Oh this is where the fun can begin! The engagement session is the best part of wedding planning!! This is where you get to be romantic, have fun, and just enjoy being wrapped up in your fiance for an hour!

Here are some quick tips and ideas to get you prepped, ready, and excited for an engagement session (although, many of these thoughts are applicable for any photography session!)

Scheduling: I prefer to schedule all my sessions during the 2 hour window before sun sets (or, if you’re brave like Sarah + Colt were, the two hours after the sun rises!) This is when the lighting is the dreamiest, and the most romantic! It is glowy and soft and flattering. It is worth it to do everything you can to schedule your session during this time!

Location: I try to have my couples choose the location of their shoot as much as possible, though I am happy to help come up with ideas or send links to locations I have already shot at. Sessions always turn out best when the location is a place that has meaning to my couples, or inspires them, makes them feel comfortable, and reflects their own personal style. If either of you have special access to a property or location that is generally not open to public, then definitely let your photographer know! It is always fun and exciting to explore new places that will be new to everyone else, too!  Where you are shooting at will also make a difference in when you should start your session and what type of light you get. If you are shooting in a city with tall buildings, you will want to start a bit earlier so you don’t lose the sun behind the buildings!

What to wear: I always encourage my clients to bring an additional outfit to the session besides the one they are wearing, so that they can add a variety of colors and materials to their session. Typically this ends up being one business casual outfit, and one fancier outfit. You can break free of the White-Tee-Shirt-Blue-Jeans mold! You’ll want to choose colors and patterns that are complementary/coordinating, rather than being “matchy-matchy” exactly. You can add a pop of an accent color with a pattern on his shirt, and a necklace or earrings for you. This helps to make you both look unified, but not copies of each other. For both of you, find clothes that fit you and make you feel comfortable! Try not to wear clothes that are too baggy or too tight. Make sure you’ve tried out your clothes before the day of the session, in case you end up not loving it as much as you thought!

The details: As I mentioned above, you’ll want to accessorize, too! A fun statement necklace or a small, bold-colored detail such as earrings can really pull your whole outfit together. You may want to get your nails done and your ring cleaned prior to the session, as there will most likely be close ups of hands and your ring! I also love when my clients use their engagement session to test out their Hair and Make Up artist. You don’t have to have them put your hair in a wedding-day updo, but this way your whole look is professional, and you also get to make sure you love who you hired for the big day. Having someone else take care of your hair and make up for your engagement session takes so much pressure off yourself, and helps you feel more confident and excited for the session! You only get one engagement session, you might as well live it up, right? 🙂

…And of course you can include your dog in your engagement session!! Just give me a heads up so I can plan accordingly as far as location goes! And also so I make sure to bring treats with me 🙂

Preparing your man: If your fiance is anything like my husband or most grooms I’ve worked with, perhaps they are not as excited about the engagement session as you are! If this is the case, I’d like to invite you to take a few minutes with him, when you both are relaxed (and maybe a bowl of ice cream in your laps!) and go over some of your favorite engagement photos and poses from your favorite blogs with him. Tell him why you like those ones, and that this is important to you. He obviously loves you and values your opinions, so hearing you say this is a big deal to you will help make it a big deal to him, too. It will also help him go more confidently into a session with me, because he will have a better idea of what to expect and the kind of poses I like to do with my couples.

As always, if you have any other questions don’t be afraid to ask! If you are unsure about an outfit choice, send a picture! Any photographer would be happy to help their clients pick out the best outfit possible for their session!