Pitt Lake – Pitt Meadows, BC
Campbell Valley Regional Park – Langley BC
Mud Bay Park – Surrey, B.C.
Blackie Spit/Crescent Beach – Surrey, BC
Galiano Island – beach hopping on the Gulf Islands
Fort Langley Village, Township of Langley, BC
Golden Ears Provincial Park – Maple Ridge B.C.
Aldergrove Bowl at Aldergrove Regional Park – Aldergrove/Langley B.C.
At home Sessions – pancakes and beers and cuddles galore
Pitt Lake has all the PNW vibes one could hope for: the massive mountain backdrop, long grass and tall trees along the dykes and pathways circling the water, the lake itself with it’s many boaters and little animals flapping and flying all about. Pitt lake has so much to offer when looking for that truly British Columbia/Pacific North West vibes. It also get’s amazing blue hour, which is something we adore, and find shooting in these conditions provides a beautiful kind of even glow on everyone without any squinting to keep the sun out of your eyes moments or hard shadows on faces. We actually are born and raised Pitt Meadows kids, and currently rside here, so Pitt Lake will always hold a special spot in our hearts for this backyard gem of an engagement photoshoot location!
Campbell valley is pretty big and massive, like, a total of 29km of trails and pathways to explore and discover, which makes for an awesome engagement photoshoot location in the Fraser Valley. Our big recommendation if you want to shoot at Campbell Valley Park is getting a game plan on where you will meet your couples/photographer before starting your session, because one can easily get lost out there, and if you’re on a crappier phone service like myself, you may loose service out there. The particular spots that Morgan and I like to go allow for so much running around and freedom to move and be carefree, with other than the few dog walkers there is a very low audience members to your little love fest engagement session at this spot. In the Spring time this field is filled with wild flowers and bright and beautiful green grass, and towards the end of summer/fall as the hay dries up it makes a nice little golden blanket to run around in.
Mud Bay Park is probably one of our most favourite hidden gem locations for engagement shoots. It’s within driving distance from both Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, and runs along the highway, making it super accessible, but easy to miss if you don’t know it’s there. There’s a gravel parking lot (also be careful, as there’s a gate that will lock you out if you stay past the park hours), pathways for joggers and cyclist, and a great open beach as seen below. This beach is quiet, and when the tide is out the sand stretches on and on, mix that with golden hour, and oh boy have you got yourself an amazing location. There’s also lots of wild flowers, blackberries, and big grass that grows all over (I even saw one lone asparagus spear growing here last summer). Be warned, the grass can be a bit spiky, the mud is REAL here (the sand gets pretty muddy), and when the tide comes in it comes in hard and fast, so make sure you put any of your belongings on higher grounds (I may be speaking from experience here haha). I really think that because of everything I just listed above, it makes this ocean side park a lot less crowded, which is great for those who are a bit more PDA shy and for couples looking for an intimate outdoor location without it being too busy.
Crescent Beach in Surrey has got to be one of our top favourite engagement photoshoot locations in our local area. The golden hour this place gets is out of this world, the beach is right there to run around in, there are hidden little forest trails to explore, it’s just great for those laid back summer vibes engagement session vibes.
Alright, so Galiano might not be a Fraser Valley super local engagement photoshoot spot, but Galiano Island, British Columbia is our favourite little gulf island, and our home away from home. Galiano is a short ferry ride away from Vancovuver (in fact it takes under an hour to get to Galiano Island from Tsawwassen ferry terminal). This island is surrounded with so many beautiful little beaches to explore and run around barefoot on, has multiple trails and hikes to discover, sand caves, and it’s laid back charm really is perfect for those looking to turn their engagement or wedding session into a weekend to remember with their double date getaway adventure together.
I grew up visiting my aunties in Fort Langley with my mum. My mum and I would wait patiently to cross the water via the Albion Ferry, and be welcomed to this little town that felt right out of a storybook with it’s adorable little streets lined with colourful quirky character homes and shops. I’ll always have a soft spot for this little place and Morg and I would actually love to be able to afford a home here to raise our future family one day. Fort Langley is a great engagement photoshoot location if you’re looking for a mix of beer drinking chips and salsa laid back times mixed in with some forest trails and muddy golden hour goodness.
Morg and I both spent a lot of our teenage years camping out at Golden Ears Provincial Park. Canoeing across the lake, big late night fires surrounded with friends, swimming in some nippy noodles water, ahh the memories. Alouette Lake at Golden Ears Provincial Park has an amazing mix of calm water, a huge backdrop of the mountains, and lush green trails to explore. Also, if you’ve never driven up to Golden Ears Provincial Park, most likely once you hit the beautiful road driving into the park you’ll loose both your cell service, but also your mind will be a little blown on how beautiful this drive just is!
As this park is absolutely massive and sometimes various roads or portions of the park are closed, we recommend checking out this website for the most up to date information about current park conditions:
BC PARKS – Golden Ears
Aldergrove bowl is an excellent engagement photoshoot location in the Fraser Valley if your into big wide open spaces, with plenty of golden hour. Often times this little spot is pretty quiet with the exception of dog walkers and fellow photogs.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, at home sessions are probably our most FAVOURITE and BEST kind of engagement session to shoot. There’s just something so intimate about being invited into someone’s home or hosting a couple at our home. From a morning pancakes in your undies to kitchen cuddles, dancing around to your favourite tunes with your favourite person at the place you call home is absolutely something we LOVE to be a part of and feel that it strongly shows such a unique aspect of your relationship.
We hope that this list helps you in finding an amazing engagement photoshoot location and destination in the Fraser Valley.
Love these suggestions Kelsey! And your photos are stunning too.