Engagement Session Locations in Connecticut | 10+ Great Places

The Best Engagement Photo Locations in Connecticut

1. Harkness Memorial State Park

Harkness is number one on this list for good reason: it’s what first comes to mind when most people think of engagement sessions in Connecticut. This state park is located in Waterford, down along the southeastern shoreline area.

Open year round and comprised of 200+ acres of buildings, grass, trees, and awesome plant life, Harkness is a perfect spot for CT engagement photos year round. While you’re here, don’t forget that it’s also a wedding venue.

Here’s more info on Harkness engagement sessions.

2. East Rock

The East Rock section of New Haven, like many other parts of the city, is an ideal location for any kind of photo session. At the top, you have East Rock Park which sits an elevation of 350+ feet and gives you great views.

Conveniently, there are plenty of restaurants, beautiful streets, and street are in the neighborhood itself. Don’t forget about East Rock Brewing Company & Beer Hall for a photo op if you like your drinks bubbly.

Here’s an East Rock engagement session I photographed.

3. Haley Farm

By now you’re probably seeing the park trend because CT has so many good ones. Haley Farm is yet another. While it’s great year round, this Groton location really shines for fall or autumn engagement sessions. The foliage is great.

You can really do it all here, from just walking to biking to sitting on the grass. Another reason Haley Farm is among the best engagement session locations in CT, though, is because there’s also water views here. It’s also great for dogs.

Here’s more on Haley farm engagement sessions.

4. A Hike or Trail

As detailed in one of my other posts about things to do, CT has lots of hiking options for such a small state. This is great if you’re interested in Connecticut engagement session locations that will let you literally get up and get out there.

Old Furnace State Park (pictured, in Danielson), Bear Mountain (Taconic), Sleeping Giant (Hamden), and Talcott Mountain (Simsbury) are all great options for adventurous couples.

5. A College Campus

Did you know that Connecticut is home to about 40 or so colleges and universities? Here’s why that matters: a number of these schools have cool campuses with good diversity of things to see and do. This can make some them really interesting for an engagement session.

The one that’s trick about having your engagement session at a CT school is the issue of permission. For state schools, such as UConn’s main campus or its Avery Point one, being on the campus generally isn’t a problem as long as we’re not in the way.

Here’s an engagement session at Yale University and another at Trinity College.

6. Mystic

The village that needs no introduction, Mystic is beloved by pretty much everyone in New England and the northeast. With 1,000,000 tourists visiting every year, there must be something good about it right? Well, yes, and this makes it a prime location for Connecticut engagement photos.

From the seaport to the river to downtown, there are a ton of things to do in Mystic. And don’t forget that this village is shared between the towns of Stonington and Groton, which have plenty of engagement session locations in their own right. Speaking of which…

7. Stonington Borough

One of Mystic’s little siblings is Stonington, one of the two towns Mystic is a village of (the other being Groton). A particular section of Stonington known as “the borough” is like a small-scale version of Mystic itself.

Here, you’ve got boats, water, a lighthouse, a fishing dock, restaurants, and more. Another thing that makes this one of the cooler engagement session locations in Connecticut is the fact that Stonington Borough is quite walkable.

Here’s a proposal and engagement session that I photographed in Stonington.

8. Blue Back Square

CT really deserves more credit for its cities, several of which have areas filled with engagement photo potential. West Hartford’s Blue Back Square is one such location. The small city vibe here is great. The area is accessible with plenty of parking, too.

From painting together to grabbing a drink to just walking around, Blue Back Square is a CT engagement session hot spot.

Here are a couple of proposals and engagement sessions that I’ve photographed in Blue Back Square.

9. Old Wethersfield

The Constitution State came to be in 1788. So, it has a lot of old, historic areas. One of them is Old Wethersfield, a mainstay of Greater Hartford. The main section is easy: it’s basically a long strip with on-street parking and plenty to do.

In this area, you have food, ice cream, a museum, nice architecture, and this really cool plant store with string lights outside. Not too many utilize what Old Wethersfield have to offer though, making it one of the more underrated engagement photo locations in Connecticut.

10. A Beach

I know what you’re thinking: Connecticut isn’t exactly known for its beaches. With that said, there are plenty of them, especially when you factor in that we have rivers, lakes, and a shoreline along Long Island Sound.

Some of my favorites are located in places like Groton, Stonington, and Waterford. But unless you like your water frigid, I don’t recommend that you actually go swimming during your engagement session.

11. Wickham Park

Another great Connecticut park is Wickham Park in Manchester. This one rivals Harkness in size, coming in at just under 300 acres. All that space is put to great use: Wickham has multiple gardens, areas, and features that can get you some great photo diversity.

Did you know that Wickham also has a wedding venue on site? Yes, it’s way up at the top of the hill, which also gives you a nice view of the Downtown Hartford skyline.

Here’s an engagement session I photographed at this awesome Greater Hartford park.