our top 7 Engagement session tips

Engagement sessions can be so much fun! We love creating gorgeous portraits that give a glimpse into each bride and groom’s love story.  Plus, we enjoy the opportunity to work together with and get to know our couples a little better before the wedding day.  At the end of the day we are aiming to create images that you’ll treasure forever, want to feature on the walls of your home, and help make your Save the Dates look stunning.

Yes, we know it can be a bit intimidating whenever a photographer points a camera in your direction. It takes everyone a little while to get comfortable in front of the camera.  We remember how nerve-wracking the beginning of our own engagement session was!  Not sure what to do? Don’t worry, we’ll give you plenty of guidance and suggestions throughout the session!  And to help you feel a little more prepared, we’ve created these 7 tips for your engagement session! You can also view more about our engagement sessions here.

1. Tell us about yourself! Knowing more about you and your story can help us plan an engagement session that is specifically tailored to your relationship, personality, and interests! We send out a questionnaire before every session to get to know our couples a little better. This helps us to incorporate meaningful locations, themes, and activities that can allow your engagement portraits to tell your love story.

2. Ladies, are you on the fence on whether to arrange professional hair and make up for your session? We say go for it!  Allowing a professional stylist to take care of your hair and makeup can help you look amazing! Also, we recommend that you take your engagement ring in for a cleaning in the week leading up to your session. We will often capture a few images that feature your new bling and want it looking its best!

3. Guys, get your hair cut within a week of your session.  Remember to shave, but make sure you do it at least 2 hours before your session to minimize any skin irritation.  Get your shirts and pants dry-cleaned so they are wrinkle free and looking great. Lastly, when you show up at your session you’ll need to find another place to keep your phone and keys aside from your pockets.

4. What to wear? Our two hour portrait sessions typically allow enough time for two different outfit options. We would recommend one casual outfit and another fancier outfit. We love vibrant colored clothing but we suggest minimizing busy patterns, stripes or textures.  For instance, we recommend that only one of you be wearing a non-solid color article of clothing. 

5. Relax! I’m not sure about you, but we certainly don’t look our best when we are running late, annoyed with each other, or at the end of a grueling day of work.  So leave early, grab a bite to eat (no one can have a good time when they’re hangry), arrive a few minutes early to your session, and then take a moment to remember all of the things you love most about each other.

6. Activities. Beyond shooting in a pretty place, one of the keys to creating authentic portraits is to integrate an activity that you love to do together into your session. When you are doing something you enjoy together, you have something else to focus on aside from taking photos which adds some variety and makes everything more fun!  While every couple enjoys eating good food and watching a good movie together, what are some activities that you two enjoy doing outdoors together?  And how can we make that activity a part of your session?

7. Laughter! We try to make our engagement sessions a blast. Go ahead, try to make each other laugh, we dare you! Tickling, funny faces, dancing, accents, and jokes are all welcome!  One thing you never need to apologize for during a portrait session is laughing! Another is kissing 😉