6 Tips to Prepare for your Engagement Session

I’m so passionate about photographing love! I still get super pumped and excited before every engagement or anniversary session, and that feeling will never go away. I know there’s many emotions going through your mind as you head into your engagement session for the first time: “I’m so excited! Does my outfit look OK? Man, my fiance looks good! Wait…I don’t know how to pose us! Is Vanessa going to help with that? I can’t wait to see these!” Being engaged is such a precious time in your new journey together, and getting your engagement photos done is one of the most fun and excited things during the wedding planning process 🙂 Here are 6 tips to prepare for your engagement session.

Wardrobe – Most of my couples choose to bring two different outfits, one more casual and natural, and the other more fancy and dressed up. I love it when my couples choose to wear a stunning formal dress or a very sharp suit! Getting your engagement photos done only happens once, so why not celebrate by wearing something you don’t normally wear every day. On that note, my number one advice when it comes to wardrobe is, no matter what you choose, make sure you feel COMFORTABLE in what you’re wearing. If you do decide to wear a flowy gown or formal dress, make sure you FEEL like a million bucks in it! For color suggestions, I suggest selecting lighter tones and more muted shades like soft grays and pastels. By avoiding ultra-bright, bold colors, it will help bring all the attention to your faces. TIP: if our location has a lot of walking involved, bring a pair of flat shoes along with your heels, so you stay comfortable throughout our session 🙂
Clean your Engagement Ring – If you’ve seen my work, you’ll know that I LOVE to photograph your new bling! I suggest having your ring cleaned before our session so it’s extra sparkly for it’s closeup. Get ready to show that new bling off!
Hair/Makeup – Getting your hair and makeup done professionally for your engagement session is something I highly consider! How often do you get to get pampered and polished? 🙂 One tip: A lot of my past brides chose to schedule their wedding hair/makeup trial run with their stylist the day of our shoot, and it’s such a great idea!
Lighting – To get that glowy, warm light that I love, I always schedule my engagement sessions during sunrise or sunset. Sunrise is slowly becoming my favorite time to photograph my couples for many reasons: there are less crowds depending on where we go, and the early morning light is always so dreamy and warm.
Timing – This one bring me back to my last point. Arriving on time is so important! Arriving late can easily change my shooting plan. For example, if we have a sunset session scheduled to begin about 1.5 hours before the sun goes down, and you arrive 30 minutes late, that cuts into our perfect glowy light, and we won’t have our ideal time for photos. I always arrive to our shoot at least 20 minutes early to get my gear set up, make sure I can get great parking, and check out the area (if I haven’t been there in the past).
Prep your man – Most grooms are going to think that the engagement session is going to consist of just smiling at the camera, but it’s so much more that that! I’m here to capture the love you have for one another, the details, the cute little glances, and you two interacting with one another. You can prep your groom by looking over photos from my past couples, and seeing how they interact, cuddle, and nuzzle one another. Most likely, this will be your first time getting professional photos done. If you’re nervous about how to pose or feeling awkward, no sweat! Almost ALL of my couples get nervous before their shoot, it’s natural! I’m here to help guide and position you through out the entire process, no modeling experience necessary 🙂

Your engagement photo session is supposed to be a fun and exciting occasion, and I’m here to help every step of the way. I can’t wait to document this special moment between you and your fiance!