Engagement sessions are a good idea for so many reasons. You get uninterrupted time with your partner and a full gallery of photos to remember this exciting time in your life. You get to meet your wedding photographer and learn how they pose and prompt during portraits. You also get the chance to get comfortable in front of the camera before your wedding day. Most wedding photographers include a complimentary engagement session in their wedding package, so why not take advantage of this awesome opportunity?
After you find your photographer, the next step is choosing the location for your engagement session. Some couples want to do their engagement session at their venue, while others opt for a completely different scene.
As a photographer in High Point, NC, most of my couples are local to me and one of the cities I suggest for their engagement session is Winston Salem, NC. I love Winston Salem because it has all kinds of locations for photos, from gardens to cityscapes. Today, I want to share my 3 favorite spots for engagement sessions in Winston Salem, North Carolina and share why I love these locations.
1- The Little Chapel
This location is actually a wedding venue in Winston Salem. The Little Chapel is owned by THE sweetest father/ daughter duo. Mollie and her dad have poured a lot of love and hard work into this venue and it shows! The Little Chapel is one of my favorite locations because you can stay in one place and have lots of variety in your photos. The first spot that I always use is the chapel itself- both inside and outside. It has the most gorgeous stained glass and stone. The texture of this location is seriously dreamy! The light that pours into the chapel when the sun hits the stained glass is to die for and it is the perfect touch to your photos. After taking photos at the chapel, we always explore the nearby fields. You can go to the edge of the trees and diffuse the sun or use the open field for the dreamiest sunset portraits. My favorite spot of all on this property is the pond and rowboat. You can choose to go out on the water or if you prefer, you can stay on the edge and push the boat in the water just enough to make it look like the boat is on water (we opted for this option in the session pictured below). The Little Chapel in Winston Salem catches everyone's eye when I send out my list of engagement session locations and it's easy to understand why!
Website: https://www.thelittlechapelnc.com/
2- Downtown Winston Salem
The second Winston Salem location that I love is downtown. My absolute favorite spot being this parking deck. I LOVE the light colored concrete because it reflects light so well and makes your images super bright and airy. The tall buildings and either sunset or dramatic clouds make the perfect addition to this city scene. This location is so fun because you can wear casual clothes, tennis shoes, and a baseball cap to make it less formal or go all out and wear a dress and high heels. This location is ideal for both! There is plenty of space for active prompts like running towards the camera or picking your partner up and spinning them. This location is just so fun and totally trendy right now!
3- Reynolda Gardens
This location surprised me last year. I originally went to photograph an engagement session in March of 2022. I thought the gardens would be beautiful with blooming flowers then and they were. BUT... when I came back for another engagement session in August 2022, I was literally speechless! This location is even more beautiful in the summer than it is in the spring. You can't go inside the greenhouse for photos, but using the outside of the greenhouse makes for the perfect backdrop. There are so many different types of flowers too. Just take a few steps over and your photo is completely different and full of new colors. The last thing I adore about this Winston Salem location is the Japanese teahouses. They add so much character and having the steps and path there adds even more variety to your photos.
Website: https://reynolda.org/gardens/
