Okay, this post is going to be long, so buckle in.

Your engagement session should honestly be one of the best parts of wedding planning (besides taste testing for food and desserts, of course). You’re not sitting down with a planner or venue manager and making a ton of decisions about where your money is going and learning about all the random fees that venues like to tack on for stupid stuff (a ton of venues charge a ceremony fee on top of the regular rental. Why? I have no freaking idea. It’s the dumbest thing). Anyway, here are some helpful tips to make sure your engagement session is as beautiful as your love story.

1. Figure out your location

The location of your engagement session isn’t a big of a deal as it can seem. Your photographer will be able to help you find a good spot if you need it.

When trying to decide where you want to go for this session, use the process of elimination.

• First, is there a location that’s really important to you and your partner? This could be where you got engaged, where you had your first date, your first home together, anywhere that’s important to you two.
• If your first option comes up short, think about the vibe you want for your wedding and the images. Do you want your engagement photos somewhere in the city? Are you wanting it to be more rustic?
  

Once you have a decision on one of these two things, reach out to your photographer. If you have a specific location in mind, send them photos (and contact info if it’s a business) so they can help you figure out the best time of day based on the location and contact the business to get permission to shoot there (if needed). If you have an idea in mind but aren’t sure where to look. Ask them what to look for, they may have the perfect spot in mind and they’ll be able to send you images of that location to help you decide if it fits your vision.

2. Plan your outfits!

Your photographer SHOULD be able to help you with this. If you’re talking to a photographer and they won’t help you come up with ideas as to what to wear, or give you a general idea, find a new one. I’m not kidding. It’s one of the easiest things to do and this will tell you that down the road if you need help with something, they probably won’t be any help at all.

I’m not going to end this post on a “just ask your photographer” because even though they should help you, sometimes they don’t, or there’s not time or they don’t get back to you. Or maybe you’re doing your engagement session with a friend who has a camera. Whatever the case may be, here’s some awesome advice on getting your outfits ready.

I suggest having at least two outfits. Two outfits is the sweet spot. If you do more than that you’re going to run out of time and not get as many images because you spent too much time changing.

One of these outfits should be a little bit dressier, show up to the shoot in this one. This outfit is going to be for the more dramatic prompts, the far off ones, the shots that are going to take a little more work to get set up and are going to be a little bit more “posed.” These shots are totally worth it, I swear. For girls, I suggest wearing a skirt or dress, something with a lot of movement and flow.

For the guys, a button down shirt that’s tucked in with some nice slacks and shoes. Color wise, neutrals are always good. A really bright color can be distracting in photos and take away from the two of you.

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I always say the second outfit should be the more casual one. For the girls, I always say neutral colors are the best, jeans are even a good option. The main thing in this outfit is that you can move in it. These prompts are the ones where you’ll be running around and doing a ton of activity. So make sure whatever outfit you have is flexible and not going to fall off. For guys, the advice is the same, neutral colors, jeans are great.

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Things to avoid when picking out your outfits:

• Logos, especially bigs ones.
• Clothes with really distinctive and large patterns.
• Skirts, dresses, or shorts that stop above your mid thigh.
• Shirts that are super low cut.

An extra tip to make your images pop? Clean your ring the day before (or even the day of). If you can’t make it to a jewelry store to get it cleaned, soap and warm water will do. Trust me, a shiny clean ring in your engagement photos will make SUCH a difference

3. Take a shot

Just kidding, this is really to just relax.

Take a breath, or a drink, whatever is going to help you and your partner feel more confident and comfortable in front of the camera. Think of it like a super laid back wedding day where you don’t have to do anything except be in love.

Thank you so much for reading along with this whole big post. I hope you found some helpful tips and tricks and are super excited for your session!

🤍

Aurora