A great collection of Boston engagement and proposal photos by Cordele Photography of Reading, Massachusetts!
Anyone getting married or engaged should consider an engagement session in or around Boston, Long Wharf, the Charles River, Charlestown, or the North End. There are a variety of amazing locations for engagement photos and proposal photos, and I am here to help. Along with Charlestown and Boston, you have the neighborhoods of the South End, the North End, the Back Bay, and Beacon Hill.
Each area of Boston has its unique charm and ability to make your photos look different.
The South End, which is located near Chinatown, Back Bay, and Roxbury, is known for its beautiful brownstones. Large Victorian houses make up the largest row of Victorian Houses in the country. It encompasses over 300 acres, and to the local community of Boston, it’s known for being a very popular place for the LGBTQ population. The South End has undergone Gentrification over the years and is a wonderful place to visit. There are many fantastic restaurants to stop at and eat after your engagement photos. One that was recommended to me was The Beehive or its sister restaurant, The Revolution, located at 40 Berkeley Street, Boston(also in the South End).
The Beehive is a restaurant that has a rating of over
2000 reviews and 4.5 stars! It's best reached by public transportation, but there is parking available if you are patient. They have outdoor seating, and in non-COVID times, they have live music.
If you came here looking for photo ideas in the South End for engagement photos, you can hit up the exterior of the SoWa Art + Design District. It's one of South Boston’s more trendy places to live. You can visit their website here: www.sowaboston.com. It's an indulgent experience in the Art and talent that consumes South Boston. You can walk hand and hand along the sidewalk outside SoWa, or you can head inside and grab a beer at the beer garden. With the architecture alone, there are plenty of places to take photos! SoWa stands for South of Washington Street, and it’s almost directly west of Castle Island. You can follow East 1st Street in South Boston, come out to Dorchester Ave, take a right, and then your second left! You can’t miss it.
If you are looking for something a little off the beaten path for photos, you can head over to Titus Sparrow Park, which is a local urban park with swings and basketball courts, and has the church in the background. All and all, there are 11 parks in the
South End, all of which provide a different picture-taking experience for you and your significant other.
Most of us know the next area of Boston from riding the T, and hearing the conductor scream “BACK Baaay!” Back Bay is one of the nicest areas of the Boston area. It's located in the Fenway Park area and runs along Newbury Street and includes the Boston Common and Boston Public Gardens. If you don’t feel like pulling a permit for shooting in the Public Garden and aren’t into riding the Swan Boats, you can head over to Copley Square and take photos in the Prudential Mall. The Prudential Mall houses over 75 shops & restaurants. One of my favorite places to eat is in the Pru Mall, called Eataly. It's a three-floor Italian marketplace encounter with shopping and food that’s all Italy.
Photo locations in the area of Back Bay are endless. You can walk along the Charles and hit the Charles River Esplanade. You can park under the bridge along Storrow Drive and get sunset photos as people sail and row past you on the water. You can walk up to the Science Museum and take photos from the top floor of the parking garage. A wonderful view of Boston can be found on the roof deck of the Science Museum parking garage (who knew? This photography expert!)
If you make it up to Prudential Center, about 1.2 miles up the road, you will come to Fenway Park. Now it's not unheard of to take engagement photos at Fenway Park, though there is a cost. To schedule a session, you can call me, and we can schedule something. Please know the price of these sessions is expensive, so it's only the true Sox fans that should apply!
Once you have made it over to Fenway Park and realized that it might just be a smidge out of your engagement session budget, you can also head over to the North End of Boston and take some amazing photos of you and your significant other on the waterfront, the cobblestone streets, and hidden alleys.
The North End is rich in history, from Copp's Hill Cemetery to the Commercial Street Wharf. It is said that you can still find bullets in the grave markers of some people buried there. The cemetery was established in 1659 and was named after William Copp. A staple location for engagement photos is in Christopher Columbus Park and the Harborwalk. The Harborwalk is 43 Linear miles around the Boston Area. It's a public walkway that connects Charlestown, all the way over to the Seaport Fan Fier Park district, and then through South Boston to Dorchester to the Neponset River. While walking along the HarborWalk in the North End or the Seaport District, you get a special treat of watching planes take off and land from Logan Airport. If you are adventurous enough, you can head over to Castle Island and sit on the green grass on a spring day and watch planes come right over your head, a few feet up!
Wherever you choose to go, there is something for everyone and every personality to be reflected in your photos.
Some of the images you see in my gallery were taken in the North End along the waterfront of Boston Harbor. The Seaport District makes such a great engagement photo backdrop as does the Joseph Moakley Courthouse. At the courthouse, if you are lucky, you can get the most killer sunset photos of the two of you together. If I miss the sunset due to clouds, we can get some great night shots with off-camera lighting. My favorite spot is in Minuteman National Park in Lexington. I head up there to the Old North Bridge (which is technically in Concord, Massachusetts). You head out on Route 2 from Boston right to Concord Center. There you will find the Old Concord Inn and downside street access to the park.
After your photo session, you can walk Hanover Street or Commercial Street and stop at Rocco's Cucina & Bar for a drink across from the US Coast or head down to the Boston Garden area to Banners. Banners are owned by the Patina Restaurant Group, which also owns Central Snack Bar at the New England Aquarium. The snack bar is currently open and is located out in front of the aquarium. It's a great place to get something to eat while admiring the view of Boston Harbor and seeing the seals! Also at the Aquarium, there is the Harbor View Cafe that is currently closed, but when it's open, it offers floor-to-ceiling views of the city skyline and Boston Harbor.
One of the things I love about the North End is the ABUNDANCE of parking. There are many parking lots on Commercial Street or, the Boston Aquarium. You can also park at the Naval Yard in Charlestown and take a water taxi for just a few dollars! The boat ride is a great way to see the city skyline, and if you are super creative, you can take engagement photos on the boat as you ride over.
Right around the corner from the North End is the Boston Harbor Hotel. It has some
great architecture to work with for your session, and there is also a beautiful view of the Joseph Moakley Courthouse over the water. If you time it right, you can also capture a great sunset if the clouds are away! Don’t forget the North End is home to movies such as The Instigators, The Town, and The Departed. In The Departed, you see Jack Nicholson on the Wharf by the aquarium overlooking the Boston Harbor, and in The Town, you see a van full of nuns in a gunfight with the police that was filmed right on the corner of Commercial and Foster Street. In The Instigators, the movie's "home base" is at Bova's Bakery, home to some of the best pastries in the North End. Go right next door and hit Parziale's, the oldest bakery in the North End.
Along with engagement photos, I also shoot surprise proposals/engagements. I did one up on the beach at Wingaersheek in Gloucester, and it went so well! Setting something like a surprise proposal photo shoot is hard, but worth it in the end! I am happy to help anyone set it up!
Things to think of for a Surprise Proposal?
First, you want to find a date that works for you and your significant other, then you want to buy a ring, then you want to find a photographer, and then you want to find a location! The biggest piece to proposing is trying to find a date without tipping them off, and then you want to find a photographer. Not everyone can shoot these. I take the approach of hiding in plain sight. I don't duck in the bushes, I don't hide behind a wall. Why on earth would your significant other care if there is a photographer in the same spot as you are walking by? Normally, I tell the client to ask me to take a photo of them at the location we have picked together. I will then pose you in good light, and then after I take your photo with your phone, I will hand the photo back to you, back up, and wait for you to get down on one knee and ask the question. First, when you ask the question, take a minute to say something about the person, your relationship, and how much you love them. Then pull the ring out, and THEN get down on one knee and ask. Then HOLD the pose for ten seconds. It feels like a long time, but you don't realize how quickly it goes. This gives ME a chance to capture you on one knee. I have had a situation where the person asking goes down and comes up so quickly that I get ONE photo. You'll want a couple of photos of this moment.
Locations for surprise proposals?
When people ask where to go in Massachusetts, I normally have a long list of places I recommend for proposals. I always ask you if you are beach, city, or suburb people. I can sometimes shoot Boston engagement sessions in a bar. If you want engagement photos in the
forest, I typically go up to Maudsley State Park, If you want
the city in the background, I recommend Joseph Maakley Court House Harbor Walk, if you want a view, I recommend the Envoy Hotel in the Seaport. The Envoy Hotel will rent out the rooftop for an hour, and you have it all to yourself. And they have an engagement package. So cute! The Envoy is owned by the Marriott International Hotels, so you know you are in good hands! I
am happy to help plan a surprise proposal, giving you the details you need and tips and tricks I have learned to make it flawless. I would recommend if you are going to propose, you do it at the location you first met, went on a date, or love going
to. That will have the most meaning to your significant other.
Cape Cod
Cape Cod is a hook-shaped peninsula and a popular summer destination for people all over New England. It's located roughly 70 miles from Boston. You can head down Route 3 or 495 and go over either the Sagamore or Bourne Bridge to get there. Typically, people who are going to Falmouth go over the Bourne Bridge (down Route 495 South). People heading to the mid Cape or outer Cape take Route 3 south or Route 24 to the Sagamore Bridge or Route 6. No matter what, there will be traffic due to the bottleneck merge over the Sagamore and the merge of the roads by the Bourne Bridge. Years ago, they removed the rotary, which was supposed to elevate traffic, but by adding the bottleneck from the road along the canal, traffic did not change.
I have traveled to Cape Cod to shoot some amazing beach engagement sessions. Strolling along Mayflower Beach for photos or going out to the lighthouse in Provincetown are some of my favorite places. From the overlook to Wychmere Harbor to the Breakwater at Chatham, there are so many ocean-front places to take photos on the Cape. Head down Route 28 and sneak down any of the side roads to the beaches of Harwich.
When looking for an engagement photography location in New England, I typically defer to the secret list I keep on my phone. As soon as you are engaged, there is a flurry of things to do before you have a wedding. The first thing is to pick a date, and then the next is to find your vendors. One of those is an amazing Boston wedding photographer! I have packages that help give you what you want. Engagement photos are a must because the photos become useful for signing books and save-the-date cards! It's a great way to get to know your photographer and also a great way to get photos you can use at your wedding. Details are a must at weddings, and engagement photos have SO many uses! From table place cards to a signature board to a guest book album. I can help you pick the perfect spot to get engaged, and I can also shoot a surprise Boston proposal. That's when someone in a couple contacts me, and I set up a date and time to have you propose. I hide in the bushes or pretend to be shooting another session, and then you go over to the spot that you picked out, and I sneak over and photograph it. It's a TRUE engagement session in any sense of the word!
I have also done a few Boston Engagement surprise proposals, which you can see.
Locations for surprise proposals in Boston
Surprising your loved one and asking them to marry you is one of the most nerve-wracking experiences out there! Rest assured, I have loads of experience shooting surprise proposals and surprise engagements.
The first question always is, where should I propose in Boston? Well, only you can answer that, but I have ideas, suggestions, and locations in Boston that are super popular and iconic. Some of those are:
I always tell my clients to pick a location that might have some meaning to them, or a place they go to often, not to tip their loved one off!
What if it rains?
It may rain! Everyone wants perfect weather, but it can't be predicted. Have a backup plan. A great rain plan for proposal photography is to find a local hotel with a beautiful lobby or bar. I am happy to suggest hotels that I have worked in before.
If you want to schedule an engagement or surprise proposal with me,
or give me a call at 781-315-6030
Reading, MA Photographer Headshots-Portraits-Kids-Families-Senior Portraits 45 High Street, Reading MA 01867 | 781-315-6030 - aw@cordelephotography.com