Plan your perfect engagement session

It’s that time of year when couples, recently engaged, are narrowing down their wedding dates, venues and photographers. Those 3 checklist items usually get taken care of in the first months of planning as they are in the highest demand. We’re oh-so-excited to be meeting a new group of 2016 couples this time of year, and as each wedding date is secured in our calendar we begin by scheduling and talking about engagement sessions. So with engagement sessions on the brain, we thought we’d share some advice for our couples on how to plan for an amazing session!

1. Schedule early

Just as quickly as wedding dates fill in our calendar, so do engagement session dates. Because every couple we work with receives an engagement session in their collection, we’re shooting an equal number of engagements as we are weddings each year. Sessions are scheduled early, and we suggest getting yours on the calendar as soon as your wedding contract is received. Give yourself plenty of time to plan, and plenty of dates to choose from by scheduling your session early. Most of the time, couples schedule their engagement sessions 9 to 12 months in advance! It’s also important to keep your options open in terms of season and timing of your engagement session. Those popular months (Spring and Fall… Fall especially) fill immediately. Though we do all that we can to fit everyone into their favorite time of year, it’s sometimes not possible based on the calendar. No matter what, your photos will be awesome!

2. Location, Location, Location!

The next step, once your session is on the calendar, is to decide on the perfect location. A country landscape with bales of hay, rolling hills and tall grass? An urban backdrop with city streets, tall buildings and sidewalks? A waterfront location along the shore with rocks, waves and sand? We’re so lucky to live in this gorgeous and unique area of the country where we have access to so many different landscapes. The possibilities are endless! Consider what sort of backdrop would be the most representative of who you are, where you come from, or what you enjoy. Decide together with your photographers on a spot that will be the best for you and your engagement session. And if you have no idea where to begin, ask us for help! We have a ton of hidden location gems we’d be happy to share with you 😉

3. Timing

Timing can be everything… we always schedule engagement sessions to begin 90 minutes to 2 hours before sunset. Working within this “golden hour” gives us that warm, glowing, golden light everyone is hoping for.

4. Dress the part

Figuring out what to wear for your engagement photos can seem like a challenge. Trust us… it’s not as hard as you might think. Here are some pointers we like to give out to couples who are planning their outfits:

• Flatter your figure – Girls and guys alike, make sure whatever you wear FITS. Usually men wear clothes that are too big, so we suggest making sure those pants stay up without a belt and that shirt is a trim fit. Guys you want a nice, tailored look without anything being too small or too big. Ladies, don’t wear anything that is too revealing. Go for something that fits and flatters all the right places. Check for undergarment lines and seams, if you can see them in a mirror we’ll see them in the photos! Also ladies, if you can’t easily move in your outfit or if you have to tug at it to keep everything in place, it’s not the right choice.
• Solid colors and limited/small patterns are best. Avoid extremely bright (neon) colors, over the top patterns, or clashing patterns between the two of you. And skip anything with a logo on it. Think classics in terms of your color choices and style.
• Be equally dressed up or dressed down. If she’s wearing a cocktail dress, he better be in a dinner jacket or tie. If she’s sporting easy going jeans, he should too. You want to look like you’re going to the same party 😉
• Professional hair and makeup = smartest decision ever. This one’s for the girls! If there is any room at all in the budget to have your hair and/or makeup done, please do it. In fact, try for your makeup trial that afternoon! If you have to choose just one of the two, we recommend makeup being your splurge. It can make a huge difference in photos!

5. Be on time

When your session date rolls around, make sure to arrive to the location on time. If you’re likely to run into traffic, give yourself extra time. Because we’ll be working with a finite amount of daylight, we don’t want to waste any of it! We absolutely love engagement sessions and for each and every couple we want to give them the best session possible. That means giving them all the time possible, and we can’t do that if we have to begin late. Plus, then we will have to rush to beat the sunset and that’s just no fun 😉

6. Now just relax, let go, and have fun!

We know… not everyone LOVES being in front of the camera. In fact, most couples start out their sessions timid, shy and unsure. It’s totally normal to go into your engagement session a little nervous, but we promise these sessions are FUN! We’ve been doing this long enough to know how to help you both warm up to the process of being photographed, and after just a few minutes couples get the hang of it and start to enjoy the time together. So make sure to shake off any nerves you may have, arrive to the session in a happy state of mind, and remember laughter makes everyone incredibly attractive. So laugh and have fun! We’ll do the rest.

Hopefully this helps some of you as you prepare for your engagement sessions this year. We don’t start shooting engagements until the Spring but we can’t wait!