If you're reading this it means some champagne is in order! Congratulations on your engagement and the start of this new chapter for you and your partner. There are so many details to take care of now as your plan your wedding (or elopement!) So, let's get started with the basics for your session. Doing these 4 little things to prep yourself and your new fiance for your engagement session can take you from totally frazzled to cool as a cucumber when it comes time for your big day.
1. Simplify Your Outfits
I know, you're probably going "But Sarah! These are important photos! Shouldn't I go all out!?" Well first of all, yes these are important photos, but that doesn't mean you have to dress up too much! What I tell all my couples going into their engagement shoot is to choose nice but SIMPLE patterns and colors. You want your love to be the highlight of the day, not what you're wearing. For a more feminine look, this might mean a pastel-colored floral dress or skirt with a solid top. For a more masculine look, this probably looks like solid color pants and a button-down, maybe with a moderately sized pattern somewhere between a dime and silver dollar size is a good rough estimate. If the pattern is too small it looks fuzzy on camera and can be more distracting than anything. Lighter colors like pastels, light blues or teals, grays, and whites tend to photograph more romantically and give a light and dreamy air to your images. Bonus tip: avoid having BOTH of you wear white tops, otherwise your images can lack contrast.
I also have my couples bring an extra outfit to our engagement sessions, one that's more formal and one that's more casual, that way you can get a lot of variety in your shots and use them for whatever purpose you wish! I will say though, that if you want to go "all-out" on anything, splurge and use this as an opportunity to get your hair and maybe your makeup done professionally! Treat yourself a bit, and know that it will pay off in confidence in front of the camera!
2. Clean that ring!
This might seem like a no-brainer to some, but I actually FORGOT to do this for my own wedding day! For both your engagement AND your wedding you'll want that beautiful ring of yours to sparkle a little extra! It's going to be getting up close and personal with the camera a LOT, so take a few minutes to soak it in some warm water with a mild detergent, or pop by a local jeweler and get it cleaned with their ultrasonic cleaners! (I even bought my own on Amazon for about $30!) Trust me, you won't regret taking the time to clean off the dirt and lotion and all the other stuff that builds up from just daily wear.
3. Do A Preview Party
Lots of couples come into the engagement session with some nerves, which is totally normal! But if you're at all like me, having a good idea of how your day is going to go can help you to chill out just a bit more. I find that often there's one partner who knows a bit more about what they're getting into and what they want, so take a few minutes together to scroll through some of my galleries, or even just Pinterest to get an idea for the kind of photos you'll be getting. You don't have to know all the poses, or how to make a "model face", but just knowing what you might be expected to do can be really helpful mental preparation, and when you're calm in front of the camera it really shows! Even if you don't get a chance to d this though, don't sweat it too much! It's my job to tell you how to stand and where to look and when to smile, so don't put a ton of pressure on yourself.
4. Take a Deep Breath
Whew! Planning a wedding is crazy and you've got a million things going on, I totally get it! But just take a second and remember why you're doing this in the first place: You're in Love! If you take a deep breath and focus on loving the person in front of you everything else will fall into place. I promise that when you enjoy yourself and use your session as an opportunity to love on your fiance (So FUN to Say that!) the photos come out beautiful. We're all here to celebrate you and the love you've found in this crazy world, so breathe in... breathe out... and enjoy.
Bonus Tip!
Look at my Pinterest Board of engagement style inspiration before picking out your outfits! Work smarter not harder, and adapt what you see to suit YOUR style.