So, he’s popped the question, you said YES! You’ve booked your engagement session and now you are wondering, what the heck am I supposed to wear? Where should we take our photos? What all do I need to know? There is a lot in involved in Preparing for your Engagement Session.
But, I got you, I got you!
This blog is specific to my clients, if you’ve booked your session with another photographer, this may still be helpful but they may have totally different recommendations so make sure to check in with them!
- What to Wear: I recommend two outfits. One dressy & one cute casual. This will give you some classy ones to use for your invites or save the dates and then some fun ones for around the house or your champagne bottles! Or maybe vice versa, seriously . . . whatever floats your boat here. Try to stick to soft neutrals when choosing your outfits: Soft pink/peach, beige, grey, mint, soft blues, & sage tones. For him: Navy, grey, soft blues/greens, beige tones. How heavy your colors are does impact the outcome of your photos. Try to steer clear of exact color matching each other, loud patterns, bulky clothes, or all heavy dark tones, more specific details on that here. I also have an inspiration board you can check out for some ideas.
- Clean your ring: I’m going to be getting up and close personal with your bling for a few photos, so if you can, bring your diamond in for a quick clean to your jeweler. If that’s not an option, look for some ‘clean at home’ options (maybe call your jeweler for their recommendations). I’ve always had luck with warm water, a few drops of dawn dish soap, soaking for 10 minutes, scrubbing gently with a soft clean toothbrush, and then rinsing. But again, check with your jeweler so you don’t damage your new ring!
- Treat yourself: Honestly, this is my favorite tip for Preparing for your Engagement Session. Get your hair done, your makeup, or buy a new outfit (or all three, you deserve it), I promise you are going to glow either way. The most important thing here is that you feel comfortable and beautiful!
- Look it over: Sit down with your fiancé, and head over to my ‘engagement‘ tab on my or check out a previous engagement blog post and look over the images. This does a couple things: It gets you more familiar with my work, and lets you both know what you are getting into! Sometimes couples (men, I’m talking about the men here . . .) aren’t as familiar with engagement sessions as us ladies tend to be, (sometimes). An average engagement session can take anywhere from 45 min- 1.5 hours. Plan on meeting up in the evening about 2 hours before sunset for your session.
- Location: Think about what you’d like in your session, are you going for a modern downtown vibe? Mountain scenes? a field with lots of blooms? Whatever you wanting, I’m sure we can find the perfect location. If you don’t already have a place in mind, let me know and we can come up with something together, I always have a few great options to choose from. (TIP: Think about your friends/family that may have some awesome private property, if they will allow us to use it for your session that may be a great option). Look this over for some tips on What Makes A Good Location
- Communication: Let me know if there is anything I should be aware of. A side you prefer, something you are self conscious of or don’t want accented? I won’t know unless you tell me. We are honestly, our own worst critic, but I of course, want you to swoon over your photos. So please remember this: 1. Love yourself & Be kind to yourself (engagement photos are not meant to have every element of perfection) 2. Talk to me so I can help you feel and look your best.
- Relax: Finally, you can not mess up your session. Promise. If you are coming to your session thinking: I have no idea how to stand or how to pose. Good news: I do! All you have to do is trust me! This is actually going to be fun and you’re going to walk away saying “Wow, we had a good time!”
I like to tell my clients to think of their engagement session as practice for their wedding day. Truthfully, it’s going to be so easy to flow through your photos seamlessly after this. Check out some of my very favorite photos from a few recent engagement sessions!
Have any more tips on Preparing for your Engagement Session? Drop them below!
