Hey there Samantha and Ivan! Since you are now trying to find the perfect place to have your engagement photos taken, I went ahead and made you a list of local places to consider. Below you’ll find a curated list of highly recommended locations from photographers all over the valley. These locations are known for their flexibility and adaptability to various types of photoshoot sessions, including engagement, bridals and quinceaneras. To confirm availability and pricing, links to their social media and phone number will be provided.

Outdoor Locations

Located in the Upper Valley, Capilla del Rio features an outdoor venue, with a small lake, balcony access, and large outdoor stairway leading to a rustic looking chapel. Beautiful spot for a more Tex-Mex feel to your photos.

Fee:$150 for 2 hours.

Huge ranch with lakes, mini mansion, bridges and beautiful scenery. It’s a bit far from most people but definitely worth it.

Fee: $150 for 1.5 hours.

Beautiful outdoor venue with rustic vibes. Main entrance feature oak tree path that leads to a water fountain and event center. The back holds a small church, mini bridge, stairs, beautiful hedge covered doors, columns and what seems a very japanese /oriental section. Full of variety for very unique photos, definitely not a place you want to sleep on.

Fee: $150 for 2 hours.

Large beautiful indoor and outdoor venue. One of the few locations in which you can get both amazing indoor and outdoor photos with great variety. Perfect for any type of photo session. Fee:$200 per hour.

Indoor Locations

Indoor location in McAllen. It’s a very beautiful home with breathtaking decoration/interior design and by far of the more elegant of locations in this list. Perfect for any indoor formal engagement or bridal session. Fee: Starts at $175 per hour.

Indoor and outdoor location in Weslaco. Features a nice elegant interior, but what sets it apart is the beautiful exterior. Greats for any outdoor/indoor formal engagement or bridal session. Fee:??

Where to stay?

Honestly, the whole valley is connected by a single highway system, the expressway 83. As long as you get an AirBNB or Hotel next to the expressway any of these locations should be a breeze to get to.

Traffic is definitely not as bad as Downtown Dallas, but the Pharr City area where Expressway 281 and Expressway 83 merge tends to get full of traffic from 4:30-7:30 PM, Monday-Friday.

But as long as we keep from McAllen to Rio Grande City, or from Pharr to South Padre Island, that should not be a problem.

Places to try

In terms of entertainment, this place is rather lackluster, maybe Quinta Mazatlan is a nice place to go for a walk at, but food wise we do have some areas worth trying.

Kiri Kiri Korean Fried Chicken

https://order.toasttab.com/online/kirikiri

Philly 77

https://www.facebook.com/77philly/

Yasuke Ramen

https://www.instagram.com/yasukeramenbar/?hl=en

Mercado District

https://www.themercadodistrict.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gmb

Mexican

Mrs G’s Tacos and More

https://msgstacosnmore.com

Tacos Mi Ranchito

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063769171159

Super Burgers

https://www.google.com/search?client=opera-gx&q=super+burgers+on+10th&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Downtown McAllen Food Trucks

https://www.exploremcallen.com/eats/mcallen-food-park/

Brunch

The Loretto Bistro

https://www.lorettobistro.com

Casa Madre

https://www.instagram.com/casa_madree/?hl=en

La Estacion Bakery

https://g.co/kgs/AK12kHo