Top Richmond Engagement Session Locations

Love

Newly engaged and looking for the top Richmond engagement session locations? I’ve got a plethora of fantastic suggestions for you! Virginia’s capital has something for every kind of couple. Whether hoping for city or nature, formal or casual, indoor or outdoor, Richmond has what you need! And the best part of all the following locations? They are FREE.

1. Maymont Park

As referenced previously on this blog, you cannot go wrong in these exquisite grounds. They hold so many beautiful locations all within one park, and decently coverable in a 1-2 hour session! The Japanese Garden, the Italian Garden, the historic mansion, and the main fountain are just a few of my favorite areas.

Engaged couple strolls hand in hand along a gravel garden path at Maymont Park
Woman glances back smiling while leading her fiancé down a Maymont garden walkway

Couple embraces beneath a stone-columned pergola at Maymont, green lawn and benches behind them

Couple laughs nose to nose among the stone pergola columns at Maymont

Man hugs his fiancée from behind on the steps of Maymont's historic mansion
Detail of clasped hands, her slit dress and white heels on a gravel garden path

Couple links arms on a stone path beside Maymont's flower-lined garden wall

Man kisses his fiancée's cheek beside a stone wall dotted with orange daylilies

Laughing couple pauses beside a willow-lined pond at Maymont in black and white

2. The Virginia State Capitol

Luxurious, clean, and with a bit of rain-coverage bonus, the Virginia State Capitol building will give your Richmond engagement session a classy glow.

Couple embraces on the grand steps of the Virginia State Capitol beneath towering columns

Man in a pink seersucker jacket wraps his arms around his laughing fiancée
Couple shares a hug from behind on the Virginia State Capitol portico

Couple holds hands between the massive white columns of the Virginia State Capitol

Man kisses his fiancée as they lean against a soaring Capitol column
Engaged couple sits on the Capitol steps, her head resting on his shoulder

Man twirls his fiancée in a white dress outside a lantern-flanked Capitol doorway

Couple embraces at the foot of the Virginia State Capitol steps in black and white

Engaged pair holds hands beneath the full portico of the Virginia State Capitol
Man lifts his fiancée off her feet on the sweeping Capitol staircase

Couple sits close on stone steps, sharing a smile during their Richmond engagement session

3. The Fan District

If you’re looking to capture the classy Richmond row houses, Monument Avenue (and other streets around The Fan District) will give you that iconic Victorian backdrop! This is a particularly good area for a Richmond engagement session that desires to include dogs.

Couple walks their two dogs along a Fan District sidewalk lined with iron fencing

Engaged couple strolls with their dogs past blooming hydrangeas on a Richmond sidewalk

Couple kneels in a grassy median with their two dogs, one wearing a floral collar

Close-up of an engagement ring as the bride-to-be pets her dog's head
Tan dog in a black bow tie stands on leash in the grass

Couple shares a quiet nose-to-nose moment on a tree-shaded Fan District sidewalk

Woman beams at the camera while her fiancé leans close beside ivy-covered grounds

Spring or fall… the Fan offers beauty in any season for your Richmond engagement session!

Couple crouches with their golden retriever and dachshund puppy by a light blue door

Couple walks hand in hand past an arched garden gate scattered with autumn leaves
Sunlight flares above the couple posing by a pale blue studded gate

Smiling couple embraces in front of a studded light blue gate in Richmond

Fall foliage frames the couple walking their dogs down a Fan District sidewalk

Couple kneeling with their golden retriever and dachshund among fall leaves in Richmond's Fan District

Engaged couple sharing a close moment on brick rowhouse steps in the Fan District

Couple sitting together on the front steps of a columned Fan District rowhouse

4. Virginia War Memorial

Virginia War Memorial: A Favorite Rain Location

A TOP RAIN LOCATION!! Though truly beautiful whether sunny or raining, the Virginia War Memorial is a favorite for its history and timelessness. Located just a short walk from Brown’s Island / Bell Isle (where these two got engaged!), this location is a go-to for Richmond engagement sessions!

Couple strolling toward the Virginia War Memorial, she glancing back in a rust velvet dress

Groom-to-be wrapping his arms around his fiancee beside carved stone walls at the Virginia War Memorial
Couple huddled under a clear umbrella overlooking the Richmond skyline from the Virginia War Memorial

Rainy day engagement portrait under a clear umbrella on the Virginia War Memorial plaza

Close portrait of the smiling couple embracing during their Virginia War Memorial engagement session

Detail of intertwined hands showing her engagement ring against a rust velvet dress
Couple touching foreheads in a covered walkway with downtown Richmond in the distance

Couple walking hand in hand along the Virginia War Memorial terrace with the city skyline behind

Laughing couple leaning in for a kiss during their rainy Richmond engagement session

Groom-to-be sweeping up his fiancee, her white heels kicking over blue slate pavers
Black and white portrait of the man lifting his fiancee for a kiss at the Virginia War Memorial

4. Libby Hill Park

This overlook holds one of Richmond’s MOST SCENIC cityscapes! Libby Hill Park is beautiful year-round, but especially in the fall and especially at golden hour! Proposals, engagements, family sessions… Libby Hill is a hot commodity!

Couple embracing on the Libby Hill Park hillside below the Lucky Strike smokestack

Man hugging his fiancee from behind at Libby Hill Park with Richmond rooftops beyond

Black and white candid of the couple laughing above Richmond's skyline at Libby Hill Park

Man playfully carrying his laughing fiancee along a sunlit Libby Hill Park path
He carries her along the overlook path at Libby Hill Park, river and city behind

Golden hour embrace at Libby Hill Park with the Lucky Strike smokestack and water tower behind

Wide view of the couple on Libby Hill Park's overlook path amid golden fall foliage

5. VMFA

Outside the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

No matter where you position yourself outside the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, you have beautiful options for your Richmond engagement session! While they JUST (in December 2024) started requiring permits to photograph professionally indoors, their sculpture garden and surrounding areas hold plenty of options for you and your spouse-to-be! Bonus, you CAN freely go inside and use their restroom for changing outfits or freshening up!

Black and white portrait of the couple beneath a lantern-lit portico near the VMFA
Bride-to-be hugging her fiance's arm outside the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Couple holding hands between grand columns during their VMFA engagement session
Couple holding hands beneath a hanging lantern at a columned entrance near the VMFA

Black and white dance-like embrace against a textured wall outside the VMFA

Couple kissing in dramatic sunlight against the museum's sculpted wall panels

Smiling couple in close portrait with a VMFA banner hanging behind them

Couple seated on stone steps touching foreheads outside the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Couple strolling hand in hand along the sidewalk beside the VMFA
Engaged couple walking past the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts on a sunny fall afternoon

Other locations I recommend for Richmond engagement sessions include:

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