Engagement Session Guide
Choosing the perfect time, location, outfit and more!
Table of Contents
ENJOY THIS PROCESS!!
I hope you are just as excited as I am, but if not it’s totally normal to feel nervous. I think having an engagement session is so important for so many reasons, so get ready to have some fun together!!
SEE ALSO: 8 Reasons to have an engagement session
What are some of the reasons to have an Engagement Session?
Get to know each other better.
Practice makes perfect.
Save the dates and social media.
This only happens ONCE!
Steps for Engagement Session
Read the Engagement Session Guide
Schedule Date for Engagement Session
Fill out the Engagement Questionnaire
Pick Out Outfits
Start Here | Bonding Opp
Think about your Top 10 things you love doing with your fiance. Big things, little things, simple things, extra things. These can be things, places, activities, people etc.
but they should all be things that bring you so much joy, and make you feel like the best version of yourself.
Seriously, WRITE DOWN a list and save it for later!
Ice cream
Good food
Hiking
Your family
New experiences
This list will help you make your Engagement Session UNIQUE + Fun!
Your dog
Hot tubs
Cooking together
Drinking coffee in the morning
Bonfires
Example Engagement Session Timelines
You can Google “Sunset for June 8th, 2024” online to determine the scheduled sunset for the date and location you’d like to do your session. Then, just subtract 1.5 hours to figure out your approximate session start time.
When scheduling your date, it’s important to remember that the sun sets much earlier during the colder months of the year and much later during the warmer months, so make sure to factor that in when choosing your engagement session date –– especially if you’re taking off work or have evening plans afterward.
I always recommend going out for a fun date night afterward since you’re already dressed up! My weekends fill up fast and far in advance, but my weekdays are much more flexible. So if you’d like to do your session sooner rather than later, scheduling mid-week is the way to go!
Picking the Location
If you're out here getting engagement photos done just to have pretty pictures for a save the date, you're doing it wronggggg. There needs to be a connection and a meaning behind your session.
You're probably thinking "duh, we love each other Julie!" BUT I want you to look at your photos and remember this season of life that you're in. I want you to see it and FEEL something.
Your friends and family will look back on your gallery and say "Oh my gosh, these are so YOU GUYS." There's no such thing as a cookie-cutter couple. Everyone connects differently, and this session is a perfect chance to put that into practice before your wedding day.
So when we're trying to pick out the perfect location for your engagements, make sure that it's in your heart.
Whether it's a place that holds sentimental value to you or somewhere you're dying to see together for the first time.
That alone will help a million times more than me sending you a list of cute parks that I've shot in a million times over.
NO idea is “too silly” but here are some ideas to get you started:
Book a Cute Airbnb: Find a unique one and there ya go! Perfect excuse for a mini vacation!
Where they Proposed: What better way to capture an engagement than the place it all started!
Doing your Favorite Activity: You both enjoy checkers. What better way to capture your personality than in the heat of game play, the agony of defeat, or the comedy contemplating your next move!
Where you First Met: Going back to the beginning is a marvelous memory.
Consider a Hobby: What hobbies do you share?
With Pets: TOTALLY allowed, bring them!
Favorite Skyline: A good example, Detroit! <3
Downtown Urban: Fun and Funky, photos in alleyways, or undiscovered locations in your area make for a more intimate view of the city. Maybe you love urban art?
Amusement Park: Nothing says fun like a Tilt-A-Whirl to go with your whirlwind romance.
Romantic Beach: In the morning, evening or any time of day, the sea meets an endless sky for a feeling of forever. Can we say sunset photos!!
Favorite Coffee Shop: Quirky and cozy, local mom and pop shops are a great way to take a quick break to refuel and to catch some local, architectural shots with you in the process.
Location Based: Make it an adventure and let’s go to a national park, a landmark or waterfall.
Camping: LOVE camping (me too!) …or maybe even glamping? S’mores and snuggle by a fire, rent those cool igloo looking things under that stars!
Maybe even Home: …and sometimes, the best place is right at home. Whether we are cooking up dinner, baking cooking, snuggling on the couch to your favorite movie
Planning your Time
When you’re planning "getting ready" time before your session (scheduling your hair, makeup, etc.) please give yourself a lot more time than you think you'll need.
Make sure to account for things like traffic, getting lost, and parking, so you can prevent unnecessary stress, arrive a few minutes early to your session, and be ready to start on time.
We are only able to shoot when light is still in the sky, so we’ll want to take advantage of every minute we have together before the sun goes down!
Think Outside the Box
I encourage you to brainstorm unique places that you might have special access to that most people don’t. For example, maybe you (or someone you know) have access to an amazing location that would otherwise be off-limits, like a beautiful private estate, family ranch, exclusive country club or luxury resort. Maybe you love planes and traveling and know someone who has access to an airport!!
Spend a few minutes thinking about it and checking around with people in your personal and professional network. You’ll be surprised with what you come up with! If something seems out of reach, just remember:
you never know until you ask!
You can also consider Airbnb or other property rental sites. In the past, my couples have secured permission to shoot in some pretty incredible places!
PROPS/PETS/CHILDREN
What comes to mind when I say the word, “Props?” Hopefully, its not the cheesy chalkboards and random signs that you see all over Pinterest?!
Props don’t have to be cheesy! Props could be a Dominos Pizza picnic, a motorcycle, your cats, blankets, a truck/car, a campfire, a bouquet, a paddle board, etc.
If you have props you wanna incorporate, let me know and we can make sure to incorporate them in a non-cheesy way!
Want to bring your pup?
Bring someone with you to watch them after we spend about 15 minutes taking photos.
Bring bribery…err…I mean treats!
Have your pup sitter take them somewhere else to play. The last thing you want is stress because your pup is feeling uneasy, strapped to a tree, and barking at you while you’re trying to do your thing. You will thank me!
As for the kiddos, find a babysitter! Make this a whole day dedicated to just YOU TWO!! You will feel more relaxed. We will get more photos of your family on the wedding day.
How to Prepare Your Partner
Even though taking photos might not be their favorite thing YOU are!
Sometimes, partners aren’t overly excited to take photos for 1-2 hours, mostly because they don’t have an expectation of what’s to come and why it’s so important to you, which is why we recommend sitting down together for fifteen minutes to educate and empower each other.
Tell your partner why you chose me as your photographer and my style of photography. Show them your three favorite sessions that I’ve done, explain why you love the photos, and express to them how much this session means to you.
Trust me, if they love you, they will bring their A-game and light up the camera for you! The most common thing I hear, before engagement sessions, is: “Because of a bad experience in the past, they don’t like taking photos or don’t think they’ll be good at it.”
By the time we’re done, though, they can’t believe how fast it went and just how much fun they had! I promise!
What to Wear Guide
SO HERE’S THE RUNDOWN
Here are a few guidelines I’ve put together so you guys can be sure the images are focused on your guys’ love, not what you’re wearing. Full disclaimer, I don’t know anything about fashion. I wear T-shirts and Lulu leggings almost every day so there’s a hell of a good chance you’ve got better style than I do haha! This is just what I’ve found to work best from trial and error from past shoots, they’re only guidelines, not rules! You can show up wearing potato sacks and we can still make it fun!! haha
Ultimately, I want you guys to look like yourselves. Don’t feel like you HAVE to follow these guidelines. The most important thing to me is that you guys feel and look like yourselves, how you normally dress, so you can be as comfortable as possible!
A lot of people try to go shopping for new clothes for the shoot beforehand but I recommend not going that route. Bring stuff you normally wear, stuff that’s already in your closet that you love and feel yourselves in. An old band T-shirt and ripped jeans? Perfect. A lot of my couples will go shopping for “nicer” looking clothes which is totally fine, but sometimes they regret not just wearing what they feel like themselves in.
Who cares if you look back at the photos in 20 years and laugh about what you’re wearing? As long as it represents what you guys are like right now, that’s all that matters. Plus, guys are usually not all that stoked about putting on a collared ironed button-up with dress shoes if they’re used to wearing flannels and Chacos every day. Pinky promise they’ll be way more happy to be at the shoot if you don’t force an outfit he doesn’t prefer.
Make sure it makes sense
Think about the conditions and locations we are going to be shooting in and plan around it. If we are going to be hiking around the mountains, bring shoes with good grip and you won’t twist your ankles in.
If we are shooting on a sandy beach, it would look weird if you’re wearing shoes (PS heels are almost always a bad idea in most scenarios, unless you’re freakishly good at walking in them haha).
If it’s cold outside, bring lots of layers and warm clothes with wool socks and boots. If it’s going to be hot, bring clothes that can breathe more so you don’t have sweaty pit stains in the photos. Be as comfortable as you can be!
PATTERNS
Avoid big, loud, chunky, crazy patterns. The smaller or more subtle, the better! If the pattern is too loud, it will distract from your faces. Flannels are always a yes in my book (probably because I wear one every day haha)!
I usually try to avoid pairing too many patterns together because, you guessed it, it makes the photos feel a little hectic and distracting from your faces and the location. Also, be sure to iron your clothes before so there’s not huge wrinkles distracting from your faces either!
HAIR + MAKEUP
A lot of people ask me whether or not they should get your hair and makeup done by a pro. My answer is always “whatever will make you feel best, do that.” I absolutely don’t think it’s necessary whatsoever, because in my personal opinion, I would rather look like MYSELF rather than a super glammed up version of myself; especially because I wear pretty minimal makeup with a messy top knot anyways.
If you want your hair and makeup done, then definitely do it, because the most important thing is that you feel confident.
PRO TIP!
If you can, try to take the day off work and schedule your hair + makeup trial on the same day as your engagement session (with flexibility for bad weather the day of the session in case we have to reschedule) then make a date night of it after our session!
Bonus Tips
01
Get Pretty
Have your hair and makeup done by a professional. You’ll look + feel great!
02
Picture Perfect Nails
There is a HIGH chance I will shoot up close because one of those top focal points (besides your gorgeous self!) …is your ring! Match that sparklet with clean, cut, freshly painted nails!
03
Style your Outfits
Coordinate your outfits, but don’t be too matchy matchy. Solid, neutral colors are best and if you choose a pattern, play rock paper scissors to see who wins that one!
04
Make it Meaningful
Pick a location that has meaning for the two of you or just go with a backdrop you both love! I really admire when couples want what suits them best as a couple.
Let’s Talk a Little About Me
Some of the things you can expect from me:
Silly, Goofy personality
Prepare for some dirty jokes and references (It’s all for laughs + fun!)
Down to try anything
I might just try things, they won’t always work, but just have fun and roll with it!
Some of the things I hope from you:
Ready to have fun!
Open to trying things
Feeling close and I want hands ALL.OVER.EACH.OTHER!
Want to Order a Guestbook for the wedding?
HOW TO ORDER STEPS:
Receive your Online Gallery
LOVE all your photos! Choose your favorites by clicking on the “Heart”
Click Store, top right
Search for “Hardcover Book”
Design your pages with plenty of blank space for guests to sign the day of the wedding!!
MESSAGE ME IF YOU NEED ANY HELP!
TIPS: Make sure there are no empty frames, its possible it will print WITH them on the page.
One Last Note
I know I just gave you A LOT to think about! Don’t panic. Just take it one step at a time. I provided an Engagement Session Checklist for you to help you stay organized and on top of things!
But if you have any questions at any point, please know I’m here for you! If you’re deciding between two dresses and can’t commit, no problem! I’m here.
If you love two locations but can’t make up your mind, no worries! I can help with that, too. If you need a recommendation of any kind, I’m on it! Remember, I am just one email away.
At the end of the day, though, the location you choose and the outfits you wear won’t matter nearly as much as the fun we have together and the memories you make as a couple.
The style choices you make will definitely enhance your photos, but the most important accessory to bring with you is joyfulness –– which is the one that makes the biggest difference in your photos anyways.
You don’t need to have prior experience in front of the camera. Just show up with a smile and I will take care of the rest!
I hope you feel ready to have some FUN!!
Within a few days, you will receive an Engagement Questionnaire in your email.
Take a few minutes and fill it out for me so I can get to know you both a little more
and help you plan the BEST engagement session!