One of the funnest and most anticipated parts of your engagement, will be your engagement photo session. These sessions are a ton of fun and something we highly recommend doing before the wedding. During your engagement session we get to practice and share tips and tricks about posing that will help you look and feel your best. This session will make a major impact on how the wedding day flows and how comfortable you will already be in front of the camera.
Once we start the engagement session, our photographers will guide you, pose you and walk you through the process of getting those dreamy engagement photos you’ve always wanted. But before we take that first photo, we have a few tips on how to prepare for the engagement session and we are sharing them with you below.
1. SET THE DATE, TIME, AND LOCATION
Your engagement session can be scheduled anytime before your wedding day. We normally suggest scheduling it at least 3-6 months in advance to avoid stress. As you start to plan for your engagement shoot, you will need to start brainstorming about location ideas. We love when couples suggest 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, visit our favorite engagement session location guide to help you decide on a location. As long as the light is great, we can make a location look awesome! We always shoot engagement sessions around sunset to ensure we get that beautiful, flattering light! Engagement sessions typically start about 2 hours before sunset depending on the light and the time of the year. Some locations are best on weekdays, while others are better for weekends so be prepared to adjust your schedule for the ideal circ*mstances at your desired location.
2. REVIEW GUIDE FOR STYLE TIPS
We share a guide with each of our couples that is FULL of style tips as you plan for your engagement session! We encourage all of our couples to review this guide before you go shopping for your e-session outfits because it will help guide you in selecting clothing that is flattering on camera! Most of my couples find these tips super helpful and say that it brought up several points that they wouldn’t have thought of themselves.
3. SCHEDULE HAIR AND MAKEUP APPOINTMENTS
Your engagement session is the perfect time to test out your wedding day look! You’ll need to do a hair and makeup trial with your hair and makeup artists before your wedding day anyways, so why not get all glammed up for your engagement photos? This will also give you the chance to see how your hair and makeup photograph before your big day!
4. HAIRCUTS FOR MEN
Men typically have less to prepare for the engagement session but should still prepare none the less. Specifically making sure they are groomed and clean shaven (if desired) for their session. Some men like the like of fresh haircut while others prefer their hair a few days or a week after the haircut. Additionally, some guys prefer the 3-day stubble look while others want the clean shaven look. Depending on your preference, plan ahead to make sure you get a haircut and shave in relation to the date of the session.
5. GET YOUR NAILS DONE
Having a fresh mani pedi makes such a difference for your engagement photos! It will help you to feel more confident and put together, and allows me to take some beautiful close-ups of that ring! This is another great opportunity to test out the nail color you will wear on your wedding day.
6. CLEAN YOUR RING
Make sure you get that rock cleaned so it’s nice and sparkly for its close-up! This is something that most brides don’t think of doing this before the engagement session, but it really does make a big difference. You can simply give it a quick scrub at home (my favorite way to do this is to soak it in some hot water and Dawn dish soap), or take it to your jeweler for a professional cleaning.
7. PACK A BAG
Here are some things to include in your engagement session bag:
Additional outfits (if you plan on wearing more than one)
Flats or flip-flops for walking between photo spots
Makeup for touch-ups
A bottle of water (for warmer sessions)
Coat or cover-up (for colder sessions)
Money for parking fees (if applicable)
Bring minimal bags/purses/additional items. Engagement sessions are pretty fluid with lots of moving around so leave all important stuff at home or in the car so you can be free to move around without all the extra stuff.
8. PICK A FUN POST-SESSION DATE NIGHT SPOT!
You’re already all dressed up and completing your engagement session is a reason to celebrate! Make a reservation at your favorite date night spot, or try somewhere new!
9. BE RESTED
No amount of grooming or editing will hide the dark circles under your eyes, and the overall look of exhaustion. Drink plenty of water all week, get enough sleep, and try not to stress too much. All of these things translate into your photos, so be mindful of them.
Learn More About Preparing for your Engagement Photos
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