How to Plan for Your Engagement Session | St. Louis Engagement Photographer
They popped the question (or maybe both of you did)! You’re really excited to get those engagement photos of your dreams to cerebrate this time in your lives. I mean, who wouldn’t be?
And then you’re like… Wait. What do we wear? Where do we get the photos done? When should we do them? Should we bring our dog? (The answer is yes)
Don’t worry, I’ve got you. Here’s how to plan your engagement session in St. Louis and beyond.
THE WHEN
The first thing I always recommend to my couples is to think about what season they would ideally like to take their engagement photos in. Love the changing leaves? Let’s talk late fall (for a St. Louis engagement session). Have a snowball fight in mind? Let’s do winter and get some hot cocoa after. Are you beach bums? Summer is for you!
Of course, you have to consider when you’re getting married and what seasons are in between now and then. You also have to consider if you want to use these photos for your Save the Dates and/or invites. If so, take into account the turnaround time for your photographer to edit them (for me it’s about 4 weeks) and the time it will take for you to order and send your Save the Dates or invites.
Okay, but… When is the best time of the day to do my photos?
Good question, friend! There is no wrong time to do your photos, but the BEST time (if you’re doing any outside) is about an hour and a half to two hours before sunset. This will ensure you get that dreamy light during “golden hour.”
THE WHERE
I recommend to my couples to get their photos done in two locations.
First, pick somewhere or something meaningful to you or feels like you. Do you ride motorcycles? Let’s go to the top of a tall parking garage and bring those babies with us. Are you Netflix and chill people? Let’s go to your house (or a cute Airbnb if you don’t want to clean), you two can snuggle and have a popcorn fight. Did you have your first date at a brewery? Let’s go grab some beers there.
The second location can be anywhere you can get some bomb-ass photos. Not sure? Ask your photographer, they can help. Think about if you want something more urban or nature-y to narrow it down a bit. And be open to what your photographer suggests! It may seem out-of-the-box, but they have an artistic eye and may come up with something you would’ve never thought of on your own!
THE WEAR
See what I did there? 😉
What you wear to your engagement shoot is probably one of the most important things! I recommend two outfits:
- Something more relaxed, like you’d wear on a casual date
- Something fancy you feel like a badass in
I recommend sticking to more neutral colors and/or earth/jewel tones. You want to avoid: neons/extra bright colors, busy patterns, thin stripes or mesh (they can warp on camera), large logos, baseball caps, and transition lens glasses. All of these things can be distracting in the photo.
Do make sure that you like the way you look in both outfits from every angle! You don’t want to be limited to only liking the photos from the front or side of you. Also, make sure you two coordinate, but don’t match. If you aren’t sure – reach out to your photographer. I always offer for my couples to text me photos of their engagement photo outfits so I can give them honest advice.
IN CONCLUSION…
Choose locations and outfits that represent you two as a couple. Get your ring(s) cleaned so they’re shiny and bling-y the day of your shoot. Be prepared to be open minded. I might ask you to do some things that are goofy, but I guarantee they will look good on camera. I want you to have photos that looks carefree, happy, and intimate. We don’t want that stiff prom pose! (Don’t worry, I will get one or two that are classic poses). So I might ask you to run, jump, whisper in each other’s ears, fake laugh, etc. My job is to make sure look great… and I will tell you exactly what you need to do!
