Boston Public Garden Engagement Session | Dana & Matt

There is just something about a golden hour engagement session in Boston, Massachusetts!

Dana and Matt recently moved to Boston, so it felt especially fitting to celebrate this season of their lives right in the heart of their new city. We spent the evening wandering through the Boston Public Garden, exploring the streets of downtown, and of course — you can’t have a Boston Public Garden engagement session without making a quick trip over to Acorn Street!

These two are incredibly sweet, kind, and SO photogenic. They made my job way too easy!

From Virginia to Boston

Dana and Matt met during a night out at Renegade in Arlington, Virginia, when one of Dana’s friends decided to take matters into her own hands and “aggressively” introduce them. Apparently, her matchmaking worked because a few months later, they started dating!

Since then, they’ve built a life filled with walks, traveling, trying new restaurants and bars, finding new coffee shops, and most recently — moving to Boston together.

Matt later proposed at the Scituate Lighthouse. Dana had a feeling it might be coming, but he still managed to completely surprise her by having her family fly to Boston to celebrate with them!

Golden Hour at the Boston Public Garden

We met at the Boston Public Garden during golden hour, and the light was absolutely beautiful.

One of my FAVORITE photographs from their entire session happened when we made our way onto the busier streets of downtown Boston. I had Dana and Matt stop and kiss while everyone continued walking around them.

The people surrounding them blurred into the background while these two stayed perfectly still together in the middle of it all.

It felt SO Boston — the busy city moving around them while they were completely focused on each other. I absolutely LOVE this photo!

And since we were already in the Public Garden, we obviously had to make our way over to Acorn Street for a few photos, too! Between the greenery and golden light of the garden, the city streets, and the historic Beacon Hill charm, we were able to create so much variety without ever leaving downtown Boston.

A little photographer tip if you’re planning a golden hour engagement session in Boston: Remember that sunset time doesn’t always mean that’s how long we’ll have that beautiful golden light! With all of the tall buildings throughout the city, we can lose the best light about 20-30 minutes earlier than the actual sunset time. I always keep this in mind when planning my Boston engagement sessions so we have plenty of time to take advantage of that gorgeous golden hour glow before the sun disappears behind the buildings!

Next Stop: The State Room!

Now I get to look forward to photographing Dana and Matt in Boston all over again for their November 2026 wedding at The State Room!

They’re planning an elegant, fun, celebration with greens, whites and off-whites, a great band, an after-party, and a reception that’s all about celebrating with their favorite people.

Their goal? They want their guests to leave feeling like they “celebrated their butts off for the best couple ever.” I have a feeling they’re going to accomplish exactly that.

Dana and Matt, I had SO much fun exploring Boston with you and getting to know you both better. You two were an absolute joy to photograph, and I cannot wait to do it all over again on your wedding day!

If you’re dreaming of your own Boston engagement session, the Boston Public Garden and Beacon Hill are some of my favorite places to explore. We’ll walk, laugh, find beautiful light — and maybe stop traffic for a photo or two. Contact me here to learn more.