Okay, so you decided you want to spend the rest of your lives together, so now we get to take the FUN photos and share your love story with the rest of the world! What makes your relationship super special and uniquely yours? Donuts and dog walks? Picnics in the park? Craft Beers and Bowling? This is the no pressure photo shoot, the one where you get to enjoy the session doing something you love to do together and I get to tap into my creativity and capture your love bursting in its most authentic form! This is the time when the four of us (maybe more if pets are involved!) get to hang out and really become familiar with each other before your wedding day. It’s likely you’ve never taken professional photos together, so this is also a great time to realize being on the other side of my camera indeed is not as intimidating as it seems, and likely you’ll have a blast! These photos will not only show your love language through images but our client-photographer relationship will become special and all of us will be looking forward to your wedding day and being able to capture more moments together! I recommend booking your engagement shoot well ahead of your wedding day, that way you are able to use these fresh, new and joyful images for save the dates, invitations, a wedding day guest book or framed images at your reception. Trust me, your guests are going to want to see these! When it comes to choosing a location, like we said, pick a place or an activity that means something to you. Or if you are open to anything, we will help choose! Either way, lighting is typically best during “golden hour” which is about an hour before sunset or overcast. Depending on the seasons that exact time will differ, but we will be happy to do the research when it comes to lighting (we have an app for that), ocean tides and any other little details that might be important for your location of choice. Keep on reading to learn our best tips and tricks for choosing your engagement photo outfits!
Engagement Prep
Try to relax and remember... your job is not to model, it’s to be silly and normal and love on your babe! My job is to make you guys look amazing!
Have you ever had a photo taken of you and your partner and immediately leaned your head to the side or zoomed in on the image and said “Wow I really wish somebody had told me not to wear that with that…” or “I wish we could get those photos of us retaken wearing outfits that don’t completely clash”…? We’re here to help! We’ve listed our top 6 tips for preparing yourselves for engagement photos. Trust us, it’s much simpler than you think. Most importantly, don’t forget to just be yourselves, because at the end of the day it’s the smiles and faces of authentic laughter and love that will come through the images way more than the color of your sandals!
- Wear something you’re comfortable in, that is YOU. You want to show off your personalities and feel like yourself. We’ll also likely be moving around quite a bit so think about wearing comfortable shoes. If it’s new, make sure to try it on beforehand so you know how it feels.
- Patterns are totally cool! I recommend one of you wearing a pattern and the other in a solid color that coordinates so the image isn’t too busy. Florals, stripes, and plaid all look fabulous in photos.
- Bring options! A couple different shirts or outfits is totally OK and gives your images more variety. Some couples like to do one look that’s more dressy and one that’s more casual.
- Check out a few engagement sessions on my blog and website beforehand so you can know what to expect a bit more. This will help lessen your nerves going into the session.
- Make a date out of it! Plan to grab a bite to eat after and keep the fun going. You’ll think back on the whole experience when you look at the photos and remember what a special day it was.
- Try to relax and remember... your job is not to model, it’s to be silly and normal and love on your babe! My job is to make you guys look amazing!
Outfit Inspiration
Preparing for your Engagement Session
What to Expect
When it’s all said and done, as the sun is setting and your session is coming to an end, you’ll be grateful you enjoyed the present moments. You’ll be grateful you drove to your engagement session holding hands in the middle, above the cup holders, laughing as you thought about one another making funny faces or telling lame jokes in order to get each other to laugh during your engagement shoot. Your engagement session is not a time to be stressed out. It is not a time to feel self-conscious or insecure. This is not a time to worry that you wore the wrong thing or were running late because you hit traffic. This is a time to celebrate your love, and we believe it’s going to be a really fun time. Think of your engagement session as a mini break from any stressors your reality may currently be throwing in your lap, and take this time to just enjoy one another’s presence, while allowing us to capture the magic spark you so beautifully have created together. As you prepare for the day we encourage you to scroll through our Facebook or website together and talk about what poses or emotions you hope to embody in your session. You can even screenshot a few images of couples you really like! We won’t have to mimic them, but this gives you a good place to start, however we think you’ll be surprised with how fluid the session will end up going. You and your partner already have chemistry in life, so it’s only natural that it will carry over into your photo shoot!
Choosing a location for your engagement photos
This seems to be the most daunting part and where people feel it will make or break the whole thang. There are endless locations. Think of places that mean something to the both of you! Whether the place is a popular and gorgeous place or simple, the session will mean more when it means something to you both. Here are some ideas that my past clients have done or that may spark your ideas:
- A park you spent a lot of time together
- Your favorite coffee shop
- Local brewery
- Carnival/amusement park
- Baking or cooking in your home
- Lifestyle/inside your home
- Downtown
- Food trucks
- The farmers market
- Vacation (destination)
- Local cat cafe
- Ice cream parlor
- Drive-in movies
- Pizza
- A picnic
The list goes on and on, but you can see how simple but fun and exciting your session can be! I wholeheartedly believe your session’s vibe and feel is 100% based on the two of you! If you both are happy and feeling good, then no matter if you are taking engagement pictures downtown in a quiet town or in the mountains of Banff, the session will be incredible!
IF YOU ALREADY CHOOSE A LOCATION AND DECIDED YOU WANT TO CHANGE IT REACH OUT TO ME ASAP AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOUR THINKING!! Nothing is set in stone
Be prepared for anything!
You don’t want to bring a suitcase full of things preparing for your engagement photos, but bring things you may need to make the session better. A small tote bag is a perfect example. Here are some things you can out in the bag to bring with you to your engagement shoot:
- WATER! Especially in the summer months.
- A pack of gum – there will be lots of kissing!
- Small makeup kit for touch-ups on lip color and foundation
- Hair kit – brush, hair ties, bobby pins, gel, and spray!
- SNACKS! – don’t be hangry. Leave the Cheetos at home.
- Extra change of clothes
- Comfortable shoes
- Umbrella
- A small towel for dabbing sweaty foreheads
- Medicine for headaches
How to not feel Awkward
Don’t be hard on yourself! It can be easy to feel like the whole session needs to feel perfect and not have a hair out of place. The number one thing you can do is to be yourself! Your boo loves you for YOU and you want your engagement photos to reflect that. Don’t overthink a thing. We will know the angles and light to photograph you in, so trust us!
I know it’s hard to “relax, smile, and have fun” when there’s a camera 3 ft from your face! It’s not easy for me, and I know it’s not easy for you. You picked a photographer that doesn’t make you do a thing! My couples are just required to show up, be excited, and trust me! I have prompts, poses, and directions to give, so their personalities shine through and they feel relaxed and comfortable with me! I play music and just make the whole thing a fun hangout session!
If the nerves are INSANE, be patient with each other leading up to the session, sip your favorite drank before your shoot. When overly nervous and in doubt, just kiss! HAVE FUN!
NOTES
- Get silly. Play with one another during the shoot.
- Think of the session as a date, and I promise it will seem more fun!
- Don’t overthink your session! Look at your boo if you feel nervous. That’s your rock, lean on each other!
- Refer back to this article as much as you need while you are preparing for engagement photos.