5 Iconic Places to Take Engagement Photos in Door County

So, you’ve found your dream partner, you’ve secured the rings, and the wedding planning is in motion!

Now, it’s time to capture your personalities and the love you share in photographic form. With its unique and dreamy landscapes, hidden nooks and crannies, and plethora of beautiful sites both modern and historic, Door County is the perfect backdrop for snapping your engagement photos—no matter what wedding style you’re aiming for.

Colorful graffiti-covered side of a building

Anderson Warehouse & Dock (Ephraim)

Anderson Warehouse, which sits on Anderson Dock (yes relation), houses the Francis Hardy Center for the Arts. Although the interior boasts a rotation of lovely visual art, the building’s vibrant, graffiti-covered exterior is the showstopper in this context.

The location’s edgy-but-beautiful graffiti can set the stage for a fun, playful, and even artsy photo shoot, while the stunning views of Eagle Harbor, its crashing waves, and the trees on the surrounding shores will give your engagement photos a natural, outdoorsy, Northern-woodsy feel.

Plus, because hundreds of people leave their colorful signatures on the building each year, no two photo shoots will be alike! Bring paint so you and your partner can leave your marks too—you can’t go wrong with the classic ‘two sets of initials inside a heart!’

Couple hiking along the lakefront at Cave Point

Cave Point County Park (Jacksonport)

Cave Point is located within Whitefish Dunes State Park on the east side of the peninsula. As one of the most scenic and visually stunning natural wonders in Door County, Cave Point is an absolutely ideal place for engagement photos, especially if you and your future spouse are outdoorspeople.

Whether on a rutted cliffside with the emeralds and blues of Lake Michigan in the background or on the rock-covered beach with the peaceful lapping of the water as musical accompaniment, there’s really nowhere in this park you could snap a bad photo, even if you tried.

Wooden building wedding venue surrounded by trees

The Stavkirke (Washington Island)

Nestled in the woods of Washington Island, the imposing Stavkirke church sits among tall grass and wildflowers and trees that, in fall, burst into golds and rusts. Completed in 1999, the church is an architectural ode to the influence of Door County’s early Norwegian settlers. This influence can be seen in the Stavkirke’s stone-and-wood construction, multi-tiered peak roofs, ornate woodcarvings, and overall fairytale-like feel.

Visiting the church (or the similarly styled Björklunden Chapel in Baileys Harbor) is a transportive experience, so lean in to it and embrace the old-world, country-church, castle-in-the-trees feel.

No matter the season, the Stavkirke and the nature surrounding it make for an epic backdrop for your engagement photos. Consider taking pictures both around the grounds and inside the church, where you'll find a cozy space for snapping highly personal and exquisitely beautiful photos. For more detailed information, or for a little inspiration, check out this poetically written history by Norb Blei, one of Door County’s most-prominent writers.

Sturgeon Bay Canal North Pierhead Light

Few symbols of Door County are more potent than lighthouses, and we’ve got 11 of them up here, all of which can serve as fun and funky spots for taking engagement photos. Our top pick is the bright red lighthouse that juts into Lake Michigan, right off the Sturgeon Bay canal.

The cement-and-steel walkway, its enormous rocks, and the panoramic views of Lake Michigan provide an almost urban- or industrial-like atmosphere, and the firetruck-red exterior provides a pop of color against the blue-grays of the lake and horizon.

Don’t even get us started on the sunset potential of a photo shoot here—this is an absolutely prime viewing spot, which can give your pictures an extra element of natural beauty or simply serve as a way to relax after the excitement of the shoot.

Michigan Street Bridge (Sturgeon Bay)

Not only is this enormous 1,420-foot long steel bridge on the National Register of Historic Places, but it’s also one of the most recognizable landmarks in all of Door County.

If you’re looking for engagement photographs with an industrial, historic, or factory-like feel, head to this bridge (or the rocky shoreline areas) where you can also incorporate the large ships docked at nearby marinas, other vessels passing through the waters, or scenes from historic downtown Sturgeon Bay.