A & M's Light Filled Engagement Session at the Slover Library, Norfolk VA

I love libraries. I love getting lost in winding stacks or settling in at a table for a long day of editing. Libraries feel like a sanctuary. They’re one of the few places where anyone can walk in, find community, use free WiFi, and disappear into a story for a while.

The Slover Library is all of that and more. Beyond its role as a public library, it also functions as an event and meeting space, with a thoughtfully designed children’s wing on the second floor that gives kids a place entirely their own. It’s also, somewhat unexpectedly, an incredible location for a book lover’s engagement session.

The architecture alone makes it worth exploring. The mix of historic and modern design, along with its seamless indoor-outdoor feel, creates a wide variety of backdrops in one location. A and M leaned into it fully. They cozied up between the stacks, took in the light-filled lobby, and made the entire space feel like it was theirs for the afternoon. Shooting through the shelves, with rows of books framing them on either side, created these quiet, tucked-away moments.

Later, they told me those peeking through the shelves pictures were their favorites. It felt like they had the whole library to themselves.

I often recommend the Slover to my 757 couples as a backup option for outdoor engagement sessions. When the weather doesn’t cooperate, whether it’s rain, extreme heat, or anything in between, it offers a beautiful, flexible alternative without sacrificing atmosphere.