Engagement

 session guide

engagement session guide

When was the last time you had your photos professionally taken?  I'm going to guess... probably  back in high school when you did your senior pictures.  Well, if this this the case, you're not alone!  Most of my couples haven't had their photos professionally taken in years and that's what this engagement session guide is for:  to help you prepare for the session.  

I believe engagement sessions are important because it helps you get more comfortable in front of the camera and understand how I photograph. It also gives me the opportunity to get to know you a personal level and hear your stories (I especially love hearing how people meet!).  

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things to conSIDER:  SCENERY

NO.1
Decide what scenery you'd like (i.e. nature, beach, at-home life-style, city, etc). If you're planning to use your engagement photos in your wedding invitation or save-the-date cards, consider the season. For example, if you're having a fall wedding, it makes sense to do your engagement photos in the fall so that you have a consistent theme in your communication with your guests.

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things to CONSIDER:  DRESS FOR THE OCCASION

NO. 2
Dress up! Wear something nice that will go with the overall scenery. For example, if you're doing a lifestyle engagement session at home, don't wear a form fitting dress. Instead, get into something cute and cozy where you can easily cuddle up with your fiance during the photoshoot. If you chose a beach scenery, wear something light and flowy.  Avoid matchy-matchy outfits. Instead, coordinate the outfits so that it complements each other through texture, patters and colors. See the outfit guides below for some tips!

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things to CONSIDER:  day of session

NO. 3
If you or fiance wear glasses, consider swapping them out for contact lens as glasses tend to give off a glare in photos.

Be sure to take off any hair ties from your wrists

Clean your engagement ring and nails as there will be some close-up shots of your ring

Have your fiance empty their pockets (i.e. take out any keys, wallets, phones etc) prior to the session.

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Spring

For spring engagement sessions, I love floral dresses because it adds a touch of whimsicalness to photos.  I recommend choosing your dress first and then picking out your fiance's outfit based on the colors of your dress.  Be sure to have a good balance between patterns and solid prints and try to minimize the amount of colors between the two outfits.

Summer

For summer engagement sessions, I recommend going with some pastel colors because it will pop out against the greenery and give you that light and airy look that you see on my website.  Avoid wearing too casual of an outfit (i.e. shorts and tank tops). Instead, choose pieces that are lightweight yet dressy!

Fall

Fall is my absolute favorite season of the year!  There's just something so nostalgic about fall... For fall engagement sessions, I recommend layering up and adding textures and prints.  Given the vibrant colors, I would go with more muted or neutral colors to avoid too much color contrast.  Also, please avoid wearing black as it may come off too Halloweenish.

Winter

Winters in Michigan can either be beautiful with all white snow or gloomy with absolutely no snow at all.  For winter engagement sessions, I recommend going with bold patterns that will pop out from the background.  I also love me a bold red lipstick in the wintertime just because :)

outfit guide

Here are links to some dress shops that I absolutely love for engagement sessions:

chicwish

amazon skirts

petal & pup

For men, I recommend wearing a light sweater with khakis which typically will go well with most settings.  If you want more of a more formal look, just simply add on a blazer!

kohls

gap

jcrew

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