Now that you have picked a date, you should look at booking your venue and your photographer. After that, you can celebrate! Those are some of the toughest decisions in wedding planning and you can cross them off your list! Hooray!! Now on to the fun stuff...like your engagement session!
During your engagement session, you’ll have the chance to get to know your photographer, experience how they shoot and how they handle posing and lighting. This session will make a HUGE impact on how the wedding day flows. they'll arrive on your wedding day already knowing how you two interact, what your best poses are and how to photograph you in a genuine way! What they will learn about you during your engagement session is invaluable! You will feel like such a pro on your big day because of the great practice you had during your engagement session!
Your engagement session can be scheduled anytime before your wedding day. I normally suggest booking it at least 3-6 months in advance to avoid stress. Because most photographer's weekends are filled with weddings, they shoot engagement sessions on weekday evenings. I know I normally shoot from 5-7pm depending on the light and the time of the year. In the winter months, 3-5pm is a normal time frame for an engagement shoot!
As you start to plan for your engagement shoot, you will need to start brainstorming about location ideas. I LOVE it when couples pick a location that is special or sentimental to them in some way! If you can’t think of anywhere specific that you would like to shoot, your photographer can help you decide on a location. As long as the light is great, they can make ANY location look awesome! I personally shoot at look out points, on mountain tops, campuses, downtown alleys and even laundromats! Do not shy away from unique ideas. The more creative, the better! Be sure to keep reading to find out more about outfit ideas and inspiration!
It’s always a little intimidating to have your picture taken...even if it’s just a photo on an iPhone that is taken by a friend. We still want to look nice, make sure nothing is in our teeth and that our hair is behaving! I realize that preparing for your engagement session can be a little overwhelming. Over the next blogs on this site, I’ll be providing tips for outfits, handling nerves and recommendations that will make your shoot the best it can possibly be!
The Basics + What To Bring
POCKETS | Empty your pockets! You don’t want to have key chains or phones showing through your pockets. This is easy to overlook but very hard to edit out.
TIMING | The sun sets quickly especially if your shoot is not in the summer months and/or in the mountains. The later you arrive, the less time you have to shoot! Once the sun is set, the shoot will typically be over (unless you're really into nighttime photography).
RING CLEANING | If possible, it is ideal to clean your ring before your shoot. I love to shoot a few macro shots of your diamond while you change outfits! The cleaner the better.
CHANGING CLOTHES | As much as I would like to say that we always have restrooms for outfit changes, more often than not, our clients do quick outfit changes in their car if there are no other options.
DEEP BREATHS | Your photographer is going to help you along the way and it’s going to be a blast! They will instruct you on everything you need to know. Enjoy this time together, and make a date out of it! Plan dinner afterwards and celebrate!!
PARKING FEE | This may not apply to your shoot, but you always want to plan in advance for a cash-only parking fee that you may encounter or any tolls. I've had instances where this has caused some stress, and stress is what we want to avoid.
PERMITS |Â Do your research to see if your location needs a permit/fee. Be sure to take care of all permits ahead of time. If you think you can sneak in for "a couple quick photos," I promise you, you will be very disappointed (and possibly fined!)Â
CLOTHING | I’ll explain this more in-depth in the next blog, but generally, my couples like to bring one casual outfit and one dressier outfit. If you’re unsure about a few pieces, feel free to bring all options, and your photographer can help you decide if you need a professional opinion!
LIP COLOR & HAIRSPRAY | You may need to apply more lip color after one outfit change and a few kisses. (If you have a bold lip color, try to have a matte finish so it won’t transfer to your partner as intensely!). Hairspray and a brush will be helpful if your hair struggles in the humidity or wind!
FLIP FLOPS | If you’re wearing shoes that are difficult to walk in but look awesome, bring some comfy shoes to change into while we walk to each shooting location!
