Engagement Sessions
Beautiful portraits of the two of you — and the best wedding day prep you’ll ever do.
An engagement session isn’t just pretty pictures.
It’s the first time you’ll be in front of Matthew’s camera together. You’ll learn how he works, how he directs, and how to be natural in front of a lens — so that by the time your wedding day arrives, none of that is new territory.
Couples who do engagement sessions are visibly more relaxed on their wedding day. The camera stops feeling like something that’s just there to perform for and starts feeling like something that’s just there. That ease shows up in every photograph.
Plus — you end up with beautiful portraits you can actually use. Save the date cards. Anniversary gifts. Wall art for your first home together.
How it works.
Engagement sessions are available as a standalone booking or as an add-on to your wedding commission. Matthew will work with you on location, timing, and wardrobe to make sure the session reflects who you actually are — not a generic couples shoot in a field.
Sessions are available throughout Metro St. Louis and Southern Illinois. Have a meaningful location in mind? Bring it. That’s always better anyway.
What Makes a Great Engagement Session Location?
The best engagement session locations are ones that mean something to you — where you got together, where you got engaged, somewhere you go back to regularly. Those sessions have an emotional texture that generic “pretty spots” simply don’t.
That said, a meaningful location doesn’t have to be scenic. A dive bar where you had your first date photographs beautifully if the light is right and the two of you are genuinely there. A family property, a city block, a trail you’ve hiked a hundred times — all of it works.
If you don’t have a specific location in mind, the Metro St. Louis area offers excellent options across every aesthetic. Forest Park is versatile across all four seasons. The Missouri Botanical Garden is lush and structured. Lafayette Square and Soulard provide historic architecture and warm brick tones. On the Illinois side, the bluffs at Grafton and the trails through Shawnee National Forest offer something genuinely different from anything on the Missouri side.
The consultation is the right place to work through location options. Bring your ideas — even the ones that seem impractical. Those are usually the best ones.
When Should We Do Our Engagement Session?
The timing question has two answers — one practical, one photographic.
Practically: book your engagement session at least three to four months before your wedding. That gives you time to use the images for save the dates, and more importantly, gives the camera-comfort benefits time to actually settle in before your wedding day.
Photographically: golden hour — the hour after sunrise or the hour before sunset — produces the warmest, most flattering natural light available. If you have flexibility on timing, build your session around that window. Overcast days are actually the second-best option, not the worst — diffused light is even and forgiving in a way that harsh midday sun simply isn’t.
Fall and spring are the most popular seasons for engagement sessions in the St. Louis area, and for good reason — the light is lower, the temperatures are comfortable, and the foliage does real work. Summer sessions work beautifully in the golden hour window. Winter sessions, particularly with snow, can be exceptional if you’re willing to dress for it.
What to Wear to Your Engagement Session
The most common mistake is over-coordinating. Matching outfits read as costumes. The goal is complementary — colors and tones that work together without being identical.
A few practical guidelines: avoid busy patterns, especially stripes, which can create visual noise in photographs. Solid colors and subtle textures photograph well. If you’re doing two outfits, bring one more casual and one slightly elevated — variety gives the gallery range.
More importantly: wear something you actually feel good in. Confidence reads on camera and discomfort does too. If you’ve been waiting for an excuse to wear something you love, this is the excuse.
The rest of the details depend on who you are and how you put yourself together — which is exactly why there are guides for that.
Style Guide for Him →
Style Guide for Her →
Read them before your session. They’ll save you twenty minutes of standing in front of your closet the morning of.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to book an engagement session with my wedding commission? No — engagement sessions are available as a standalone booking or as an add-on to a wedding commission. That said, couples who do engagement sessions before their wedding day are consistently more relaxed in front of the camera when it matters most. It’s the best preparation available.
How long does an engagement session take? Most engagement sessions run one to two hours. That’s enough time to work through a location, try a couple of different setups, and get genuinely comfortable — without the session starting to feel like work.
Can we do our engagement session at multiple locations? Yes, with some planning. Two locations works well if they’re reasonably close together and we build the timing around light. More than two tends to eat into actual shooting time with logistics. We’ll work through what makes sense for your vision during the consultation.
How soon will we get our images? MDKauffmann engagement galleries are delivered fast — consistent with the same turnaround standard as every commission. You won’t be waiting weeks for a gallery link.
Can we use engagement images for save the dates? Absolutely — and that’s one of the best reasons to book early. If save the dates are part of your plan, bring that timeline to the consultation so we can work backward from your mailing date.
What if the weather is bad on our session day? We’ll reschedule. Weather is outside both our control, and a session done in miserable conditions produces miserable images. If rain or extreme conditions are forecast, we’ll find a better day.
You’ve done the research. You know what good engagement photography looks like and what it does for your wedding day. The next step is a conversation — not a commitment, not a contract, just a chance to make sure we’re the right fit.
Most couples know within the first five minutes.
Engagement sessions book quickly in spring and fall. If you have a date in mind, sooner is better.
Today an Event. Tomorrow a Memory. Forever an Heirloom.
Still thinking? That's what the consultation is for.
Every MDKauffmann commission starts with a conversation — not a sales pitch. We talk about your day, your priorities, and what "forever" looks like for your family. If we're the right fit, you'll know. If we're not, I'll tell you honestly.
Start the Conversation →Dates book fast — especially May through October.