Tips for a Dreamy Engagement Session

Planning your engagement photos is one of the most exciting parts of wedding planning!! You’ve likely already made some moves on the planning front, you’re all up in your feels, and you finally get to get some really beautiful photos of you and your partner. When it comes to your engagement photos, the world is your oyster in terms of what you can do! I pulled together some of my favorite tricks and tips for a dreamy engagement session!

Define your location

Do you envision yourself wandering through tall fields of flowers, or romping around sand dunes covered in dune grass? Or maybe you picture yourselves adventuring onto the Black Rocks? Finding a location that’s perfect for you is a big step towards amazing photos. You want to make sure you pick a spot that you’re EXCITED to visit! Some things to consider would be the time of year you are envisioning, specific scenery, are you willing to do any hiking, and of course time of day. I have a blog post about finding your perfect photo location you can check out here!

Consider the light

Your photographer will definitely talk to you about this! The best times to get dreamy, ethereal feeling photos is generally going to be when the sun is lower in the sky. That’s when you’ll get soaked in those beautiful golden hour or blue hour colors! The best times to get this kind of a mood for your photos is going to be sunrise or sunset, but keep in mind that might mean that you’ll be up pretty early or pretty late depending on the time of year!! I promise it’ll be worth it!!

Wear what’s comfortable

That probably sounds like common sense, but wearing things you are actually PHYSICALLY comfortable in is huge! You’ll most likely be running around, sitting down on the ground, and cuddling up together the entire time – so wear clothes that you can do all of those activities in without stressing! If you are constantly wearing band tees and Birkenstocks, or baggy jeans and crop tops, I encourage you wear them to your session! It’s so much better to wear things that are a reflection of who you two are than to rewrite the script and show up to your session not feeling your best. You can get that nostalgic, dreamy vibe in any outfit, but I will say that baggier/flowier clothes do tend to lend more to that feeling than wearing things that are super tight!

If you want to see more inspiration on what to wear, check out my Outfit Inspiration Pinterest Board here!

Make it lifestyle

Nothing adds more of a personal touch to engagement sessions like adding in activities that you and your partner love. There are so many activities I could list for you, but don’t be afraid to think outside of the box! You could keep it simple with packing some cute picnic supplies to share during your session, bringing your pet, riding your bikes, or cool photos with your Jeep. Or if you wanted to plan activities to have your shoot around, you could visit a flower market to make a bouquet together, visit a favorite coffee shop, or go get a cocktail at your favorite bar. Finding an activity that you both love can be a really cool way to get photos that really reflect your relationship!

Don’t be afraid to be yourselves!

Believe me, if you are reading this and you are thinking “my partner and I are too awkward in front of the camera to get photos like this” you are NOT alone! Almost every single person I’ve worked with always says that, and I promise that with the right mindset and guidance you two will have so much fun and leave any awkwardness behind. Guidance from the right photographer will take you a long way, but the other 10% is all mindset! Which is why I’m here to say be yourselves! I want you to feel empowered to be yourselves, whatever that looks like.

If you two are more the quiet and cuddly type, that’s amazing. Or if you’d rather run around and get on each other’s shoulders, that’s great too! But don’t be afraid to be yourselves!! And when it comes to guidance from your photographer, the more you embrace what they are telling you (even if it feels goofy), the more YOU your photos will be.

Find the right photographer

Another one that feels like a no-brainer, but whether it’s for your engagement session or your wedding – finding the right photographer is everything. There’s so many factors in choosing the right photographer for you! Having someone you connect with, can trust to do an incredible job, and someone to help you have an amazing experience from day 1 are all incredibly important. Those are what I’m all about when it comes to photos – so if that’s your vibe, I’m your gal! Get in touch with me to start planning your dreamy engagement session!

Contact me here!