Preparing for Your Engagement Session

Engagement Session Style Guide

Engagement sessions are so fun, and I CANNOT wait for yours! These sessions are much more than just receiving pretty images for your Save the Dates! They prepare you for your wedding day, and gives us time to try different poses! Which means portraits on your day will be a breeze! It’s also perfect timing for us to get to know each other.

I love engagement sessions because it gives us the chance to hang out for a little while! This also allows me to get a peek into your relationship and get to know you better. This guide will help you feel prepared for your session and answer all the questions you may have! So when it is time for portraits, the only thing you have to worry about is portraying your love.

I will take care of everything else!! Remember, this session is supposed to be FUN, and there is NO pressure! You can have fun being yourself and showing me how in love you are 🙂 This is a fun exciting process!!

I am a natural light photographer, which means I rely on only the sun! I LOVE “golden” hour or approximately two hours before sunset! It makes your skin glow and creates beautiful lighting for the overall image! We will schedule your session to begin at “golden” hour that way we receive the best possible lighting! It is important to arrive on time because I will utilize all the time we have together for creating beautiful portraits!

Tip: If you are wearing multiple outfits, save your favorite for last!

It is important to think about which season you want to do your session in and allow enough time to get your session scheduled. If you are getting married in the fall and want spring engagement photos, you will need to take into consideration bad weather!! It is important to get your session scheduled asap and allow extra time for rescheduling if needed 🙂

Engagement Session Outfits

Usually, couples do two or three outfits, one dressy and one casual 🙂 If you have a fun, flirty, romantic dress wear it!!! NOW is the time:) Something that you feel completely comfortable and confident in! Long flowy dresses or dresses with a skirt flatter the female body PERFECTLY and look stunning in the final images!

Casual Outfits

You can have some fun with this one! 🙂 It is key that you love your outfit and feel comfortable in it! My best piece of advice is to coordinate NOT match! Stray away from small patterns or matching patterns that photograph weird and don’t show up in photos! One shirt with patterns is fine if the other is plain and coordinates well!

Dressy Outfit

I always suggest one dressy + one casual outfit. This gives your engagement session variety. Make your dressy choice a little extra. After all it is your engagement session 🙂 I suggest soft colors. Creams, tans, light blues (my absolute favorite to photograph), soft pinks, etc. I suggest shying away from bright red as it makes your skin color photograph differently. However, if you have your heart set on a red let’s chat about it!!

Tips: I always suggest no leggings, tight-fitted clothing, or anything with words or distractions on it. No hoodies, baggy jeans, etc.

Footwear

Don’t forget footwear in general – these will show in the photos. White shoes can be hard to photograph “clean”. Anything with a heel is beautiful but tricky in the Black Hills, consider a second pair just for foot travel.

Accessories

Bold jewelry, accessories, and colored shoes photograph well 🙂 they add that extra WOW that everyone wants to see and brings dimension to the final images. I HIGHLY suggest not wearing smaller necklaces and jewelry because they do not show up in the final image! This is the time to wear that beautiful necklace you have that may be a little too much for a dinner date 🙂 Remember to have lots of fun putting together and creating your outfits!

Body Features

Every woman, regardless of her body type, has an area or certain things she is self-conscious about, which is perfectly normal!!:) I will discuss this with you, so I am well aware of anything! I want to do everything I can to help flatter this part of you! However, I have some tips that may help EVEN more… Wearing certain colors, or adding additional things to your outfit can help tremendously!

Sleeves: Three-quarter length sleeves help to slim and flatter arms! Even adding a little coat or blazer helps! If this is an area you are a little worried about, I suggest staying away from strapless or no sleeves, as it will do the exact opposite of what you want! Little tips and tricks like this will make a world of difference in your final photos!

Shoes: Be sure to wear something comfortable! Heels elongate and flatter your legs, especially closed-toe, because it shows off the line of your leg down to your toe! If you are wanting an open-toed shoe, this is PERFECTLY OKAY, I highly suggest scheduling a little pedicure before your session, so you don’t have any regrets about your decision afterward!

Tip: Bring an extra easy to slip on & off pair of shoes to put on when walking to different locations!! Your feet will do the happy dance afterward!!

Colors: Bold, bright colors bring immediate attention! Your eye jumps straight to this spot or area of any image. I suggest wearing muted, calm, neutral colors keeping the image as romantic and natural-looking as possible! You will want to think about the location you’ve picked, and then choose colors! A bright red dress would not coordinate well with trees and a forest background!

Tip: The camera loves colors like BLUES, grey, brown, blush, light pinks and creams :)

Outfit Prep for Him

Men’s outfits are super easy to pick out 🙂 Implementing a few of these tips will help add that WOW factor to him though! This is his chance to rock that suit he has in the closet, and if he doesn’t have one, that’s perfectly okay! Suits look awesome in photos because of the layers, so with some team-work, we can put together some layers with other clothing items.

Layers

Layers photograph PERFECT in the camera! Ever notice at any clothing store the male mannequin is wearing layers? This is why!!! So, a shirt under a vest, or a long sleeve shirt under a fabulous jacket, etc. would look great!! This adds just an extra layer of dimension in the photo that appeals to everyone’s eyes! Be extra creative with these layers! Even when it is a little hot out, it is worth it because of how flattering it looks!

Shoes

In my experience, closed shoes look the most masculine! Your eyes are more likely to focus on the important places, like the face you’re in love with! The least amount of discretions around his shoes are the best option!

Prepping your Fiancé

This part you will want to pay the most attention to! Only you can truly prep your groom because you know him the best! Explaining to him or even showing him some galleries of a few engagement sessions may help! He most likely thinks we are going to do a couple of photos looking at the camera and maybe a ring shot and that’s all… But explaining to him that I strive to bring out all the love in the images will set him up for success! Tell him we will be taking photos nose-to-nose, looking at each other, or “nuzzling” in! Most of all, just prepare him that this session won’t be like typical family photos he has done in the past. This session will be all about portraying love in the public location you have chosen!

Trust your Engagement Photographer

I do not expect you to be pros at this 🙂 I know you probably have not had professional photos taken before, and that makes me super excited. I get to be the first to show you all the tricks and tips I know, so you have stunning portraits in the end! It is NORMAL to feel nervous or even awkward when we first start, it would be a little weird if you didn’t! After about 20 minutes you will feel warmed up and like pros. Whatever you do, just remember, this session is fun and relaxed! You cannot mess it up! 🙂

Engagement Session Hair & Makeup

Some brides choose to have a “trial run” right before their wedding day to see what their makeup will look like! I LOVE this idea, how cool would it be to do it for your engagement session though?! This way your hair & makeup will be all ready for your engagement pictures, and it is one less thing you will have to stress about! Remember to apply makeup (whether doing it yourself or with an artist) in natural light, so it doesn’t turn out too heavy! Heavy makeup makes your eyes look dark, and they get lost in the photos!

Spray Tans

Skip the spray tans! I know it may seem like the best option, but the truth is it will photograph orange in the final image! Your natural skin in the perfect lighting will photograph the best!

Your Diamond

I always do a few different ring shots, whether it’s a photo of the ring by itself or on your hand. You will want this baby to shine! I suggest getting it cleaned before the session (your jeweler does it for free), or using the appropriate cleanser to do it yourself!!

Tip: Use this as a PERFECT excuse to get a manicure :) That way the photo of the ring on your finger will look stunning with your freshly did nails!

Bonus Engagement Session Tip

Don’t forget to take this chance to go out on a date afterward 🙂 you will be all dolled up and already out – this is a perfect chance to go to dinner! These types of dates and time spent together are important 🙂