Congratulations! You’re getting married! Now that you have all kinds of questions heading your way, like when is the big day? Have you picked a dress? Do you have a venue? etc. Let’s hush all of those questions for a minute and focus on you and your new fiance. I bet that still sounds weird to say. You probably just want to spend some time with your husband-to-be and share with the world your exciting news and of course that beautiful ring that your sporting these days. I know exactly how you feel. That is one reason why an engagement session is important.
An engagement session is important for a number of reasons; quality time with your fiance, beautiful photos to showcase your love, photos of your sparkly ring he picked out just for you, but it is also a time to get to know your wedding photographer and get comfortable in front of the camera before your wedding day. If you follow these 5 things, you and your fiance are set up for an amazingly successful session. Here are 5 Must Haves for an Engagement Session:
A Cohesive Look
First, try to coordinate with your fiance. This is not to be confused with matching. Please do not match with a white shirt and khakis. Coordinate means that your outfits look like they belong together and the colors compliment once another. I suggest one of you wear a solid colored top and the other more of a design top. For example, if you are wearing a classy blue dress, make sure that he is wearing something that compliments that color or even has a little bit of blue in his outfit too. My personal favorite is to include the statement color into each outfit, it just brings the two outfits together better in my opinion.
Second, consider how light or dark your clothing is and ensure that the two outfits coordinate. As a general rule, darker and lighter solid colors and pastels are going to be better than busy patterns. The focus of your photos should be you and not a busy pattern. You could also wear a more casual fun outfit and then change into a more classy uptown outfit for variety. Keep it light, simple and classy. Classy never goes out of style.
A Little Sparkle
I feel like a preacher at times when I suggest to layer and accessorize! That little extra sparkle can pull your whole look together! Statement necklaces, bangles, bracelets, rings, ear rings are so much fun and look great! Ladies, a statement necklace, a pair of matching earrings or a set of shiny gold bracelets can take an outfit from gorgeous to BAM! And for the men, sometimes a nice Fossil watch or even a handsome pair of dress shoes can take his look up a notch.
I always say I want you to be the best version of yourself on your engagement session, just like you want to look your best on your wedding day! These are the photos you will want to put on your wall! We still want you to be you. But we want you to be the version of you two that dresses up a little bit to go out on a special date! And a little bling can be an easy way to take it to the next level.
A Finishing Touch
All women are beautiful with or without spending lots of time prepping. However another small touch we recommend for our brides is to set up a professional hair and make-up appointment before your session. It would be an ideal time to do a trail with your wedding day hair and make-up artists and iron out the kinks and it brings your whole look together. Now don’t get me wrong, do I think you need make-up? Absolutely not! You’re beautiful the way you are! I truly believe that! And if you know me, you know that I am not a huge make-up wearer however it does feel good to be pampered for a day and not have to stress. And I want you to look and feel your absolute best. I want you to look at your images and see an absolutely gorgeous side of yourself. A little professional touch can help you do just that.
A Genuine Guy
We all know that not everyone likes to have their photo taken, much less your guy! So when you tell them about engagement photos, don’t be alarmed if they aren’t as excited as you are. But this is important, because without your knight in shinning armor finance, you wouldn’t be doing these photos. And there is no doubt that your fiance is your best friend and the best man in the world! Keep in mind that most guys aren’t super thrilled about photos, unless your my husband who is always taking a selfie and has a camera in his face. He got to used to it but it took many years! Most guys would rather be watching football or hanging out at the house than having their photo taken and I don’t blame them. But if you ask our grooms, they will tell you that it isn’t that bad and they love the photos just as much as you do. Be gentle when asking and considerate of their lack of enthusiasm in their response but they will have a good time, I promise!
Since your fiance is the best man in the world, and he would do anything for you, be sure to sit down with your guy and explain the importance of these images to you and you need him all in on this for you. You need his help to make this a success for the two of you and for your memories. Since he has already asked you to be his wife, chances are good that you can convince him and he may even surprise you and be overly excited and bother you with a million questions on his outfit and how his hair looks!
A Lot of Fun
If all of the other items above are taken care of, then this one will be no problem. You won’t have anything to worry about. I will take it from there! When you show up to your engagement session, just be ready to have some fun. Relax because it is just another day in your love story. The more relaxed and open minded the better because your true sheer happiness will show in your photos. Be ready to try some new things that will make you laugh but will look amazing.
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