When we meet most of our couples for their engagement session, one of the first things they say to us is that they haven’t been photographed professionally before and they are really nervous which is completely normal! We know how it feels to be crazy nervous before a shoot so we wanted to give y’all some tips that will hopefully help ease your nerves before your engagement session.
First of all, it’s important to remember that your engagement session is supposed to be fun! There’s no pressure, no timeline, and no pushy coordinators rushing us along. That’s not to say your wedding day won’t be a BLAST (because it totally will!), but it’s super important to have a great engagement session before the big day so everyone knows what to expect. Your engagement session is our chance to really get to know each other. You get a chance to get comfortable with how we work behind the camera and by the time your wedding rolls around, you’ll be pros and we’ll know all your best poses and angles!
Here are a few tips to make sure you are 110% prepared for your engagement session!
1.Outfits
We always recommend having 2 different outfits to all of our couples, one that is dressier and fancy and one that is more casual. It’s always best to coordinate your outfits instead of matching them. Also, really tiny patterns (thin stripes especially) don’t photograph too well and sometimes don’t even show up in your images. Jewel tone colors are always flattering on everyone and bold accessories like shoes or jewelry are a huge plus! The most important thing is to make sure that whatever you’re wearing, you feel comfortable and you feel like you!
2.Timing & Location
The best time for engaagement sessions is 2 hours before sunset. That applies year round, no matter the season. When it comes to picking locations, there are so many options! We always love shooting at a location that means something to our couples! If you’re really nervous about your shoot, it may be best to chose a location that is somewhat secluded and not overly crowded so it’s a bit more private.
3.Hair, Makeup, and Shiny Bling!
A lot of our brides have opted to have their bridal hair and make up trial done for their engagement session to see how it all looks on camera. That is such a genius idea and we definitely recommend that to all of our brides now. Having your hair and makeup done professionally will definitely make you feel fabulous and help calm your nerves.
During your session, we love to take a few different shots of your ring as well! Make sure that it is clean and looking it’s best!
4.Be on Time
This tip is super important! We usually shoot closer to sunset so we have a limited amount of time before the suns sets and all that beautiful glowy light disappears! We understand that traffic doesn’t always cooperate, but if at all possible try to be on time so you don’t miss out on beautiful, glowy images!
5.Trusting Your Photographer
Remember that we don’t expect you to be pro’s at this. We’ve rarely worked with actual models and we work with real, everyday couples just like you all the time. It normally takes about 20 minutes or so for couples to really warm up so relax! You’re going to be great at this! Trust us, allow us to be creative and you’ll have an amazing time and fantastic photos!
Bonus: Prepping Your Groom
This is such an important part of engagement session prep. Most guys think that an engagement session is just stand there and smile, but there is so much more to it than that! He may feel a little awkward doing a “nuzzle” or “forehead to forehead”. Explain to him what your expectations are for the shoot. We also suggest sitting down with him and looking through 2 or 3 of your favorite engagement sessions we’ve shot on our blog to give him an idea of what the whole experience is like.
