"Where should we go for engagement photos?"


This question gets asked a lot in Wisconsin wedding groups on social media. The engagement session is super fun because you get to wear fun outfits, hang out with your sweetie, and get a little pre-wedding camera time with your photographer! And while you sometimes have a super meaningful location selected ("He proposed to me right here on this beach!"), you're often looking for a picturesque location that really makes a statement about you as a couple.


Fortunately, Lake Country couples don't need to travel far to find beautiful scenery or fun urban environments to tell the tale of their love. Here's a list of my 10 best engagement session locations in Lake Country:

  1. Nashotah Park
  2. Downtown Oconomowoc
  3. Delafield Fish Hatchery
  4. Tivoli Island
  5. Kettle Moraine State Forest
  6. The Bowery Barn
  7. Downtown Delafield
  8. Retzer Nature Center
  9. Lapham Peak Butterfly Garden
  10. Paradise Springs


Read on to see photos from these locations and find out why I love them and what makes them unique!

This is my number one favorite engagaement session location in Lake Country because it's easy to access beautiful landscape within a 2-minute walk from your car! There are wooded paths, open fields, lake views, and gorgeous trees in the distance year-round. There is even an old barn, if that's your thing. This is one of the most versatile locations, and its pet-friendliness adds another star to its rating.


1. Nashotah Park

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Downtown Oconomowoc offers so many different opportunities for a very unique engagement session. There is an abundance of textures, colors, patterns, and architectural designs that add a fun playfulness to your engagement session! Of course, there are many small shops and restaurants to enjoy together, and a quick stroll around Fowler Lake will bring you to many interesting photo locations as well!


2. Downtown Oconomowoc

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The Fish Hatchery building is beautiful, but the land around the fish hatchery is gorgeous! The parklike grounds make easy walking, there's a lovely covered pathway, a gorgeous ivy wall, a wooden bridge or two, a sparkly river, and lots of grassy space with trees all around. It is a really fun space to explore while taking advantage of the plethora of backdrops available!


3. Delafield Fish Hatchery

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This large island on the edge of Watertown has several paths to explore. The light that filters through the trees is beautiful and golden, and the large bridge is a fun place to snuggle up and watch the water slowly slipping by. It is easy to imagine you're in the middle of your very own world together on the quiet island.


4. Tivoli Island

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Kettle Moraine State Forest extends very far and covers a huge amount of land in Lake Country. There are many parks and trails that include all kinds of landscapes. Lakes, rivers, woods, grasslands, flowering fields, and so on... all can be accessed easily from any of the state forest's numerous trailheads.


5. Kettle Moraine State Forest

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The Bowery Barn offers its gorgeous barn, cozy farmhouse, adorable truck, and expansive grounds with fields of wildflowers and sunflowers to couples who wish to capture their engagement session in an all-inclusive environment for a great rate! An added bonus for couples who are planning to get married at the Bowery: you can explore the venue and figure out where you want to do wedding photos in advance!


6. The Bowery Barn

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Another great urban setting! Downtown Delafield offers architecture with character, beautiful pockets of greenery, a beautiful sunset, staircases, awning-covered doorways, and plenty of charm.


7. Downtown Delafield

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Best known for its rows of tall pines, Retzer Nature Center also offers paths, fields, water, and other gorgeous landscapes. It has many beautiful flowers that bloom in summer, and is even impressive in winter when it's covered in snow!


8. Retzer Nature Center

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This is a bucket list location for me. I am still waiting for a couple who loves flowers and lush gardens to join me here for an engagement session in the summertime when the butterflies are around


9. Lapham Peak Butterfly Garden

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Another Bucket List location! This trail leads to an abandoned stone building hovering over the water and many areas where nature is reclaiming what people left behind. It is eerily serene and filled with a quiet beauty that I can't wait to capture someday soon!


10. Paradise Springs Nature Trail

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Planning a Lake Country Wedding?


I just might be the photographer for you. I offer a 10% location-based discount for weddings that take place within 25 miles of Oconomowoc! And, of course, a complimentary engagement session is included in every wedding collection. Want to see more of my recent weddings and engagement sessions? Check them out here!