Engagement Session Tips: What To Know When Booking + What to Wear
Engagement Sessions. One of our absolute favorite ways to spend time with our couples before the Wedding Day! Why? Because this isn’t just a “reason for Save the Date photos”. This is likely one of the few (or only!) times you will be photographed professionally, NOT in your wedding attire! And who doesn’t want incredible images of you looking your best in some of your favorite outfit styling?
Before we get into how to have a gorgeous & successful session, let’s start with…
“Do you need an Engagement Session?”
The answer is almost ALWAYS a resounding HELLLL YES!
The reason we say this isn’t to sell you on add-ons or things you don’t need, but it’s simply a fact: Practice Makes Perfect! If you two have only been photographed for headshots or school photos, you absolutely need an Engagement Session. If you only have 1 go-to pose that you do every time a camera comes out, you need an Engagement Session. If you feel that one or both of you are awkward in front of the camera, are anxious in general, or just have no idea what to do with your hands, you guessed it - you need an Engagement Session!
During your Engagement Session, it’s an incredible opportunity to learn what directions and posing works best for you, your body types, your height differences, and your general vibe as a couple. You’ll walk away with new poses you can do whenever someone pulls out a phone or camera on you! But on top of that, a session is an amazing opportunity for us to get to know what prompts and poses work best for you! We will see how traditional or how editorial or funky we can push you, if one of you is extra nervous we can see that and help you to let go, and it truly helps us to know what your chemistry is like as a couple so we know the best ways to work with you!
3 things you can work on to look AMAZING during your shoot:
“The Three C’s”: Confidence, Comfort, Chemistry”
Confidence:
While Shannon does have her degree in Psychology, with only an hour or two with you, it can sometimes be hard for us to help you feel confident if you don’t prep yourself for your session! One of the first easy ways to get yourself amped up is to practice being CONFIDENT. Even if you’re typically not!
A lack of confidence can translate in images, but with positive self-talk, drinking lots of water the weeks leading up, getting plenty of rest, taking care of yourself with maybe a spa treatment, and choosing an outfit that makes you feel as hawt as you truly are, can really help so much!
Comfort:
Listen, we get it. You’re normally probably not out in your daily life, surrounded by strangers with a camera in your faces. And that’s okay! But the best way to not look awkward as heck in your images? Just forget about it! Relax your shoulders, extend your neck, be into each other, do things with intention, and don’t be afraid of what anyone else around may be looking at or thinking. Who cares? You’re with us and we think you’re the hottest thing since that time we all took a bite of a pizza roll too fast out of the microwave.
Chemistry:
Every couple is different. Some don’t like PDA typically, some are all over each other, and many land somewhere in between! But we can’t stress enough: to get the outcome you want, which normally ranges between fun and funky to chic and romantic images…it’s so important that you make sure you are in a good place and can connect with each other. When you’re at home, hug each other a little more, kiss each other a little more, look into each other’s eyes for more than 2 seconds. Intimacy isn’t something that can be faked, and the more chemistry that’s already there, the easier it is to create the most gorgeous and authentic images!
So now that we’ve talked about what you can each do to ensure an amazing session within yourselves and with each other, what else REALLY matters when planning an Engagement Session? Well, everything. :)
But here are the TOP 7 things you should know and prepare for when planning your session with us!
#1: It’s important that you BOTH care
Listen my dudes, we loooove our Grooms! But if there’s ever one person in a couple that we can tell isn’t excited to be there, it’s usually when a Bride brings a Groom that thinks the whole thing is stupid, or is just super uncomfortable! But guys, we’ve got you!! We don’t want to spend our time taking “dumb photos” either. We are literally here to make you look good…LET US!
#2: Where we shoot matters!
Where we shoot your session is the canvas that we are painting onto. On top of that, it dictates the kind of look/aesthetic/vibe we can achieve! For example, if you plan to dress up, want your makeup to be perfect the entire time, and not a hair out of place, the beach is NOT for you! But if you plan on wearing super cute casual clothes, or a flowy dress, with hair we can toss around and make look dreamy AF? Then that type of location could work! So keep in mind that when we suggest locations, it’s not just based on whether the Google images look pretty (we can make awesome images anywhere!). We base it on whether YOU would look good there, taking into account weather/wind/lighting, and the potential that we know we can create somewhere!
#3: When we shoot affects the look of your images
Our favorite times to shoot are leading up to sunset, or right after sunrise! Why is this? Well, in Florida we have fairly clear skies (part of why photos in California are so dreamy…it’s literally the smog filtering the harsh light! Both gross and cute, I know!), so the light here can be very harsh and unflattering to skin during the late morning to early afternoon. However, let’s say you want a lot of funky contrast in your images, don’t have sensitivity to light, and don’t mind a little more heat, shooting a little earlier or later than we normally do can also turn out super cool! But if you’re a sweat-er, squinter, or are hoping for dreamier vibes, planning your shoot to lead up to sunset is our favorite!
#4: Think outside the box!
We have shot so many sessions on beaches and in parks at this point. And why we love them, both of those types of locations are used by eeeeveryonnnne, and we love doing something different and totally unique to you! We’d love to shoot more in downtown/city locations, in-studio, or places that have beautiful design or awesome color!
One of our favorite things to do is base an entire shoot around what you’ll be wearing, and the vibe of the session! Looking for funky or modern minimalist? We know the places. Want a dreamy shoot at a stunning historic venue like The Ringling? Yes, please! Want something cozy or artistic in a studio? We have our very own! Remember, we are creatives and can go in so many directions that you may have never thought of. Our favorite sessions and the best work we do, is when couples trust in us and allow us to guide this part of the process! You’ll likely only do this once, so let’s pull out all the stops!
#5: Spend plenty of time on choosing outfits, and *get them tailored*!
So many considerations go into what you’ll wear, and sometimes it can be overwhelming. But we are here to guide you or weigh in on what you’re considering! Some of the biggest makes we see made are:
Brides who wear something that makes them incredibly self-conscious. For example, 90% of the Brides we work with are concerned about their arms. And Shannon is the same way! But instead of going strapless and feeling uncomfortable and then disappointed in your images, go for a style that is tighter at the waist, has a flattering neckline, and perhaps a flowy long sleeve! Aren’t too excited about your legs? Don’t wear a mini dress! Uncomfortable with your waist? Don’t wear something super tight or stretchy in that area, go for an empire waist or wrap dress!
If you’re feeling a little uncomfy in your own skin these days, sizing up and then getting your dress tailored to the perfect fit on your body can make a huge difference!
And the last part, go for Quality!! While Amazon has great finds at times, many of their dresses are thin, ill-fitting, or see-through. Make sure you have multiple options from different brands so you can compare!
For the Grooms, guys we have GOT TO get you to a Tailor!! One of the most obvious and easiest things a Groom can do is to get his clothing for the shoot tailored. YES, even if it’s “just a button up”. YES, even if “but I’ve worn it before”. We have seen many an ill-fitting blazer, too-baggy pants, and ill-fitting big and poofy button-up in our day. Please take the extra time to get your items tailored, you will look and feel so much better! And that’s all we want for you! :)
#6: Practice with each other
As we mentioned above, the more you two get used to loving on each other prior to the day, the less awkward you’ll feel doing that in front of us! Practice wrapping up each other, pelvis to pelvis. Practice kissing each other for longer than 0.5 seconds. Practice holding hands, dancing, latching onto each other like Koalas, etc.! We promise it will help you so much for your session!
#7: Hair & Makeup
Okay, so we need to have a talk about this because we’ve seen some things! On the one hand, yes absolutely we recommend getting professional hair and makeup done for your session.
However, as we mentioned above in the location section, not all hair is right for all people in all sessions. For example, you may hear that it’s a good idea to get your hair and makeup trial done on the same day as your session. And that can be both an awesome idea and a terrible one!
On the one hand, you’re saving a little bit $. On the other hand, the way you may be doing your hair on the day, may be wayyy too formal for the session you’re about to have! Also remember, the hairstyle you’ll have on the day, is meant to last 8-12+ hours.
We’ve found this can create super crispy ringlets for your session, which can look overstyled, and doesn’t really allow us to move you and get those amazing candids when we’re worried about every strand of hair being in place.
We recommend you follow the vibe of the where and what you’ll wear to your session. If you’re wearing something casual, go for a more voluminous non-tight style so we can gorgeous images of the wind in your hair. Or, consider a chic updo that can maybe even be taken down mid-session! If your look is an old hollywood vibe in the studio, a gorgeous perfect vintage wave looks incredible, but on a windy beach? No way!
Keep these things in mind, and prepare yourself for the elements but in a way that doesn’t look out of place! When the whole shoot works in harmony, that’s when we are able to create together the most stunning and “pinterest-worthy” shots!
And a last, kinda extra tip: Consider having your hair/makeup artist come to your session! This is especially for my Type-A, worried, extra-anxious perfectionist Brides! Don’t pretend you’re “laid-back” if you’re not. Take the extra time to consider having a pro onsite to make hair or makeup adjustments and changes if you’re concerned with anything looking out of place! We can fix little things here and there, but we are in two totally different professions…they are the experts! :)