Engagement marks the end of a whirlwind romance and the beginning of an eternal love story...
Getting engaged is a such an exciting time in your life, you've found the one, the love of your life, and your ready to take the leap to become Mr & Mrs. Your engagement session is all about celebrating this time in your relationship, capturing the excitement, joy and anticipation of your future together. Here are my five tips for a successful engagement session...
1. Be creative! Find a way to incorporate things you enjoy into your session. Activities and props are fabulous in engagement shoots, they give you something fun and natural to do while making the shoot individual and interesting.
Do you love hiking together? Have your session out in the mountains. Are you passionate hockey fans? Tie up your skates and play an intimate game of shinny on a beautiful frozen lake. Have a fur baby? Bring them along! Dogs can be a wonderful addition to any photo shoot.
Brainstorm with your photographer. Your ideas and hobbies + their knowledge of locations and lighting = an epic, one of a kind engagement shoot that captures your style and individuality!
2. Get your hair/makeup done. Booking your hair and makeup trial for the day of your engagement session is a great idea. Getting all dolled up will you make you feel confident and beautiful in front of the camera! If you’re doing your hair and make up yourself put in a little extra time and maybe treat yourself to some new cosmetics to make you feel your best. Remember, makeup doesn't show up as much on camera so wear a little more than usual while still keeping it fairly natural. Add a little more coverage to even skin tone, maybe some false lashes to bring out your eyes but don't go crazy with dark eyeshadows or brow liner as they can make you look tired or angry.
3. Play it up with an outfit change! Can't decide on an outfit? Who says have to pick just one!?! You can start your session with a theme, for example; a glamorous dress and heels paired with a dapper suit on your man, then change into something a little more casual so you can show off the different sides of your personalities.
Avoid all black and all white, choose colours that go together/compliment each other. Staying in the same colour palette will help unify you in the images. Stay classic, avoid wording, logos and super trendy clothes that will date your photos. Adding layers and accessories to your look is also highly recommended. If you are having trouble deciding what to wear there are a ton of outfit ideas on Pinterest. Just do a quick Pinterest search of engagement sessions and you are sure to be inspired!
4. Use your engagement images for your wedding. Save the dates, wedding invites, centrepieces, guest books the possibilities are endless! You can bring props along like balloons, banners, or a custom sign with your wedding date. Let your photographer know what you are hoping to use your images for beforehand so they can help you with ideas and make sure you get everything you need.
5. Make a date out of it! Wedding planning has a tendency to get stressful. Forget about all the little things you need to do and just make this day about the two of you. Remember the reason you're doing all of this in the first place and celebrate this exciting time in your life. Get dolled up, spend the afternoon/evening creating beautiful memories and then hit the town for a romantic dinner or the bedroom for... (oh c'mon, I don't have to tell you that!)
Most importantly....Relax, have fun, be in love!