You’ve picked a date, a photographer and probably a venue as well – time to celebrate! Those are some of the toughest decisions in wedding planning and you just crossed them off your list! Hooray!! Now, on to the fun stuff…. like your engagement session! We encourage all our couples to book an engagement session because we truly believe that they are a VITAL part of the photography experience. During your engagement session, you’ll have the chance to get to know us, experience how we shoot and how we handle posing and lighting. We lovingly refer to them as “training sessions” because they give us a chance to teach you all the tips and tricks that will make your wedding day portraits a breeze AND up your “selfie” game at the same time. When we arrive on your wedding day we’ll feel like a couple of old friends who happen to have brought along our cameras and we’ll know exactly how to document your love story in the most natural and comfortable way.

We are so excited to photograph your engagement session! We want you guys to have fun and get tons of awesome images during your time with us. We’ve put together some FAQs that will help you prepare and get the most out of the experience.

WHEN SHOULD WE SCHEDULE?

Your engagement session can be scheduled anytime before your wedding day. We normally suggest booking at least 3 months in advance to avoid stress and give you time to use the final, edited images in your wedding day decor. You’ll want to book earlier if you plan to use them for your “Save the Dates” which are typically sent out 4-6 months before your wedding day.

HOW LONG DOES THE SESSION TAKE?

We tell our clients to allow about 90 minutes for an engagement session. We typically kick things off about an hour before sunset and shoot for about half an hour after the sun goes down. Once we have a date on the calendar we can recommend a specific time frame. We’ll spend time walking around together to get a variety of shots with different back grounds. Overall, we like to be able to take our time and have fun together – you’ll have plenty of time to relax in front of the camera and we’ll have plenty of time to get to know you guys even better.

WHERE SHOULD WE TAKE PHOTOS? 

As you start to plan for your engagement shoot, we will need to start to brainstorming about location ideas. We LOVE it when couples pick a location that is special or sentimental to them in some way! If you can’t think of anywhere specific that you would like to shoot, we have lots of favorite spots and can help you decide on the perfect backdrop based on the type of aesthetic you’re looking for. As long as the light is great, we can make ANY location look awesome!

CAN WE INCLUDE OUR PETS?

Yes! We are open to including pets during an engagement session, but as they are a bit unpredictable we ask that a family member or friend come along to help look after them. We suggest that we include the pet during the first half an hour of the session and then the family member or friend can take them back home so we can spend the rest of the time focused on you without any distractions.

WHEN WILL WE GET TO SEE OUR PHOTOS?

About two weeks after your engagement session, we’ll post a preview of your photos on the blog. We encourage you to forward the link to family and friends and share your images with others. There’s even a comment section under each post where people can leave you messages. The rest of the photos will be edited within four weeks and put into an online gallery where you can download them, share them on Facebook or purchase prints. If you’re looking to use the images for your Save The Dates and you’re running into a time crunch, we’d be happy to make the preview images available in your gallery early on so you’ll be able to download the images you need while we work our magic on the rest.

WHAT SHOULD WE WEAR?

This is always the biggest question in people’s minds! Our advice first and foremost is to wear something that reflects YOUR personality and style! You’ll be looking at these photos for the rest of your lives so putting some thought into what you’ll be wearing in them is a MUST. Good or bad outfit choice can make a big difference in how much you love your photos. No matter what you wear, we’ll do our best to give you direction that will help you look your very best, but it’s also important that you wear something you feel and look good it.

Here are a few general tips:

– Choose two outfits each to create variety – Most couples choose one more formal outfit (such as a dress or skirt for gals and a button down shirt for the guys) and one more casual outfit (like jeans and a more casual top). Just make sure the level of formality between you matches so you don’t end up with a girl in an evening dress and guy in shorts and a t-shirt. Ha ha! We recommend starting things out with the more casual outfit first!

– Coordinating vs. matching colors – Wearing different shades of the same color looks great in photos, but an exact match can be problematic! When both people wear the same color (especially black) and stand close together, they kind of look like a big blob. The “blob” look is not really flattering for anyone so we recommend you avoid wearing the exact same color.

– Wear something that flatters you – For example, many women don’t love their upper arms. Because of this, sleeveless tops/dresses tend not to photograph as well. Keep this in mind for other parts of the body too. If you love it – flatter it! If you hate it, do your best to choose clothes that will minimize it.

– Choose something you can move in – Make sure you’re comfortable sitting in and moving around a bit in any outfit you choose. There’s a good chance you’ll even be sitting on the ground at some point, so be prepared for the possibility.

– Patterns can be tricky – It’s a good idea to avoid tops that have a really strong pattern that would draw a lot of attention away from your face. For example: plaid shirts are great, but smaller plaid patterns sometimes look off when photographed so it’s better to choose a large pattern over a small one. Also, if one of you wears something with a lot of pattern, choose a solid for the other person so the image doesn’t get to busy.

– Accessories are encouraged – Not only are your clothes important, don’t forget to think about your accessories too! Everyone looks more put together with some fun extra pieces to add character – cute jewelry, a flowing scarf or a snazzy watch for the guys. These details will definitely show up in your images so be prepared to express your style.

– Make shoes a priority – Make sure you pick shoes you LOVE the look of, even if they aren’t something you’d wear for everyday. We will be doing some walking ladies, so if you’re rockin’ some awesome heels (which we LOVE) we also encourage you to bring along some comfy flip flops or athletic shoes to move in between locations if you think you may have a hard time walking long distances in the fancy ones. Obviously, you wouldn’t normally wear heels to hike through the desert or the forest, but it IS a photo shoot so we think it’s ok to stretch the bounds of reality just this once. Ha ha!

– Don’t be afraid to get FANCY – You’re only going to take engagement photos once, right? So don’t be afraid to step outside the norm and go a little more formal (at least for one outfit.) If you’ve ever dreamed of photos in a gorgeous gown like the ones you see on the red carpet – DO IT! And if you’re the kind of gal who doesn’t want to spend money on a dress that she can’t wear everyday, we highly recommend you check out Rent the Runway. You can pay a fraction of the price and get an amazing, designer dress for your session without the guilt of spending a months rent on something that will collect dust in your closet. Long dresses photograph beautifully and just so happen to be some of our favorites.

– Get your hair and makeup done – This one is totally optional of course, but every woman feels like the very best version of herself with a little help from the pros. It’s also a perfect opportunity for a trail run with the make up artist who will be working with you on the big day.

ANYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD KNOW?

– Empty your pockets! Literally. You don’t want to have key chains or phones showing through your pockets. (This is for the guys especially!)

– BE ON TIME! The sun is only out for so long ! The later you arrive, the less time we have to shoot! And nobody wants that!

– Clean the ring! We love to shoot a few rings shots while you change outfits! The cleaner the better!

– Relax! You don’t have to be a pro at this! We are going to help you along the way and it’s going to be a blast! Enjoy this time together and make a date out of it! Plan dinner afterwards and celebrate