Golden Hour Engagement Photos in Downtown Murfreesboro, TN | Olivia and Myles
It wasn’t long after Olivia and Myles reached out about wedding photography that we began planning their golden hour engagement photos in downtown Murfreesboro, TN.
With its historic streets and timeworn storefronts, Murfreesboro carries that classic Southern charm. On the evening of their photoshoot, golden hour felt like honey on a spoon—rich, golden, and decadent. Everything was covered in warm, liquid sunlight, and somewhere between the laughter, easy conversation, and our shared Christian faith, their engagement session began to feel less like work and more like the start of a lifelong friendship.
Olivia and Myles bubble over with kindness and radiate with a distinct joy.
Their smiles are easy and infectious, the kind that make you forget you’ve only just met, as if we had known each other long before their session ever began. This playfulness and warmth quickly felt like a theme of their engagement shoot, and from gut-busting laughing, chasing the fading light, running across street crosswalks, and (very narrowly 🥲) dodging oncoming traffic, we savored every minute together. There’s a certain relatability to sessions like this—similar to the energy woven throughout this quintessential Brooklyn engagement shoot—not to mention, a deep beauty when familiarity and friendship comes so naturally with my couples.
Hi, I’m Emilee!
If you’re looking for joyful, emotion-rich imagery, then I maaaay be your gal!
I’m an Upstate NY Wedding Photographer who specializes in a laid-back photography approach, and I’d love to help tell your love story!
It didn’t take long for us to realize how much we all had in common, between big career dreams to a shared love of travel and outdoor adventure.
Olivia serves as the director of a behavioral therapy program for children with autism, while Myles works as a mechanical engineer, and both have truly reached for the stars in their careers. Over the course of their 10 years together, they’ve explored every nook and cranny of the United States, especially drawn to places that feel both adventurous and small town, much like Penn Yan of this Keuka Lake engagement session. In the most fitting nod to their love of travel (and snowboarding 🤩), they decided on a snowy destination wedding in Vermont—which immediately reminded me of this adventurous Catskills wedding on Belleayre Mountain, where a shared love of the outdoors played an integral role in the wedding!
Olivia’s initial inquiry made it evident that it was her top priority to find a Christian wedding photographer who could capture the heart of their wedding.
Someone who could step into their day, and not only capture the pretty details and the quiet, fleeting moments—but truly tell their love story through a faith-based perspective and convey the beauty of a Christ-centered marriage. I loved that so much. With a deep understanding that marriage is a covenant designed by God meant to reflect His glory, I completely resonated with Olivia’s vision. Put simply, marriage is a reflection of the Gospel, and it points to Christ’s love for His church.
That shared perspective made Olivia, Myles, and I feel like kindred spirits right away, connected in a way that went far beyond a typical client relationship.
From the moment we met (complete with bear hugs and I’m-so-happy-to-finally-meet-you-in-real-life squeezes), there was a familiarity that felt grounded in something deeper. Yes, we shared common interests and our conversation came naturally—but more than that, there was a genuine sense of unity that comes from loving the same God and being shaped by the same truth. There’s a kind of closeness within the Church that doesn’t require years to feel real—one rooted in Christ Himself, reflecting, in its own small way, the unity of the Trinity.
Psst… in case you haven’t noticed, awkward photos aren’t really my vibe.
My goal is to get you feeling comfortable and yourself, so you can enjoy personality-driven imagery for years to come!
If you’re looking at this gallery, thinking, “YASSSSS!”, then we need to talk… like yesterday!
Keep scrolling to see more of Olivia and Myles’ engagement gallery! ↓
That’s exactly what it felt like with Olivia and Myles. Even though we had never met in person before their engagement session—and had only connected not long before—there was a depth and easiness to our time together that felt remarkable.
It served as a reminder of how beautifully God weaves His people together, and I’m fortunate enough to have witnessed this before, like in sessions such as Ana and Will’s casual engagement photos, where our shared faith naturally shaped both the experience and the final imagery. 🥹
With this thread of commonality and our shared foundation of faith, Olivia, Myles, and I had no problem jumping headlong into imagery that felt personal, relaxed, and intimate. We kicked off our session at Oaklands Mansion, a historic house known for its Italianate design, and the architecture reminded me of a home that, in times gone by, could’ve hosted a Pride and Prejudice-style party. (Where my Jane Austen fans at?!) The mansion is lined with columned porches and grand archways, detailed vintage trim, and gorgeous, oversized windows. There was such a satisfying symmetry to it all—in the columns, repetitive arches, and even the small, intricate details of the trim.
As golden hour settled in, it crept across Oaklands’ facade and caught along the edges of its columns.
The covered porch held both light and depth, with shadows lurking just beneath the overhang, and the evening light turned rich and honeyed as it pooled against the brick. The entire mansion felt wrapped in this warm, golden glow, framing Olivia and Myles with an ethereal contrast. Tucked inside the doorway, they were drenched in the evening light—meanwhile, I was in every photographer’s dream, channeling all the shadowy silhouettes as well as the fun interplay between light and darkness.
Going into their engagement shoot, I knew Olivia felt a little apprehensive about being in front of the camera and was worried that she and Myles might come across as awkward or stiff. So, I intentionally tapped into a more relaxed, movement-based approach—offering gentle, free-flowing prompts like “walk here,” “slow dance for a minute,” and “just melt into each other like you would on the couch.” Nothing overly posed, nothing forced—just small directions that gave them something to do (because honestly, who here has never wondered, “What in the world am I supposed to do with my hands?!” Lol!)
The result was imagery that felt sun-kissed, intimate, and playful—less about rigid poses and more about simply enjoying their time together (with me along for the ride, camera in hand).
Hands loosely intertwined, eskimo kisses, and sweet snuggles gave way to wandering the mansion’s grounds—walking, twirling, dipping—and all the while, I guided them with helpful advice as we went. It didn’t take long for their nerves to fade, replaced by laughter, ease, and genuine connection. 🥹
Their outfits felt like an extension of this very ambiance—colorful, a little eclectic, and full of personality. Myles’s patterned knit sweater, an all its Norwegian-vibes glory, brought in a subtle vintage edge (which was especially on-point with his mustache 🫡) and Olivia’s outfit—a flowing floral dress paired with a structured, corset-style bodice and a wide-brimmed hat—complemented with its patterned texture. Together, their look felt fun, playful, and relaxed.
Wanting to be sure we saved enough time (and daylight!) for photos in downtown Murfreesboro, TN, we wrapped up at the mansion and scooted over to Main Street, a historic district with 20 blocks of boutiques, local restaurants, and walkable window shops.
There’s something about historic Main Streets that always draw me in—this one included—echoing the same old-world charm and brick-lined character as this engagement session on historic Market Street in Corning, NY. They’re spaces where historic brick storefronts meet the steady hum of quiet evenings, allowing you to really slow down enough to notice the little details—window light catching on old glass, footsteps echoing along the sidewalks—and for golden hour engagement photos like Olivia and Myles’s, it’s hard to imagine a setting that feels more inviting.
In the heart of downtown Murfreesboro, with the sun dipping behind the buildings’ rooftops and the storefronts looking as though they’d been brushed in a sunset palette, color spilled across every windowpane.
Rooftops caught in fiery hues of tangerine and fuchsia, while the sky overhead softened into a smoothie-like wash of pale cerulean, lavender, and apricot. The warmth of golden hour quickly faded to cool, dusky tones of blue hour, and we moved from the vibrance of Main Street to the old town charm of Rutherford County Courthouse—the true center of the downtown square.
Our session fell on Veteran’s Day weekend and the courthouse was (shockingly) already decorated for Christmas lol, so we decided on a full send—we leaned into all the garland-draped railings, classic red bows, and soft string lights that began flickering to life. 🤷♀️😆
There was something distinctly storybook about it—like stepping on-set to a Hallmark movie or a Gilmore Girls Christmas scene—and I found myself imagining bundled-up evenings, carriage rides, and holiday gatherings spilling into the square. 🥹 Olivia and Myles settled easily into that very spirit, drawing close beneath the towering columns and playing off the backdrop of brick, wreaths, and an early Christmas glow.
As the light continued to fade, we leaned into the kind of photography magic that only comes alive at blue hour: slow shutter drags.
I had so much fun playing with slower shutter speeds to capture both movement and mood—passing cars streaking softly through the frame, streetlights beginning to hum—and, as always, it added just the right amount of “salt and pepper” to make their gallery feel especially immersive. It’s one of my favorite ways to document engagement photos, because it doesn’t just freeze a moment—it preserves the atmosphere and the feeling of actually being there with them.
From honeyed sunset light, to the inky, velvety tones of blue hour, to the historic charm of Oaklands Mansion, Olivia and Myles’s golden hour engagement session in downtown Murfreesboro, TN felt like a dream from beginning to end.
Their laid-back temperaments, their easy, disarming kindness, and their deep faith and love for the Lord endeared them to me right away—but more than that, it was a joy to witness, capture, and celebrate their unmistakably special connection.
I’m so grateful they entrusted me with not only these keepsakes—little markers of their time as fiancé and fiancée, which is truly one of the sweetest seasons to be in—but also with their wedding photos.
I can’t wait to share more of their love story and their wintry, faith-based wedding celebration (coming in my next blog post! 🙌🏼), but until then, cheers to Olivia and Myles—to their small-town Murfreesboro home; their suitcase-packed, wanderlust hearts; their relaxed, go-with-the-flow connection; and especially, their pull-up-a-chair, you’re-already-family type of friendship. I’m so blessed by you, and will be cheering you guys on in marriage, now and always. 🥂