You're engaged! First off, H U G E congratulations! This is such an exciting time in your relationship and the next year will be filled with lots of fun, celebration, and planning! After you finish the big tasks like picking a date and finding your dream venue, something else you'll probably start thinking about is your engagement photos! Engagement photos are such a fun part of the wedding planning process and something you'll want to make the most out of, so I'm going to share my best advice for making the most of your engagement session!
1. Plan Two Outfits
Your engagement session will essentially be split into two parts! The first half of your session will be more formal and you'll want to plan on dressier outfits (I usually recommend a flowy dress for the girls!) These are usually the photos you'll use for your save the dates, invitations, etc. The second half of your engagement session will be more playful and fun, so you'll want to plan on more casual outfits. I usually recommend jeans or shorts for the second half of your session so you can run around and do more poses than you could in your dressier outfit!
2. Pick Your Two Locations
If you are one of my wedding couples, I highly recommend asking me for my location guide! I always recommend two locations that are fairly close to each other, but offer two different looks for your session and outfits. If you have your outfits picked out, I would highly suggest asking your photographer what locations they would recommend based off of your outfits and what look you're going for!
3. Have A Drink Before Your Session
This might be the first time you're ever getting professional photos taken and it can feel nerve-wracking! If you're feeling nervous before your session, try to grab a drink with your significant other before your session. If you don't have time, you can also bring a shot with you to your session! This will help you loosen up a little and hopefully calm those nerves!
4. Be Extra Lovey-Dovey!
That might sound a little scary if you're not huge into PDA, but I promise it's not! Throughout your session I will be posing you and giving you prompts the entire time so you'll never feel awkward or not know what to do, but as the couple I need you to be as touchy as possible! Be all over each other, have fun with it, and keep doing that pose/prompt until I give you the go ahead to stop!
5. Trust Your Photographer
This one may be the MOST important and goes along with the last one! Keep an open mind when you're given poses and prompts. They can feel silly or awkward in the moment, but I promise you will be so surprised with how cute the photos turn out! Don't restrict yourself to what you can and can't do, but trust your photographer and be willing to have an open mind because what you might not like in the moment could end up being your favorite poses/photos!
6. Prep + Involve Your Significant Other
Not everyone loves getting their photos taken (and lets be honest, it's usually the groom!) so I can not stress enough how important it is to prep them before your shoot. Involve them in the planning process of your outfits, locations, and give them a pep talk beforehand. Keep them in the loop, show them inspiration photos, and let them know how important these are to you! The more willing they are to cooperate and have fun during the session, the better it will be for everyone and your photos will turn out even more amazing!
7. Share Your Pinterest Board!
I LOVE when my wedding couples share their Pinterest boards with me! If you have an engagement board on Pinterest, I would definitely recommend sharing it with me (or your photographer)! This allows me to see what vibe you're going for, what poses you gravitate towards, and I truly just love being a part of the entire process! I love to give outfit ideas, advice on how to do your hair, etc. With hundreds of couple/engagement sessions under my belt, I can share all of my best advice with you and what will photograph the best!
Feeling more prepared and EXCITED?! All that's left to do after this is have fun and enjoy it!!!
Click here for more wedding tips and advice!