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Now that you have picked a date, a photographer and probably a venue as well, you can celebrate! Those are some of the toughest decisions in wedding planning and you can cross them off your list! Hooray!! Now on to the fun stuff.... like your engagement session! I truly believe that they are a VITAL part of the entire process. During your engagement session, you’ll have the chance to get to know me, experience how I shoot and how I handle posing and lighting. This session will make a HUGE impact on how the wedding day flows. I’ll arrive on your wedding day already knowing how you two interact, what your best poses are and how to photograph you in a genuine way! What I will learn about you during your engagement session is invaluable! You will feel like such a pro on your big day because of the great practice you had during your engagement session and that’s how it should be!
Your engagement session can be scheduled anytime before your wedding day. I normally suggest booking it at least 3-6 months in advance to avoid stress. Because our weekends are filled with weddings, I shoot engagements on weekday evenings, normally from 5-7pm depending on the light and the time of the year. In the winter months, 3-5pm is a normal time frame for an eshoot! As you start to plan for your engagement shoot, you will need to start brainstorming about location ideas. I LOVE it when couples pick a location that is special or sentimental to them in some way! If you can’t think of anywhere specific that you would like to shoot, I can help you decide on a location! As long as the light is great, I can make ANY location look awesome! I shoot at farms, campuses, downtown alleys and even laundromats! I’m serious! Do not shy away from crazy ideas! The more creative, the better! Be sure to keep reading to find out more about outfit ideas and inspiration!
Engagement Prep
It’s always a little intimidating to have your picture taken .... even if it’s just a photo on an iphone that is taken by a friend, we still want to look nice, make sure nothing is in our teeth and that our hair is behaving! I realize that preparing for your engagement session can be a little overwhelming. Here are some tips for outfits and accessories that will make the e-shoot preparation a little more manageable!
- Don’t try to MATCH...try to pick outfits and accessories that coordinate instead. If everyone wore the same exact color at their e-shoot, how boring would those images be?
- Don’t be afraid to be BOLD! Accessorize and make your outfits your own! Scarves, bold necklaces and fun shoes are always welcomed!
- MOST PATTERNS are actually ok.... however, graphics are not favorable for portraits. If you’re wearing a pattern, make sure it’s not overwhelming and distracting.
- Empty your pockets! Literally. You don’t want to have key chains or phones showing through your pockets. (This is for the guys especially!)
- Most often, couples like to have one casual, everyday outfit and then one outfit that is dressier! This will give your shoot two totally different “looks”. I recommend beginning with the dressy outfit first!
- Make sure you’re comfortable in what you’re wearing. And ladies, if the top is super low cut, that will limit the amount of angles I can shoot from.
- BE ON TIME! The sun is only out for so long ! The later you arrive, the less time we have to shoot! And nobody wants that!
- Clean the ring! I love to shoot a few rings shots while you change outfits! The cleaner the better!
- Relax! You don’t have to be a pro at this! I’m going to help you along the way and it’s going to be a blast! Enjoy this time together and make a date out of it! Plan dinner afterwards and celebrate!!
Outfit Inspiration
LOGISTICS:
- We love shooting at gorgeous locations. We recommend two locations max for engagements. A general rule of thumb is the more locations and outfits, the less images but the more variety you’ll have!
- We can do sunrise sessions if necessary! We require sunrise shoots for those who want to take portraits in a very crowded location like downtown Dallas.
- We love to travel to our shoots! However, if we have never been to your desired location, we may need some advice for where to park!
Winter Dec-Mar 3-5 PM During December through Mid-March you can plan on your engagement session taking place around 3-5pm. However, the time changes in Mid-March and so that will make the start time one hour later.
Summer Jun-Aug 6:30-8:30 PM
Summer engagements, just like all engagements, take place two hours before sunset. This will hopefully mean that the shoot will be during the cooler part of the day.
Spring Apr-May (Varies)
The sunset time drastically changes throughout the course of these two months and so our shooting times change as well. You can plan on approximately 5:30-7:30 in April and 6:00-8:00 in May.
Fall Sep-Nov (Varies)
The sunset time changes drastically during these three months. In Sep, you can plan on 5:30-7:30 until the third week and then you can plan on 5:00-7:00 until Mid- Oct. After the first week of Nov, 3:00-5:00pm.
PREPARING YOUR GROOM
If you’re a bride that is a little anxious about how your groom is going to react to this whole “picture” thing, you’re not alone. We receive so many emails from brides who are worried that their groom won’t be into it and I have great news for you.... you both are more photogenic than you think! We are constantly surprising couples by discovering their hidden modeling skills and our most common response from our Grooms is “That wasn’t as bad as I thought! It was actually fun.”. Boom! Mission accomplished! When the groom says that taking pictures was FUN, we have done our job well! Your engagement session is supposed to be fun and relaxed and not forced or awkward. As you prepare for your shoot, there are a few things that you can do to help your groom know what to expect.
First of all, I highly recommend sitting down with your guy and showing him 2-3 of your favorite engagement sessions that I have photographed. Spend some time together scrolling through a few blog posts, this will allow him to gauge what his expectations should be. I also recommend that you allow for plenty of time to get to your shoot! There is nothing worse than when a couple shows up late and they have been arguing in the car! That is definitely going to put your groom in a bad mood! Last but not least, remember to have patience with him and don’t assume that he’s not going to have a good time... I think you’ll be surprised how much you will both enjoy your session with us!