Yay! You're wedding planning is on a roll and you've booked your wedding photographer, next up.. engagement session! This is such a fun time. You get to know your photographer, who is essentially your third wheel on wedding day, and they're so much fun.
Here are some tips that I've come up with after three years of having engaged couples in front of my camera, enjoy!
Tip #1 Schedule your trial makeup/hair appointment for engagements
Typically your hair/makeup artist will include or allow a trial to be done. Use this on the day you schedule your engagement session so you get use of that makeup and hair, rather than heading home to wash it off. It will also allow you to see what your makeup looks like in photo, typically you'll want makeup done a little extra compared to normal life, and in photo, it looks less dramatic, so its a great trial run for both purposes.
Tip #2 Bring two outfits
I love a flowy dress and more dressy wear, but also a fun outfit. Think jeans and cute top.. shoulder rides are hard in a dress ;) It all depends on your personalities and what you think you will essentially want from your engagement session, but keep the possibility of two outfits in mind.
Tip #3 Turn it into a date day
Enjoy dinner afterwards and have FUN. This should be a preview to what working with your photographer will be like on wedding day, and you want to enjoy this time. Even if pictures really aren't your thing, think of how fun it will be looking at these pictures in the hallway ten years from now, you'll want fun memories to go along with them, not stressed out ones.
Tip #4 Location matters!
Where you choose to take your engagement photos absolutely matters! Your photographer should give you some sort of location guide, or be able to provide locations based off of what you want. Beaches are a hot spot for Southern California couples but be mindful of when you're scheduling these, May-July brings gloomy weather that you may want to avoid. Think about what kind of location embodies who you are and what you love as a couple. Are you more into something classy or urban, lets skip the beach and go downtown or to a rooftop parking garage. The possibilities out there are endless so don't settle on something you aren't going to love hanging in your house or displayed at your wedding.
