How To Prepare For Your Engagement Session
You've booked your photographer and now it's time to schedule your engagement session. When is a good time to take the photos? What do you wear? Where do you go shoot them? Believe it or not, there is a lot that can go into an engagement session, and it's best to be prepared since it only lasts a few hours! Below are my top tips to help you have an amazing engagement session :)
WHEN TO SCHEDULE THEM: It's best to schedule your engagement session as soon as you've booked your wedding photographer. This way you aware of their availability. If you're thinking about using your engagement photos for your save the dates, scheduling them about 8 months before you send them out is best.
WHAT ARE THE BEST DAYS AND TIMES TO SHOOT THE SESSION? The best days of the week to shoot engagement sessions are actually on weekdays in the evenings, or weekends in the mornings. During these days and times, you wont have too many people out and about. On weekend evenings you risk large groups of people enjoying parks, cities and beaches where you might want to do your session. This can be difficult to find open space to shoot without getting other people in your photos. Plus if you feel shy about posing in front of people, mornings are when you want to do it. A lot of locations are virtually empty right after sunrise.
WHERE TO USE THEM: Engagement photos are perfect to share on social media, use on your save the dates, add to your wedding website, and print to use at your weddings. Even making a photo book to use as the guest book is a great idea. This way, you have an album of your engagement photos, and also your wedding guests special notes to you and your fiance.
WHAT LOCATION TO USE: You should first think about any special locations you and your fiance love. Where you got engaged? First started dating? If any of these spots work for an engagement session, you might want to try there! If not, think about backdrops you like. Nature? Water? Beaches? City? In Maryland, we have access to all of those locations so there are a lot to choose from!
WHAT TO WEAR: This is a very popular question. The most important thing to wear is something you're comfortable in. If you're uncomfortable, it will show in your pictures. Wear complimenting colors with your fiance so you match each other. Bright colors look great in photos, but if you feel comfortable in a slimming back, go for it! Dresses and skirts that move can add opportunities for additional posing in your photos as well.
WHAT TO DO BEFOREHAND: Engagement sessions are definitely something you need to prepare for. Don't wait until the day before to find an outfit, because you might realize you need to do some shopping. Go get your engagement ring cleaned so it's extra shiny in your pictures! If you're planning on bringing your pup, make sure you have someone to come along with you so they can take care of them while you're doing couple shots. I have a blog here with 4 tips for including your dog in your engagement photos.
