You’re engaged – Congratulations! As you’re thinking about all the details and planning of your wedding day, it’s time to book your engagement photography session!

An engagement session is your time to celebrate and commemorate your love, just the two of you, while also sharing your photos to announce your engagement, ask friends and family to save the date, formally invite your wedding guests, and document this special time in your lives as you begin your journey together.

Here are a few tips to help you prepare for your Engagement photography session!

Finding an Engagement & Wedding Photographer

It’s time to start looking for a photographer for your engagement and wedding photos. How?

Wedding & Engagement Photography. First, I recommend that you start looking with both your wedding and engagement photography in mind. Many photographers will package engagement and wedding photography together or offer discounts if you book both together — best way to save money. Plus, hiring the same photographer for both shoots allows you to get to know your photographer during your engagement session so you all feel more comfortable together on your wedding day. As a photographer, getting to know my couples during the engagement session helps me to know them, their love and their jokes together, the best ways to pose them, and allows them to feel comfortable and more trusting of me on their Wedding day.
Do your research. Ask around. Talk to friends and family about their experiences with their engagement and wedding photographers. They should be able to give you some referrals and you can go from there. Your wedding venue may also have a list of photographers to get you started.
Style is Everything. Look through photographer’s website, socials, and portfolio’s (or even browse on Pinterest) to get a sense of the editing style you like and want. Do you like true colors, light and airy, or a more moody, dramatic feel to the photos? Do you prefer a more candid, documentary style to telling the story of your wedding day, or do you like a more posed, editorial feel? Search for photographers who fit what you’re looking for. This is one of the biggest things in choosing your wedding and engagement photographer — you have to love the style of the photographer you choose!
Don’t let the price alone dictate your decision. Professional photos aren’t cheap. But, it’s a worthy investment! Remember, these are your engagement and wedding photos. If you go with the cheapest photographer or just have your friend take them, are you sure you’ll get the quality images you want? You’re only going to do this once, so hiring a professional will definitely be worth the investment. You won’t be sorry about spending more on photography because your photos are the things that will last the longest from your whole wedding day!
Ask for package options. Photographers set up their packages very differently, so you want to make sure you’re getting what you want. Think about what’s important for you to walk away with. Do you want more than 1 photographer? Digital images? Prints? Canvases? This part can feel overwhelming, I know. Take your time to decide and ask lots of questions before you make a decision.
Bonus Tip: Communication is everything! Reach out to the photographer and ask for more details in booking with them. You want to make sure they are responsive and won’t leave you hanging. And as a Pro-Tip, you want to make sure they are going to give you more than just pictures — Your engagement and wedding photos are a very special time to capture, so you want the whole experience to be fun! Make sure the photographer communicates with you as someone they are excited to work with and design a session around, instead of just another shoot — number on their books.

If you like my style, then book your Engagement & Wedding photography session here! I get to know each of my couples to fully design their session and wedding day to fit them and all final digital images are always included. And don’t worry, I walk you through everything! All that is needed to book your wedding is a deposit to hold your date, and as we get closer to your wedding and you have more details figured out, then we design your wedding photography package to fit what you are looking for.

Preparing for Your Engagement Photography Session

Your photoshoot is booked! Now what?

Here are some of my best tips for preparing for your session.

Tips for Preparing for Your Engagement Photography Session

Choose your theme. Your theme should reflect who you are as a couple. Talk with your partner and create a list of things you both enjoy. Whether it's going to the beach, taking long evening walks, cooking together, or adventuring together, we can use this to deign your engagement session to fit you and your love together.
Choose a location that best reflects who you are. Location is your choice. Do you have a favorite place in mind? Would you like a particular type of setting? I always have places to recommend, but if there is a place is special to you, your photos will be even more special!
The Day Before: Get a good-night’s sleep, steer clear from alcohol and foods that cause bloating, and drink lots of water.
In general, I don’t recommend spray tans or tanning lotion — more times than not, you end up with an orange tone. Also, try to stay out of the direct sun and don’t forget your sunscreen to avoid tan lines.
What to Wear. Usually, I recommend 1-2 outfits for your session. One more dressy or formal outfit and one casual every-day outfit that shows off your style.
Props. Props can be a fun way to document your hobbies together, save the date announcements, etc. I’ve had couples bring books who love to read together, save the date signs to hold, custom ring boxes they used to propose, etc. Are there any props that you may want to include in your photos? Bring them along.
- Pets can also be great to incorporate in some of your photos!
Hair: You probably know how you like to wear your hair — do that so it looks like you. Ladies, usually hair down will be better than pulled back. Hairspray can be helpful, but don’t over-do (Gentlemen, same with hair gel). It can be a great idea to bring a travel size one with you and a brush or comb just in case.
Make-Up: Again, you probably know how you like your make-up. Do that, then you may add a little more than you normally would. You will lose make-up in the lens. A little more make-up is actually good.
Just be YOU. This is the best piece of advice I could give you. Just be you in front of the camera — have fun, joke, cuddle, kiss, etc. This is meant to be a fun and amazing experience – it shouldn’t be something you stress over! So, just have fun and be yourself!
Let Us Do What We Do Best: Keep in mind that we will do our best to make you look your absolute best! I always will check your make-up, help you adjust hair, and will look for the best angle and pose to get it just right. I totally get picky with hair because that’s the one thing you can’t photoshop — it just never looks right. So I make sure to be picky! (You’ll thank me for that later!)