One of the questions we get asked most frequently is “Where should we take our engagement photos in Temecula?”

Many of the sessions that we post are on family owned property, or the clients have special permission from a friend to use the location. We always recommend thinking about these options first. If the location is unique and has special meaning to you, it will always add value to the session.

But what if you don’t have any special places in mind, and you don’t know anyone with beautiful property?

No problem! Temecula has some amazing locations that result in breathtaking engagement photos. Many of the ones listed here are free and open to the public. Others may take a little planning or require a fee, but are often well worth it! Either way, there are plenty of great options to choose the perfect location for your engagement session! Whether you want to compliment the rustic feel of your wedding venue or play up the beach and make all of those long distance relatives jealous we have got you covered with location ideas!

1. Our Neighborhood in Fallbrook

One thing we love about our neighborhood is that it was landscaped to look great all year. There is almost always something blooming, and plenty of green. You can get a great outdoor/garden feel, but then also take advantage of the unique overgrown field and horse trails for that more rustic vibe.

Here are some of our favorite places around our neighborhood in Fallbrook:

Horse Trails, Community Center, Pond and Field. So many options in one place!

2. The Beach

One thing we love about the Temecula is that it is beach season all year long. There are always gorgeous skies. Overcast clouds make for the beautiful sun beams shining through and clear skies lend to that gorgeous baby blue hue and don’t even get us started on the sunsets!

Here is a round up of a few of our favorite San Diego County beaches. We will mark dog-friendly beaches with an (*) in case you want your fur-babies to make an appearance for your engagement session

Ocean Beach*, La Jolla Cove Beach, Del Mar City Beach, Coronado Beach, Windansea Beach

 

3. Temecula Wine Country

We’ve done DOZENS of sessions in Temecula Wine Country, and yet every time we still manage to find something new. There are so many wineries in Temecula to choose from each with hidden places to explore. Temecula wineries are great at any time of day because there is almost always shade. Also if you’re at all nervous before your engagement session it’s a great place to have a glass of wine or a tasting before your photo shoot. If you’re thinking about doing an engagement session in Temecula, wineries are probably one of your best options.

Here are a few of our all time favorites:

Ponte Winery & Vineyard Inn, Lake Oak Meadows Vineyard, Falkner Winery, South Coast Winery Resort & Spa.

 

4. Gardens

Most people don’t even know that the gardens at The Humphreys Estate in Temecula, is available to the public with an appointment. These gardens are immaculately kept, and are a perfect option for a slightly more traditional session. Think lots of arches, brick, ivy, and benches. If you want gardens but are going for a more lush tropical feel look no further than Grand Tradition Estate. We live down the road from Grand Tradition Estate. Ryan & I were actually married there! If you do your engagement session during the week or call ahead you can often just pay an admission fee to get photos here—totally worth it if you want waterfall backdrops!

5. Architecture

Cabrillo National Monument and Balboa Park immediately come to mind. We love the spiral staircase at The Old Point Loma Lighthouse (part of Cabrillo National Monument), which definitely adds architectural interest to your engagement session. There are also gorgeous wildflowers just outside the lighthouse that you can catch blooming if the season is right. Cabrillo also offers tide pool, which can give you another dimension to your engagement session here. We often recommend couples bring two outfits one more formal and one more casual. This allows you to get two different vibes in one amazing location. If you want old world architecture look no further than Balboa Park. It can be a little difficult to avoid people here, as it gets crowded. But most people are understanding and move aside for an engagement shoot. At Balboa you can have amazing columns, buildings reminiscent of roman architecture and gardens all in one place. There is also the lily pond, which is just breathtaking. It is truly a gorgeous place for engagement photos!

6. Urban

If you want the more urban feel we love down town vista. With fun murals on the walls of businesses and lots of breweries it offers up a more modern hipster feel. If you and your better half bond over micro brews what better place for an engagement shoot than one of Temecula’s many microbreweries. We love Mother Earth & Belching Beaver in downtown Vista but the stone tasting room in Oceanside is also gorgeous with its urban secret garden feel.

7. Desert

The Imperial Sand Dunes and Joshua Tree are a bit of a drive but with the proper planning we can make it happen! Both locations are so unique and offer up those desert vibes. If you want that “we are the only two people in the world right now” feel I love the Imperial Sand Dunes as it truly looks like you’re in a world all your own. If you love the visual interest that plants and trees add to the background in photos then Joshua Tree is great.

8. Other Day Trips

Another thing we love about San Diego is that we are centrally located to SO many other amazing places. With a two-hour drive, you can find a huge variety of locations. Everything from mountains to ocean, from big cities to enchanted forests & gardens.

A few day trip ideas:

Big Bear (Mountainous), San Ysidro Ranch (Lush Lavender fields), Catalina Island, Julian (Cute, Quaint town, apple picking), Palm Springs.

9. Random Places

There are quite a few places that we’ve found over the years where you can stop on the side of the road and take a few quick shots. We don’t condone trespassing, but sometimes you can get some beautiful shots in a random parking lot or in the middle of the road. Be sure to take notes of these little places where you can stop between other main locations. These can also come in really handy on wedding days!

Not to mention the dozens of small parks that exist all over town. Even if they aren’t large enough for an entire session, you can always pick multiple locations!

Here are a few examples of random places. A mural downtown (even vista has some very cool ones), a small park or forest preserve (Temecula has so many amazing parks). We seriously could have given dozens more examples, but I just wanted to show you that even small locations are truly worth considering!

We hope this helps give you an idea of some amazing places around Temecula and San Diego County for your engagement session. As wedding photographers we are always scouting new places around town to consider for engagement sessions, so if you have a spot you love leave it in the comments section below! We are always down to discover new Temecula locations perfect for photography.