity-based engagement shoot will give you more candid shots, make the overall tone of your photoshoot much more casual. If this is the look you’re going for, good options are skating, skiing, billiards, rock climbing, a water fight, pottery class, or even a trip to an amusement park.

Toronto's CNE farris wheel used as a stunningly colourful background for a couple sharing a kiss

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Pick an Outfit…or Outfits

Now that you’ve got a season, location, and theme set, there’s just one more important detail — the outfits. Generally, engagement sessions in Toronto are more casual since their purpose is to represent who you are as a couple. With that said, there’s no “rule” that says you can’t get glammed up for your shoot. Don’t be afraid to being a change of outfits (or two). Switching up your look can add to the versatility of your session. 

Toronto's Rogers Centre engagement session. Spotlights highlighting the couple sharing a kiss on the field.

When choosing your outfits, take the weather and location into account. If you’re doing an activity shoot, wear something comfortable that’ll make sense given the setting; for example, we don’t recommend kayaking in heels. Make sure that you and your partner’s clothes go well together, but maybe avoid matching outfits. Wearing colors and patterns that go well together will make for a cohesive photo, while wearing the exact same sweater can look a bit dated. Most importantly, make sure you’re both comfortable — we promise it’ll show in your photos when you’re happy and confident with what you look like.

 

Are you planning an engagement session in Toronto? Contact Luminous Weddings today to learn how we can make your vision come to life!