Your engagement session is quickly approaching and it’s a flurry of excitement (and probably a little bit of freaking out about what to wear) leading up to it.  But don’t worry, I’m here to save the day with a few tips on how to prepare for your first time in-front of the camera with some engagement session tips.

CLEAN YOUR RING

I’ll be photographing your gorgeous ring that your fiance (or you) so meticulously picked out.  So make sure to take it in and have it shined up so every little bit of everyday dirt or buildup from hairspray, lotions, etc. is gone.

SPLURGE ON HAIR & MAKEUP

I’m going to give you the go ahead to splurge on yourself here.  What feels better than knowing that your hair & makeup look amazing?  Not much, not only will it give you a bit of a trial run for the wedding day makeup, it will boost your confidence which will make you glow for your session.  TIP:  False lashes will open your eyes and give them an extra pop.

Makeup Artists I Recommend:  Blue Eye Studio  |  Heather Trachsel  |  Makeup by Taylor  |  Dustin Langel

ARRIVE EARLY

We only have a few short hours before the sun is set and we want to soak up all of the buttery evening light that we can because we specifically timed your session for that light.  Please arrive early, leave 15 minutes before you think you need to and stick to it.  I want you to feel relaxed & enjoy your time – so pad your time a little.

HAVE A VIEWING PARTY

I highly recommend that you take me up on this one!  Sit down with your fiance the week of your session and view a few of your favorite engagement sessions from my blog together – for even 5 minutes.  This will prep you for the experience you will have and the amount of images we will take in our time together.

Here are a few to get you started:   Nora & Cory  |  Amber & Dillon  |  Trina & Nolan  |   Susan & Alex

DON’T WORRY

Let me let you in on a little secret: everyone and I do mean everyone gets nervous before the session.  Nervous if their outfits are alright, nervous if their fiance will smile, nervous about being in-front of a camera.  But, let me tell you that after we are together 20 minutes you will let some of that nervousness loose and it will feel alright.  I promise I won’t make you do anything crazy and that your images will be gorgeous.

OUTFIT INSPIRATIONNeed a bit of help with your outfits?  Don’t fear… I have a few resources for you to peek at.  Feel free to send me an email with photos of your outfits paired together, too!  I can help you with the style portion.  But here are some tips, too!

Here’s my inspiration, click the photo or the link below to head to my Pinterest board where I save all things engagement session outfit inspired!

See the inspiration here!

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• Plan at least TWO outfits, no matter what. While you think you may not need more than one, I always suggest to so that you have variety AND that if you end up not loving an outfit, you have an extra one on hand.  One dressy and one more casual.
• Neutral, tan, light pink, dusty blue, cream, grey & white = AMAZING. Pick colors that will be timeless and that aren’t flashy.  Blend together and coordinate but do not match.
• Soft & feminine = add a skirt or dress. I always highly recommend that you choose a dressier option for one of your outfits.  A long flowy maxi skirt or dress in chiffon will create beautiful movement in your images.
• No shorts or tennis shoes. 
• Coordinate rather than match.  If you are wearing a white lace top with dark blue skinny jeans, pair your fiance in a shirt that pulls some of the dark blue and white into it with stripes or design.  Make sure that your patterns aren’t smaller than a dime in size.
• LOVE your outfit.  Make sure that you love your outfits and feel confident and comfortable in them.  If you don’t it will show, guaranteed.  So make sure they fit well, are ironed and you have the correct undergarments to go along with it.
• Clean hands & fresh polish. Make sure you and your fiance have clean & tidy fingernails (toes, too if they’ll show).  A fresh & neutral polish is always a must (hey another reason to go pamper yourself).

More questions?  Send me a note!  I’m happy to answer them!