I wanted to kick off the blog with a fun post, Andy and I just had our engagement session a few weeks ago, so I’d love to share some favorites as well as tips to get the best shots! It’s hard to believe our wedding is 125 days away – it’ll be here before we know it!
First, and I think most importantly, make sure you look and feel amazing! Find outfits that ‘go together’ (but definitely don’t match), do your hair + makeup and make sure to wear cute comfortable shoes since you might be walking a bit depending on the location.
For me, I chose a white wrap dress and espadrilles because it felt very me, but also a bit bridal! I kept my makeup pretty neutral but made sure my skin would photograph well by using a light-reflecting primer and a touch more highlighter than normal. Andy wore a navy windowpane jacket and white button-down which worked well with my outfit and made him feel confident. You want to look like yourself, just a touch more glam than every day!
Location is the second most important factor to making sure you love your engagement photos! Not only should it be picturesque but hopefully the location has some meaning to you, too. We picked Washington Park in Cincinnati because it is beautiful with tons of space, but also it’s where we met on our first date so it was a cute spot to revisit for our engagement photos! There are so many great options from parks and restaurants to museums and hotels… we were somewhat limited by the whole Coronavirus situation since a lot of places were closed, but I love how they turned out!
The next two tips go hand in hand, unless you’re a professional model you should ask your photographer for direction. They will be able to tell you what looks flattering on camera and make sure you look your best! There is nothing worse than looking at what could have been a great photo and realizing your shoulders are slumped or you look slouchy.
Our photographer did a great job of guiding us with new poses and helping us get comfortable in front of the camera. Everyone has their ‘best’ angles but it was fun to try some new things too. So trust what they say and have fun with it!
Lastly, I think one of the best reasons to do engagement photos (besides having them to frame) is to use the session as a practice run for the wedding. You’re doing to see what you loved and what you didn’t… as an example, I personally don’t like photos where you’re fake laughing, it just seems a bit forced to me. We tried a few anyways, but it just confirmed I like more traditional/natural photos so that’s what we’ll try to focus on for the wedding. Now is the time to give feedback to your photographer so you’re happy with your wedding photos!
I hope this helps if you’re starting to plan your engagement session!
