STORY | THE NETHERLANDS

Engagement Photos in the Dunes, Among Twisted Oaks

By Aleksandria Rudenko | Published 28 October 2026

A cheek kiss under the twisted branch of an old oak, an engagement photo in the dunes with sunlight on the pale sand

These engagement photos in the dunes began under an old oak with branches like arms. Hannah and Luke, newly engaged and visiting from the USA, wanted sand, trees and quiet instead of canals.

They chose the dunes for their wild side, so this afternoon became one of my photoshoots across the Netherlands. We met on a sandy path just after one o’clock.

Engagement Photos Under the Old Oaks

Here in the dunes, the oaks grow low and crooked, with branches that twist in every direction. Hannah wore a white sundress and Luke a white shirt. The green leaves and the pale sand did the rest. I asked them to simply hold each other, and soon the kisses came without asking.

Couple holding each other close among the many crooked trunks of a low oak, dappled sunlight on the sandy ground around them

Woman in a white sundress leaning into her fiancé as they sit on a low oak root, sunlit leaves hanging around them

Under the oaks, the sun fell through the leaves in small patches. So I moved them a step at a time, until the light touched their faces and the rest fell into shade. Under one wide oak, they sat down on a low root, while I stepped back and photographed them through the leaves.

Couple sitting on the root of an old oak, seen through a frame of green leaves during their engagement shoot in the dunes — Under an old oak, just before half past one

An Engagement Shoot by a Fallen Tree

From there, we walked along a sandy path, Luke with his backpack still on. A little further on, a huge fallen tree lay across the ground, its roots and branches twisted like driftwood. They put on sunglasses, leaned close and laughed at something only they heard. For engagement photos in the dunes, a tree like this is a gift: no props, just the two of them and all that twisted wood.

Man with a backpack and a woman in a white dress walking hand in hand along a sandy path between green bushes

Couple in sunglasses posing in front of a huge fallen tree with twisted pale branches, deep shade all around them

She leans into him as he smiles in sunglasses, her hand on his white shirt and the twisted roots of the tree behind them

Couple in sunglasses smiling at each other by the fallen tree, an engagement photo in the dunes on a sunny day in May

Then they stood by the long trunk and talked for a while. I waited, because the best frames often come when nobody is posing.

Couple talking beside a long fallen trunk on a sunny path, she in a white sundress and he with a hand in his pocket

A Ring on a Weathered Branch

Next, it was time for the details. Luke hugged Hannah from behind, and she closed her eyes and held on to his arms. After that, I set her ring on the tip of a weathered branch and let the woods melt into soft color around it. Nearby, someone had built a hut of branches, so of course they sat inside for a moment.

Close embrace from behind, her hands holding his arms and her eyes closed, during their engagement shoot in the dunes

Engagement ring with a large round diamond on the tip of a weathered branch, a detail from their photos in the dunes

Couple kissing inside a hut built from bent branches in the woods, the woman in white and the man kneeling beside her

A Run Through the Dune Woods

We ended in a lighter part of the woods, where slim trees stand close together. Hannah and Luke danced on the path and touched foreheads. Then they ran toward me, hand in hand, while I walked backwards in front of them.

Couple dancing on a forest path, foreheads touching and hands joined, slim trees and fresh green leaves all around them

Two dark tree trunks framing the couple as he twirls her on a sunny path, an engagement photo in the dune woods — Slim trees and a sandy path, around two o’clock

Couple running hand in hand toward the camera on a sandy forest path, laughing, her white dress swinging

The last of their engagement photos in the dunes are quiet ones: the two of them in the tall grass, small between the trees. Hannah already knew which one she wanted on their wedding invitations.

Couple sitting close in tall green grass between slim trees, small in a wide frame on a bright afternoon

The last engagement photo in the dunes: the couple small in the tall grass, a sunlit path leading toward them — The last frame, a little after two

Dreaming of engagement photos away from the city? Discover where my photoshoots across the Netherlands take me.