Stone Bridges and Peak Color: Alison & Dave’s Fall Engagement Session at Vaughan Woods | Hallowell, Maine

Written By Matthew Valcancick
Alison and Dave sitting together on top of the granite arch bridge with the brook falling through the arch below and the maples turning overhead at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Alison & Dave
Engagement Session  ·  Vaughan Woods  ·  Hallowell, Maine  ·  October 2026

Vaughan Woods in Hallowell is the kind of place that feels made up: granite arch bridges over a tumbling brook, a quiet pond ringed with maples, and stone stairs climbing through the trees. Alison and Dave came out on an early October evening when the color was right at its peak, and we walked the whole loop with them, from under the arch to the far end of the trail.

Under the Arch

We started where everyone starts at Vaughan Woods, on the ledge below the big stone bridge with the brook spilling through the arch behind them. Dave in buffalo plaid, Alison in white, and the first hints of orange showing in the canopy above the bridge.

Alison and Dave standing arm in arm on the rocks in front of the granite arch bridge with the brook falling behind them at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Close portrait of Alison and Dave smiling under the stone arch with the waterfall behind them at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions Alison and Dave looking at each other in front of the arch bridge with fall color in the trees above at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Alison and Dave standing below the arch bridge with fallen leaves scattered across the wet ledge and orange maples overhead at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Alison and Dave kissing beneath the granite arch with the brook tumbling over the rocks behind them at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Dave with his arm around Alison as they smile under the stone arch bridge at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions Black and white of Alison and Dave looking at each other below the arch bridge at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Wide view of Alison and Dave standing on the rocks beside the full stone arch bridge with the woods just starting to turn at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Along the Stone Wall

A few steps downstream the bridge's mossy wall runs along a still pool of the brook. This was the quiet part of the session, just the two of them nose to nose with the reflection of the trees in the water behind them.

Dave holding Alison's face in his hands as they laugh together in front of the mossy stone wall at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Alison and Dave nose to nose with the fall woods soft behind them at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions Black and white of Alison and Dave about to kiss beside the stone wall at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Alison and Dave standing close beside the stone wall with the brook and trees reflected in the still water at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Alison and Dave kissing in front of the mossy stone wall with green and gold leaves behind them at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
On Top of the Bridge

Then we climbed up and sat them on the bridge itself, legs over the edge, with the waterfall and the arch right below and the maples catching the light overhead. This is the frame that says Vaughan Woods in a single look.

Alison and Dave sitting on top of the granite arch bridge with the waterfall and the pool below and orange leaves above at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Wide view of the stone arch bridge with Alison and Dave sitting together on the wall and the brook reflecting the trees below at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Alison and Dave sitting on the bridge wall with their boots hanging over the arch at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions Alison and Dave looking at each other while sitting on the edge of the stone bridge at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Alison and Dave sitting close on the stone bridge with the arch and the falls beneath them at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
The Pond

The pond at the top of the trail was the payoff. Every tree on the far shore was turning, the whole thing was doubled in the water, and the clouds broke up just enough to give us some sky. They stood on the granite at the edge, sat down on the rocks, and kissed with the reflection behind them.

Alison holding Dave's cheek as they smile at each other with the fall trees reflected in the pond behind them at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Alison and Dave standing on the granite blocks at the edge of the pond with the colored shoreline behind them at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions Alison and Dave looking at each other at the water's edge with the clouds reflected in the pond at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Alison and Dave kissing among golden ferns with the fall shoreline reflected in the pond at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Alison and Dave kissing under a bright sky with yellow and orange trees along the far shore of the pond at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Alison and Dave sitting together on the granite at the pond's edge looking at each other with red and gold maples behind them at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Alison and Dave kissing while sitting on the rocks at the pond with the fall color behind them at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions Black and white of Alison and Dave sitting close on the granite at the pond at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Alison and Dave sitting on the granite ledge and kissing with the pond and the clouds stretching out behind them at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Dave kissing Alison on the forehead as they stand at the edge of the pond with the clouds breaking overhead at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Alison and Dave from behind, holding hands and looking out over the pond with the bow of her dress showing at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions Alison and Dave kissing at the pond's edge with the sky opening up behind them at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Alison and Dave laughing at each other at the edge of the pond with the fall trees behind them at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
The Stone Stairs

Alison pulled on a denim jacket and we headed for the old stone stairs that climb through the woods. Dave led her down, step by step, and then decided the easiest way was just to pick her up. The yellow leaves overhead were the brightest in the whole park.

Dave leading Alison by the hand down the old stone stairs through the woods with yellow leaves overhead at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Alison in a denim jacket holding Dave's hand on the stone stairs in the fall woods at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Dave lifting Alison off the stone steps with the yellow woods around them at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions Dave holding Alison up in the air for a kiss on the stone stairs at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Dave lifting Alison for a kiss on the stone stairs with the low sun coming through the trees at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
The Trail

We finished on the main trail as the light went soft, with the two of them walking away under the hemlocks, then turning back for one more kiss on the path.

Alison and Dave walking away from the camera hand in hand up the dirt trail through the hemlocks at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Black and white of Alison and Dave walking close together up the trail at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions Alison and Dave kissing on the trail with the tall trees around them at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Alison and Dave kissing on the wooded trail with the ferns and leaves on the hillside behind them at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Alison popping her boot up as she kisses Dave on the trail at Vaughan Woods at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions
Alison and Dave kissing far down the trail with the hemlocks and the turning maples around them at Vaughan Woods in Hallowell Maine fall engagement photography VMG Productions

A stone bridge, a pond full of color, and a trail to walk out on. Alison and Dave, we cannot wait for the wedding.

The Full Gallery

See every photo from Alison and Dave's session.

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Details
Location
Vaughan Woods, Hallowell, Maine
Photography
VMG Productions

Planning a fall engagement session in Maine?

Vaughan Woods gives you stone bridges, a waterfall, a pond, and miles of trail in one walk, and in early October the color is as good as anywhere in the state. If you are planning a wedding in Maine, we would love to hear about it.

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Matthew Valcancick
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