Top 10 Engagement Photo Locations in St. Louis
January, 21 2021
While looking for the best places for photography in St. Louis, many photographers will blindly pick the 32 windows on top of the Gateway Arch. But apart from the Gateway Arch of St. Louis, there are many locations in St. Louis, which you will appreciate for your engagement photography in St. Louis or even consider celebrating the day one of your marriage. Right from the scintillating views of the tree rows by the east bank of the Mississippi River in Bellerive Park, to the lively neighborhood of Old North’s Crown Square in St. Louis, this Missouri city will never disappoint you when it comes to choosing the best backdrop for celebrating life and love.
Busch Stadium and Ballpark Village
What can be more fun than having your St. Louis engagement photography session done at a baseball stadium? This is a famous and beautiful destination for photography in St. Louis, as the stadium features artistically exposed brick red walls and wrought iron accents in the exterior part of the stadium. It lends a rustic and vintage vibe to your engagement photographs along with the impressive surroundings that are filled with vibrant planters that add pop colors and textures. Nestled amidst the sea of bright red seats, the iconic dugout to the pitcher's mound is a great photo background. The Ballpark Village features a wide range of places that are going to inspire you, like the landscape lands that are bordered by wrought iron fencing, along with many famous sports bars, landmark eateries, and classic red brick textures for detail shots. The place lights up like a warm ball of fire when the evening sets in, making it perfect for evening engagement photography in St. Louis.
Website: https://www.stlballparkvillage.com/
Address: 601 Clark Ave, St. Louis, MO
Fees or Permits: There is a parking fee of $5-$6. You can avail of a photo permit by filling up the application on the website.
The Faust Park in Chesterfield, MO is a unique destination to have your engagement session in St. Louis County. It was originally created to preserve the estate of Missouri's second governor Frederick Bates. In a beautiful farm-like setting, this estate features the famous Thornhill Farm along with a carousel and the historic Faust Village. Our St. Louis engagement photographers love what the park has to offer in its brilliant architecture, gorgeous plants, and an unmissable rustic charm. A quaint little hut with a thatched roof, cobblestone paths, wooden walkways, a European pergola, and vibrantly blooming trees woven across the entire estate are some of the little details that make it a perfect countryside setting for an engagement photography session in St. Louis. The historic Faust Village features 19th-century structures and architectures that you will find nowhere across St. Louis, which makes this destination unique in its own way. This village continues to preserve the vernacular culture and art, in its 4 homes and 14 structures that date back to the 1800s. There are three barns, one cabin, one kitchen, one heritage garden, and four mansions, that can give you a complete country touch for your engagement photographs.
Website: https://www.stlouisco.com/Parks-and-Recreation/Park-Pages/Faust
Address: 15185 Olive Blvd, Chesterfield, MO
Fees or Permits: There is an admission fee of $3. You can avail of a photo permit by contacting the office.
Spanning 1371 acres, the Forest Park engagement features brilliant architecture and scintillating natural settings to have a memorable engagement session photography in St. Louis. It is the hub of many famous spots of the city like the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum, the Saint Louis Science Center and the St. Louis Zoo. Being home to so many landmarks of the St. Louis city, this urban park features a plethora of diverse backgrounds filled with every kind of textures and colors you can imagine for photography. Some of the hotspots for photography that are loved by our engagement photographer in St. Louis in Forest Park are the Georgian white bridge on top of the beautiful lake, the long alley of Roman colossal columns, the pebble stone lakeshore, the winding walking trails flanked by towering trees, and the gorgeous European gazebo standing in the heart of the park. If you are a fan of golden hour photography, you can head to the lakefront when the sun sets in the evening, where our engagement photographers can shoot beautiful couple portraits. Head to the huge rotunda with a magnificent crystal chandelier dangling above for more breathtaking pictures with your BAE.
Website: https://www.forestparkforever.org/visit
Address: 5595 Grand Dr, St. Louis, MO
Fees or Permits: There is an admission fee of $3-$5. You can avail of a photo permit by contacting the office.
The historic St. Charles is a thriving riverfront trading center to have an engagement photography session. The friendly faces away from the big city hum going on around their daily lives in this beautiful setting are sure to swoon at its very first look. The original residents of St. Charles have very carefully preserved their riverfront heritage and culture which makes this place historically and architecturally rich to click engagement photos. This quaint little town has a colonial charm in its surroundings with its cobblestone roads and exposed brick structures, and it is located just 30 minutes west of Downtown St. Louis. Let our St. Louis engagement photographers capture your candid love story while you shop from over 125 unique stores or treat yourself with some of the most delicious dishes while strolling down the streets. This endearing and artistic city has been welcoming St. Louis resident couples to bask in the mesmerizing beauty since 1769.
Website: https://www.discoverstcharles.com/
Address: Katy Trail, St Charles, MO
Fees or Permits: There is an entrance fee of $8. And you do not need to avail of a photo permit to shoot here.
The historic city of Kimmswick, located just 25 miles south of St. Louis, is an offbeat and picturesque little town filled with photo opportunities for engagement photography in St. Louis. The artistic streets and the pristine green grasslands, weave a countryside vibe in engagement photographs taken at this place. If you choose this place to have your engagement photography session, you can turn it into a natural retreat with your sweetheart and spend some quality and intimate time in this old fashion town. This town has been frozen in time since the 1800s as the cordial atmosphere reminds you of the time long past, and lets you go back to the less hurried days. Rewind your clock once again in this historic town that is filled with shops, restaurants, town events, and attractions. Head to the Anheuser Estate, which is Jefferson County’s most famous European estate that features a mansion and a gazebo, by the Mississippi River. Witness the oldest wrought iron bridge in Missouri- the Windsor Harbor Road Bridge, spanning the Rock Creek since 1930. You will never run out of photo opportunities at this charming and historically rich town of Kimmswick.
Website: https://gokimmswick.com/
Address: 6041 3rd St, Imperial, MO
Fees or Permits: There is no entrance fee. And you do not need to avail of a photo permit as well.
Another beautiful location to begin your together forever in St. Louis is the Missouri Botanical Garden aka Shaw’s Garden. Located right in the heart of the city, Shaw’s Garden is a perfect escape from the city's hustle-bustle to spend some quality time with your love. This St. Louis engagement destination features strolling grounds and mesmerizing gardens filled with exotic flowers and a huge collection of shrubs, perennials, and annuals, that make engagement photographs shot at this place look magical and enchanting. The 50 sculptural beauties weave a majestic vibe to immortalize your special day. The bewitching fountains, sky blue pools, and labyrinthine paths sprawling over 32 acres of landscaped lands can lend an artistic atmosphere for your Missouri Botanical Garden engagement photography. Talking about a diverse range of garden areas, no place has it as this famous botanical garden does. The garden homes Turkish, English, Japanese, German, and Bavarian-style architectures. So you can have your own cherry blossom festival in the quiet Japanese garden or bask in the Ottoman styled exotic gardens to make your couple portraits look fabled.
Website: https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/
Address: 4344 Shaw Blvd, St. Louis, MO
Fees or Permits: There is an entrance fee of $12. You can avail of a photo permit by contacting the office.
Filled with Victorian-era pavilions, quaint little lily ponds, expansive green spaces, and landscaped formal gardens, the Tower Grove Park engagement sessions have a unique term to its name. This 289 acres park is adjacent to the Botanical Garden in Downtown St. Louis that offers both historically and naturally rich environments for St. Louis couples to have their engagement session in the lap of nature. Looking over a pristine lakefront, along with the architectural ruins and the carousel painted in red and white settled on the grounds, it makes for a great background for engagement portraits in St. Louis. This place is great to have a golden hour photography session by the lakefront as the sun rays hit the pristine clear water evoking a warm glow for silhouette photographs.
Website: https://www.towergrovepark.org/
Address: 4257 Northeast Dr, St. Louis, MO
Fees or Permits: There is no entrance fee. You can avail of a photo permit by contacting the office.
City Museum
Talking about the variety of backgrounds for photography, the City Museum can offer you in abundance, and you will never run out of options. The City Museum engagement photography has been celebrated by photographers from all over the country for its wide range of textures and colorful backgrounds. Ranging from the expansive French windows that produce naturally illuminated photographs to the cascading Georgian stairways or the handcrafted beams with crafty ceilings, everything comes together to create engagement photographs that can be cherished for a lifetime. You can select from the wide variety of displayed museum artifacts for your engagement background or head to the beautiful grounds surrounding the museum. The sprawling and pristine lawns surrounding the huge building can lend a calming and relaxing vibe to your City Museum engagement photography.
Website: https://www.citymuseum.org/
Address: 750 N 16th St, St. Louis, MO
Fees or Permits: There is an entrance fee of $14. You can avail of a photo permit by contacting the office.
The Grand Center (colloquially) is filled with local landmarks to have your engagement photography amidst numerous arts and entertainment venues including the Fox Theater, Powell Symphony Hall, the Contemporary Art Museum Saint Louis, the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, the Sheldon Concert Hall, Clyde C. Miller Career Academy, and Jazz St. Louis and make it memorable forever. You can head to the Church Ruins on a cloudy day when the sun streams through the ivy-strewn walls, giving it the very Gothic vibe. Engaged couples especially love the concrete shell, which is a vanishing and beautiful site for their engagement or wedding photography. Just a few blocks away, the Contemporary Art Museum can be perfect for you if you are the artsy kind. The sleek and modern space filled with natural light is perfect for black and white portraits. Inside the museum, you can find Richard Serra’s torqued steel sculpture- 'Joe.', which is a great and popular photo prop amongst St. Louis couples.
Website: http://www.grandcenter.org/
Address: Grand Center, St. Louis, MO 63108
Fees or Permits: There is an entrance fee of $12. You can avail of a photo permit by contacting the office.
If you want to bring in funk and fun elements to your engagement photographs in St. Louis, then go to the famous Graffiti Wall in Downtown St. Louis for your engagement photography. This floodwall south of the Arch along the Mississippi River, also known as 'The Mural Mile', celebrates the city vibe of St. Louis and captures the eclectic spirit in this spot. The famous spray-painted fleur-de-lis of the Busch Stadium along with many colorful iterations makes for a very unique and dynamic location to have your engagement photography session.
Website: https://downtownstl.org/place/graffiti-wall/
Address: Chouteau Ave & S Leonor K Sullivan Blvd, St. Louis, MO
Fees or Permits: Neither entrance fee nor photo permit is applicable at this location.
Please note that permits and fees are subject to change. Please confirm the policies with the location before planning your session.
