I had the pleasure of meeting up with Kylie and Akshay for their engagement photos at 8am on a beautiful spring morning, just as the sun was rising over Lake Ontario. They'd recently flown in from London for a visit home to plan their wedding, and I met them in Oakville for their engagement shoot while they were here.

I'm so excited to share this sunrise engagement session with you!

We spent a few hours exploring the beautiful Oakville waterfront, soaking in the sun, sipping coffee as the sun rose over the lake, and wandering the many parks and trails in the area, where we were able to get some incredible shots in front of downtown Toronto's skyline.

This sunrise shoot was actually a backup shoot in case we got rained out on their first engagement session date (which we did). Our 'backup' ended up being the perfect shoot though, the weather and locations couldn't have been better! Our original plan was to shoot together in down Toronto, but because of time restraints of a morning shoot we ended up deciding to work closer to their location in Oakville, which was almost right in their backyard, comfortable, and familiar to them both. It's important to choose a location that fits with your personality, style, and lifestyle together so your photographer can capture the essence of who you are for your engagement photos. Because of this I always love shooting at locations where couples often spend time together, and this waterfront session suited them perfectly.

If you love the style of this shoot and aren't sure where to plan your own engagement session, reach out to me for ideas. If you don't already have a specific location or idea in mind, I often recommend somewhere along Toronto's waterfront towards downtown or up north along the Collingwood waterfront if you're located north of the city. Waterfront locations often offer wide open spaces and beautiful light to work with, so you can't go wrong!

As you can see from the photos the weather ended up being perfect. It was a chilly, but sunny day, and the light was gorgeous (so my photographer heart was excited!!). Cooler temperatures always makes for great photos because the cool air is perfect for snuggling close together for some romantic and cosy images. Spring and fall are usually perfect for engagement sessions if you're envisioning a gallery full of romantic photographs together.

I would go back and shoot with Kylie & Akshay a hundred times over. They're so relaxed and comfortable together (which makes it easy to get some really natural and relaxed photos together), and are some of the sweetest people to work with. We ended up shooting for about 2 hours straight, which is long for most shoots, but time flies when you're having fun!

I hope that you like these images and find some beautiful inspiration for your own engagement photographs along the Toronto or Collingwood waterfront one day in the future!