Engagement Session Advice
Tips & Advice on Engagement Sessions
Engagement sessions are so wonderful! They allow the couple and photographer to really get to know one another with the added bonus of the couple being able to become familiar with the way that we work! Then when the wedding day arrives, portrait time will be smooth sailing.
If your session is fast approaching, keep reading for advice on how to choose a location, and how to look and feel your best for the portraits.
Where to have your session?
We love doing engagement sessions at traditional places, like pretty parks or the beach / boardwalk. There is a reason those spots are so popular! Lots of gorgeous or fun scenery makes for beautiful portraits.
If you want to think outside the box, consider doing your session somewhere that is particularly meaningful to you both as a couple. This could be a favorite bar you frequent, an activity or sport you both enjoy doing, or a downtown area you love to hit up for date nights. We don't have to do the session during the day, either! Night portraits are really fun, and definitely won't look like all the other engagement portraits you'll see on Pinterest.
We could even do a lifestyle engagement session at your home. It's simple and meaningful, and can truly show the connection between the two of you. If you're not into doing posed pictures or feel uncomfortable in front of the camera, then this may be the perfect answer.
Hair & Makeup: If you’re planning to do a hair and makeup trial, try to set it up for the day of the session! It's going to be a fun time, and investing in professional hair and makeup can be a nice way to celebrate the occasion of getting engaged and allow you to be extra confident during your shoot!
Clothes: You might consider packing a change of clothes so you can have more variety in your photos. Many couples choose casual clothes and then a more formal outfit. We recommend the following for your engagement session attire:
Neutrals such as tans, light pinks, faint blues, creams, grays and whites are very classic. (We don't recommend wearing solid white for a top.) These colors photograph softer and more romantically! However, if you don’t own a stitch of clothing in this palette, don’t worry about it. It is much more important that you look like YOU than that you try to satisfy a list of colors.
If you want a soft and feminine look, consider a flowing, maxi-length dress or skirt! The movement of this type of fabric photographs beautifully!
The goal is to coordinate rather than match your outfits.
And, real talk for a second, we need to sing the praises of shape-wear. Yes, we are talking about Spanx and the like. Honestly, they make such a huge difference. Regardless of body size and shape, shape-wear lifts and tightens everything and dammit, it looks good.
Guys, we recommend that you avoid small patterns on your clothes, avoiding graphic tees and athletic sneakers or flip flops.
Ladies, we recommend that you wear something that you feel beautiful in. Your go-to favorite outfit would be a better choice than an outfit you think you are "supposed" to wear. It should flatter the parts of you that you love the most so you can feel confident and awesome! We know that you will love your portraits so much more and have a better time during the session if you’re not worrying about how your clothes fit.
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