A Cinematic, Vintage Engagement Session at The Dive Motel and Sid Gold’s Request Room in Nashville

Some stories don’t need permission to be unforgettable — they just are.

Anna and Nicole’s Nashville engagement session was exactly that: cinematic, tender, queer as hell, and drenched in that perfect mix of nostalgia and neon that only this city can give.

When Anna first inquired, she said, “We have big black cat/orange cat vibes… Nicole is the Virginia Slim to my High Noon.” I knew immediately we were going to create something special.

A Love Story with Thelma & Louise Energy (But Make It Gay)

These two are the definition of opposites-attract magic.
Nicole, the Pisces from Long Island — sharp-witted, steady, a black cat with a soft underbelly.
Anna, the Gemini barn cat witch from Alabama — wild-hearted, big laugh, big feeling, tender chaos with a spellbook.

They love oddities, old bones, RuPaul’s Drag Race, two-stepping, and dark humor. They dance in their kitchen. They love fiercely. They are best friends first and everything else after.

So when we planned their Nashville engagement session, the inspo was clear:
Cinematic. Road-trip energy. Thelma & Louise vibes without the cliff.
Dive bars. Neon. Queer joy.
A night that feels like a memory even while it’s happening.

CELEBRATION at The Lipstick Lounge

After their engagement, they headed to The Lipstick Lounge — Nashville’s iconic lesbian bar — to meet friends and celebrate their engagement. The Lipstick is famously “gay-friendly and welcoming to all humans,” which makes it a second home for so many queer couples.

Even though we didn’t shoot there this time, it’s such a fitting ending:
two women in love, celebrating in a space built for them.

First Stop: Sid Gold’s Request Room

We started at Sid Gold’s Request Room, a dim, dreamy, glittering little world where everyone belongs and no one feels out of place. It’s intimate and theatrical — velvet, gold, piano, and warm shadows.

It was the perfect backdrop for the two of them:
close, soft, soaked in mood.

Nicole tucked her head into Anna’s shoulder.
Anna made her laugh the kind of laugh that crinkles the whole face.
The music hummed low, and the room glowed around them.

Sid’s has always been a haven for the LGBTQ+ community in Nashville, and for these two, it felt exactly right — a space where they could sink in and just be themselves.

Then We Hit The Dive Motel

We stepped outside the Dive Motel, letting the neon sign spill over them like something out of a film. The Dive is iconic for a reason — retro, moody, weird in the best way, and full of character.

Couples who stay there usually want something different from their session:
texture, color, nostalgia, grit, and a little bit of motel-magic romance.

Outside the sign, Anna and Nicole leaned into their Thelma & Louise energy — playful, rebellious, romantic. They brought that “us against the world” vibe without even trying.

We danced through pools of motel light, capturing the glow, the grit, the spark between them. Nashville looked good on them. They looked good on each other.

A Nashville Engagement Session for the Lovers Who Want More Than Pretty Pictures

This session wasn’t about perfect posing or Pinterest recreations.
It was about their energy, their story, their humor, their queerness, their magic.

If you're dreaming of a Nashville engagement session with moody lighting, retro motels, dive bars, queer spaces, or something that feels like the two of you — I’d love to help you bring it to life.

Every love story deserves to be photographed honestly.
Especially yours.