Engagement sessions are an ideal way for you to see how well you and your photographer will work together. They are also great for you and your soon-to-be spouse to practice perfecting your poses for your wedding day portraits. But where should you schedule your engagement session? While you can ask your photographer for some insight on where they suggest consider these tips to help you choose a location that has significance and meaning to you and your significant other.

1. Choose a Place That Fits You as a Couple. Do you have a favorite coffee shop? Go there. Spend most of your evenings dueling it out over scrabble? Set up a session at home. The location of your engagement shoot should be one you two are comfortable in. You don’t have to go all out and glamorous if you both are more the laid back and casual. Nor do you have to search for an open field to shoot in if you’d rather shoot in front of a street mural. The location can be any place that will allow you two to act naturally and can have a story behind it.

2. Take the Sun Into Consideration. If you are choosing a location because of the sunset or sunrise you’ll have to schedule your session accordingly. You’ll also want to take into consideration the season as well where the sunset starts later or earlier. If you are shooting at multiple locations for your engagement session don’t forget to account for travel time. If you’re going for a sunset or sunrise backdrop you may want to keep your locations closer together to give you more time.

3. Consider the Visuals and Background. Whether you are going for a rustic or urban look, brainstorm some locations that have interesting backgrounds. Find some interesting architecture or brick walls for an urban feel or fields and trails for a more urban and country feel. Try not to choose a location that has too much foot traffic since this can result in your images getting photo bombed by a passerby.