Our Top Places For Outdoor Engagement Photos In Southern Ontario
Engagement photos are an amazing way to celebrate the love between the two of you! It’s a time to create memories and document the excitement for the next chapter of your life. If you’re planning on taking engagement photos in Ontario, this province has got you covered. With an abundance of choices, you can capture your connection out in the beauty of nature, in stunning gardens, or even in the city.
Having shot many Ontario engagement photos, we’ve uncovered some of the most incredible places on offer. Here’s our curated list of the 15 finest destinations for capturing unforgettable photographs!
The Best Spots For Engagement Photos In Ontario
The Arboretum - University of Guelph
Scotsdale farm
Crawford lake
Royal botanical gardens
Burlington village square
Spencer smith park
Hamilton beach
Kerncliff park
Princess point
Dundurn castle
Rockwood conservation
Tiffany falls
Niagara botanical gardens
The Gooderham building
Kensington market
1. The Arboretum: University of Guelph
The Arboretum stretches over a massive 400 acres of land, giving you the chance to truly reconnect with nature. It’s a flawless location for any outdoorsy couples wanting to take engagement photos in Guelph. Natural woodland, a romantic long-grassed meadow, and even Tuscan-like trees are just some of the breathtaking locations you can explore.
This spot is gorgeous year-round, but during springtime, the meadow turns into a particularly picturesque scene with long velvety grass and vibrant wildflowers. And in fall, you’ll be spoiled for choice when it comes to fiery backdrops full of stunning autumn color.
With a setting this idyllic, you have the chance to create really romantic and dreamy engagement photos at The Arboretum, all complimented by the lush forest backdrop!
2. Scotsdale Farm
Located just outside Georgetown and on the Niagara Escarpment sits Scotsdale Farm. It’s a heritage site and a working farm known for its great hiking trails, rolling hills, wetlands, towering forests, and endless beautiful settings.
Use the building and barns on the property to your full advantage for cute, country-style rustic photos. They also have one of the best field spots in Ontario, and Scotsdale Farm engagement photography is particularly pretty in the fall, when the trees begin to change color and drop a carpet of colorful leaves on the ground. Talk about a stunning backdrop!
3. Crawford Lake
Crawford Lake is part of a massive 232-hectare conservation area and is also located along the Niagara Escarpment. You’ll find a reconstructed Longhouse that creates a unique and unusual backdrop for your photos.
The lake is surrounded by a boardwalk and a lush forest filled with towering trees. Whether you're at the base level of the lake or up on a cliff, you’ll get a great panoramic view of it all. There are also fields that offer a perfect view of the sunset. This venue is honestly breathtaking even in the rain – atmospheric weather and romantic photos go hand in hand, after all!
With big limestone cliffs, caves, and glacial potholes, Rockwood Conservation offers a super unique setting for your engagement photos in Toronto! This conservation area is one of the best locations for adventurous nature lovers with its nature trails, amazing views, and striking rocky formations.
This area has a large reservoir you could use to your advantage, as well as a flourishing forest, which is a great place to explore alongside blooming meadow fields and castle ruins. Rockwood Conservation engagement photos are an opportunity to capture fun memories with a twist – you can go canoeing, swimming, or simply enjoy the breathtaking views together.
4. Royal Botanical Gardens
Royal Botanical Gardens is the largest botanical garden in Canada and a National Historic site with more than 40,000 plants. It has a typical whimsical English garden feel to it, with five main photography locations: Hendrie Park, Mediterranean Garden, Rock Garden, Arboretum, and the Laking Garden.
All five locations are absolutely gorgeous, and no matter what vibe you’re after, you’ve got a wealth of options to choose from in terms of engagement photography backdrops at Royal Botanical Gardens!
With an incredible array of booms and plants all around, this location is great no matter the season, but in spring, all the vibrant flora and fauna come out. The Laking Garden is especially popular with many couples for spectacular, intimate images – you just have to look at the sea of colorful irises and peonies to understand why. It makes for one of the best engagement shoot locations in Ontario!
5. Village Square Burlington
If you’re looking for more of a cozy village vibe for your engagement photos, Village Square Burlington could be your ideal location. This shopping and dining area features historical architecture and has a super charming feel.
Walk down cobbled streets among the quaint traditional brick buildings, which make for a timeless setting for your photos. This area is especially pretty during the holiday season when it’s decorated with twinkling lights, giving your Burlington photoshoot a warm and magical atmosphere.
6. Spencer Smith Park
Spencer Smith Park is an energetic park in Burlington with amazing views of the lake, beach, and Skyway Bridge. You could choose to have photos by the shore on the sandy beach, or on the walking trails around the lake. It’s worth noting that the promenade is wide enough for you to cycle or rollerblade if you want to get creative and have fun with your engagement photos in Burlington!
This location is especially popular with couples during the spring, when the cherry blossoms bloom on either side of the Broadwalk, creating an incredible pink arch for your photos!
7. Hamilton Beach
If long sandy beaches and the sound of relaxing waves is your thing, Hamilton Beach could be the ultimate spot for your engagement photos in Toronto.
The boulevard is a great place to take laidback photos that capture the beauty of the lake in the background – coming here at sunset would create some really amazing pictures. There's also a peaceful nature trail close by, and grassy fields leading up to the beach, offering another look for your engagement photography on Hamilton Beach.
8. Kerncliff Park
If you’re looking for relaxed engagement photos in Ontario, Kerncliff Park might be a great fit for you! Once a quarry, it’s now been transformed into a stunning nature park with large stone cliffs and a wooden boardwalk that winds through a marsh – all great backdrops for couples who love nature and want a laidback vibe for their photos.
When you have a stunning setting like this, you can let it do all the work for you, and you’re basically guaranteed to have stunning Kerncliff Park engagement photos, wherever you go. There’s plenty of forest, fields, and trails around, so we can get a variety of backdrops!
9. Princess Point
Princess Point is a nature area with striking views over the Cootes Paradise Marsh, providing multiple locations for romantic engagement photos in Hamilton. The waterfront trails and romantic fields of long grass are especially great in fall. The fields bloom in the late summer, creating beautiful lush yellow shades.
If you’d prefer the backdrop of a lake that reflects the deep reds and oranges of the trees, the wooden deck is a fantastic choice. You could even bring your furry companion on your photoshoot, or consider bringing a canoe for some epic shots in the water!
10. Dundurn Castle
Built in the 1800s, this neoclassical estate features beautiful architecture that makes it one of the best places for Ontario engagement photos. At the castle, you’ll have many different backdrops to choose from: the coach house, a forest, lush trees, beautiful stonework, and the grounds with all their stunning architecture.
Is there anything more romantic than having your photos in a historic castle that could be right out of a fairytale? The lighting is spectacular here. When the sun comes through the trees, it casts rays of golden light onto everything, adding to the magical feel of this venue.
11. Rockwood Conservation
With big limestone cliffs, caves, and glacial potholes, Rockwood Conservation offers a super unique setting for your engagement photos in Toronto! This conservation area is one of the best locations for adventurous nature lovers with its nature trails, amazing views, and striking rocky formations.
This area has a large reservoir you could use to your advantage, as well as a flourishing forest, which is a great place to explore alongside blooming meadow fields and castle ruins. Rockwood Conservation engagement photos are an opportunity to capture fun memories with a twist – you can go canoeing, swimming, or simply enjoy the breathtaking views together.
12. Tiffany Falls
This is a pretty sought after conservation area for photos, and we completely understand why. With magnificent trees, giant bedrock, and a beautiful path leading up to the waterfall, Tiffany Falls engagement photos are always incredible. This spot is so easy to photograph because it looks amazing wherever you turn!
13. Niagara Park Botanical Gardens
This 40-hectare park is a delightful European-style country garden filled with vibrant seasonal flowers, creative landscapes, and even a butterfly conservatory. The winding footpaths, vibrant botanicals, and glistening pond will make you feel like you’re the main characters in a period drama!
The buildings on the property have a classic country vibe thanks to their architecture and the climbing plants that adorn their outer walls. This creates such a cozy, homely background for your engagement photos in Niagara Falls.
14. The Gooderham Building
For couples wanting an urban engagement photo session, this is one of the best engagement photo locations in Ontario. The Gooderham Building, also known as the “Flatiron Building”, is a historic office building in Downtown Toronto with distinct architectural features that create the perfect city backdrop any couple could dream of.
The vibrant red brick building and the city buzz create such an exciting atmosphere for your photos. Plus, there are also tons of great spots nearby to capture more photos in the heart of the city.
15. Kensington Market
This is another great city location in the heart of Toronto with a fun, trendy vibe. Kensington Market is filled with fruit stalls, cool stores, antique shops, and cafes. It’s such an energetic place where color radiates through the streets, making it a fun spot to play around with photos!
There’s also a stunning parking garage rooftop that’s perfect for a unique, non-traditional shoot. Overall, Kensington is a great location to have a cute date, go for a coffee, or grab a bite to eat, incorporating everything into your engagement photos.
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If you’re in need of an Ontario engagement photographer, we’d love to be a part of your story! Tell us your vision and let’s connect to turn your dreams into reality.