6 Tips For Planning Your Engagement Session | Nashville, TN Wedding Photographer
Love is in the air! Whether you’re engaged or you think you’re going to be surprised with the big question soon, engagement season is here and I wanted to give you my 6 best tips for planning your engagement session. From choosing your location to what to wear, keep these simple, yet very important tips in mind when planning your session!
1. Location
I cannot stress enough how important the location you choose for your engagement photos is. Think about what inspires the two of you. Consider who you are as individuals and as a couple. Are there any locations that have significant meaning to your relationship? How do you envision your engagement photos to be? Is there a lookout that you both frequent often or is a mini road trip to catch the sunset on a mountain top your jam? Maybe opting in for an in-home session suits you best? The location you choose for your engagement photos should represent who you are as a couple. This will help to make you feel even more comfortable during your session and forget there’s even a camera around!
2. Wear Something You’re
Comfortable In & That
Compliments The Environment You Will Be In
When choosing what to wear, choose something that you’re going to be comfortable in. If there is going to be lots of hiking involved, it’s probably best that you not wear flip flops or stilettos, haha. Wear something that will allow you room to breathe and move around comfortably and naturally. If you wear a tight fitting outfit, you’re probably going to be making lots of adjustments during your session, which takes time away from creating more dreamy portraits of you and your love.
Once you’ve chosen the location for your engagement photos, you’ll want your outfit colors to compliment not only each other, but the environment you will be in. I recommend sticking to neutral colors. Neon or other bright colors draw attention away from faces and tend to reflect crazy colors onto the skin resulting in gross, neon skin tones, which is what you don’t want. Yikes. Lastly, it’s best that you not wear overly distracting patterns or large logos, as this can pull the focus away from the two of you and what the photos are truly about.
BONUS TIP:
Layer up! This will allow you to add or remove pieces to get a variety of different looks!
3. Hire A Professional
Photographer
So this is a given, but you’ll need to hire a professional photographer if you want the best experience and quality photos possible. This is such an important time in your life and you deserve a photographer who knows how to bring out the best of your relationship, what you’re all about, and of course your best angles. Booking your wedding photographer for your engagement session is also the perfect opportunity to really connect and get to know each other, and will give you the best idea of what to expect from your photographer on the day of your wedding. Overall, this is going to give you the best possible photos from your wedding!
4. Make A Date Out Of It
One of the best tips I can give you to help prepare you to create gorgeous, meaningful photos during your engagement session is to make a date out of the whole day. Make it an adventure date. While a day long session may seem extreme, you’d be surprised at how fast the time will actually fly between moving between locations, getting ready, hiking, etc. This will give you enough time for your photos without feeling super rushed, and will especially help you both to feel strongly connected with each other prior to your engagement session. If you want your photos to be the best possible, apply this tip! ;)
5. Don’t Overthink It
So you’ve booked your dream wedding photographer and it’s finally time for your engagement session. You’re probably nervous and thinking you’re the most awkward couple ever, but the truth is, you’re probably not, haha. A professional photographer will be able to bring out the best of who you are and what you two are all about, so don’t overthink it. A lot of the magic happens during the planning process while getting to know who you are as a couple, your ideal vision for your photos, and what you can expect from your photographer on the day of your session. I suggest meeting with your photographer prior to your session date so you can really connect. Not only does this allow you to show up without the worry of anything being awkward because you’re just meeting for the first time, but it also allows you to focus more time on creating memories with your other half, which is more photos for you in the end!
6. Time of Day
Choosing the time of the day will make a huge difference in the final result of your photos. If you love that dreamy, golden hour light, you’ll want to plan your session around sunset. You can easily do a quick google search or check your weather app to find out when the sunset will be on the day of your session. Early morning light can also be dreamy, and is often referred to as blue hour. For the best morning light results, you’ll want to plan to arrive at your location just as the sun starts to rise. Sometimes mother nature changes her mind and you may end up with a foggy morning engagement session, strong winds, maybe even rain. Who knows? While it may not be what you originally planned or hoped for, I encourage any couple to embrace whatever weather may come our way. It only makes for some really unique photos when all is said and done!
I hope these tips help give you a starting point to planning and dreaming up how to get the best out of your engagement photos!
Have questions? I’ve gotchu.
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