Congratulations! You’re engaged! It’s time to capture in photos the happiness, the, joy, the romance of your extraordinary love at this moment in your life together as a couple. And in this blog post, I'll share with you some of my favorite engagement photo ideas: location, what to wear so that you'll have an engagement session full of photographs that you will love!
It’s time to capture in photos the happiness, the joy, the romance of your extraordinary love at this moment in your life together as a couple.
Like a work of art, an engagement photo session can be timeless and true to you.
1. Choose a location for your engagement photos that means something special to you as a couple.
Your love story is a journey, your engagement session can be an adventure. Think outside of the box, faraway landscapes and styling that is unique to you as a couple.
You can travel the globe or stay close to home. Today’s engagement sessions are full of life and adventure.
Maybe it’s somewhere you’ve been together as a couple or maybe it’s a new location that has all the things you love to do as a couple –
- a white-sandy California beach
- or the dry, dreamy desert of Palm Springs
- under an urban backdrop with city lights like Rome
- a far-away Island like Kauai
- a quaint winery in Tuscany.
You want to embrace the personality of the location. Picture you and your fiancé there to determine if it’s a good match for you.
Consider this when scouting for a location:
- What memories do you attach to a certain place?
- What weather makes you feel most energetic?
- Do you prefer to be surrounded by people or venture off the beaten path?
- Does traveling and exploring a foreign country sound exciting? Like Mexico Paris or maybe Capri?
As for the time of day for best photos, you should let your photographer choose the ideal time as light is very important for beautiful photographs.
Each location is different: it could be sunrise or it could be sunset.
2. Fashion – What to wear?
What do you look and feel good in? Does it blend with the location?
It wouldn’t make sense to wear Tux to the beach or board shorts in the heart of Rome.
You want to allow your chosen location to help you decide what to wear.
Remember, for your photographs to be timeless works of art, skip the trends and choose something elegant and enduring.
Send your photographer pictures of outfits you’re thinking about wearing so she can give you advice on what works best with the camera.
Look for some inspiration in the environment of your chosen location. Or you can create a Pinterest board with your favorite outfits.
Then, consider the colors, textures and movement of your clothes. Ideally, you should choose 2 to 3 coordinating outfits for different looks.
3. Engagement Photo Ideas: Your Hair, Your Makeup
Hair and makeup is just as important as your clothes. How do you want your hair? If it’s long – do you want it up or down?
Do you want to do your hair and makeup yourself and have it professionally done?
This a great opportunity to schedule a trial session with a professional stylist in advance of your wedding day.
Consider these tips when choosing makeup:
- You want to look like a more polished version of you, so embrace your classic look.
- Do you have warm or cool-toned skin? Choose colors that compliment.
- Consider the weather at the location of your engagement shoot.
- Is it a misty beach, a dry desert, a breezy mountain?
- Choose long-wearing products that can help you stay fresh no matter what the weather.
4. Engagement Photo Ideas: Don’t forget to bring along props (besides the diamond ring)
Was there a special gift you gave to one another, something sentimental, a book, a shell or something else?
That can be integrated into the photo shoot. If you have a dog, you might want to include him or her.
The most important thing is to have fun and relax. You want to savor this special moment as it is an exciting time for you as a couple.
5. My final tip is when choosing a photographer, you should fall in love with their photographs and it is key that you like them as a person.
You and your partner need to feel comfortable with whoever you choose.
The more at ease you feel, the better the images will be. Ideally, your engagement photographer will also be your wedding photographer that way when your big day comes, you’ll be prepared and your photographs will be more authentic to you as a couple.
Now you have some ideas to incorporate in your engagement photo-shoot. I created a 10- page Engagement guidebook with ideas and images you can use for your e-session. They are Pro-Photo tips to help you feel beautiful and comfortable on camera - also for the guys!
Download the Engagement Guidebook and you can also subscribe to the engagement email series
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