Anniversary portrait sessions: Celebrating your love story in photographs

Most couples have beautiful photographs from their wedding day — and then very little after that. An anniversary session fills that gap with something equally precious: portraits of who you are now, in this chapter of your life together.

Why anniversary portraits matter

Relationships change and deepen over time. The couple in those anniversary portraits — perhaps holding a new baby, or standing at the spot where you got engaged five years ago — tells a completely different story to your wedding photos. That story deserves to be documented.

Anniversary sessions are also a wonderful gift. They can mark a milestone (first, fifth, tenth, 25th), celebrate a relationship milestone (a new home, a new country, a return to where you met), or simply be an excuse to spend an hour looking at each other properly.

When to book an anniversary session

Anniversary sessions work beautifully for these moments:

• ◆First anniversary: The excitement is still fresh, but a year has passed. You've built a life together beyond the wedding day.
• ◆Round number milestones: 5, 10, 20, 25 years — moments worth marking properly.
• ◆After children: Once you have children, it becomes rare to have photographs of just the two of you. An anniversary session reclaims that.
• ◆Vow renewals: A formal or informal vow renewal deserves beautiful photographs to go with it.
• ◆'Just because': No milestone needed. Some of the best sessions are simply when a couple decides to invest in each other.

Choosing your location

The most meaningful sessions tend to happen somewhere with personal significance: where you met, where you got engaged, where you spent your honeymoon (or somewhere that reminds you of it), or simply a place you love together. Some couples choose to return to their wedding venue for a quieter, more intimate set of portraits.

If you don't have a specific place in mind, Cambridge's riverside meadows, the Surrey Hills, or any of England's beautiful National Trust gardens in spring or autumn make stunning backdrops.

What to wear

Dress as you would for a nice evening out together — not too formal, not too casual. Coordinates rather than matching: if you wear navy, your partner might wear cream. The goal is to look like yourselves, just at your best.

Avoid logos and busy patterns. Neutral and muted palettes — ivory, sage, terracotta, navy, dusty rose — photograph beautifully in natural light and don't date quickly.

What does an anniversary session look like?

Sessions are typically 60–90 minutes, relaxed and conversational. There are no stiff poses — we walk, we talk, we find beautiful light. The photographs that come from these sessions tend to be some of the most natural and emotional I produce, because the couples in them are genuinely enjoying each other's company.