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Now that you have picked a wedding date, a photographer and a venue, you can celebrate! Those are some of the toughest decisions in wedding planning and you can cross them off your list! YAY!!!! Now on to the fun stuff.... like your engagement session! I include engagement sessions in all of my wedding packages because I truly believe that they are a VITAL part of the entire process. During your engagement session, you’ll have the chance to get to know me, experience how I shoot and how I handle posing and lighting. This session will make a HUGE impact on how the wedding day flows. I’ll arrive on your wedding day already knowing how you two interact, what your best poses are and how to photograph you in a genuine way! You will feel confident on your big day because of the great practice you had during your engagement session, and that’s how it should be!

Your engagement session can be scheduled anytime before your wedding day. I normally suggest booking it at least 3-6 months in advance to avoid stress. I shoot engagements on weekday evenings, normally from 5-7pm depending on the light and the time of the year. In the winter months, 3-5pm is a normal time frame for an e-shoot! As we start to plan for your engagement shoot, we will start brainstorming about location ideas. I LOVE it when couples pick a location that is special or sentimental to them in some way! Most locations will work, If you can’t think of anywhere specific that you would like to shoot, we can pick one of my tried and true spots. As long as the light is great, I can make ANY location look awesome! I shoot at farms, campuses, downtown alleys and even in your own home! I’m serious! Do not shy away from crazy ideas! The more creative, the better! Be sure to keep reading to find out more about outfit ideas and inspiration!

your engagement
session

pick a date!

Before we can start to plan your session location and styling we need a date! Go ahead and select one from my calendar.

the basics + what to bring

POCKETS | Empty your pockets! Literally. You don’t want to have key chains or phones showing through your pockets. (This is for the guys especially!)

TIMING | The sun sets quickly especially if your shoot is not in the summer months. The later you arrive, the less time we have to shoot! Once the sun is set, the shoot will be over.

RING CLEANING | Clean the ring! I love to shoot a few rings shots while you change outfits! The cleaner the better.

CHANGING CLOTHES | As much as I would like to say that we always have restrooms for outfit changes, more often than not, our clients do quick outfit changes in their car , or in my quick pop up wardrobe tent!

DEEP BREATHS | I’m going to help you along the way and it’s going to be a blast! Enjoy this time together, and make a date out of it! Plan a nice dinner out afterwards and celebrate!!!

PARKING FEE | This may not apply to your shoot, but you always want to plan in advance for a cash-only parking fee that we may encounter or any tolls. We’ve had instances where this has caused some stress and stress is what we want to avoid!

CLOTHING | I’ll explain this more in-depth in the next few pages but generally, our couples like to bring one casual outfit and one dressier outfit! If you’re unsure about a few pieces, feel free to bring all options and I can help you decide.

LIP COLOR & HAIRSPRAY | You may need to apply more lip color after one outfit change and a few kisses. (If you have a bold lip color, try to have a matte finish so it won’t transfer to your groom as intensly!). Hairspray and a brush will be helpful if your hair struggles in the humidity!

FLIP FLOPS | If you’re wearing shoes that are difficult to walk in but look awesome, bring some comfy shoes to change to while we walk to each shooting location!

It’s always a little intimidating to have your picture taken .... even if it’s just a photo on an iphone that is taken by a friend. We still want to look nice, and look like we’re having fun at the same time! I realize that preparing for your engagement session can be a little overwhelming. Over the next few pages, I’ll be providing tips for outfits, handling nerves and recommendations that will make your shoot the best it can possibly be!

engagement Prep

1. MYTH ONE : Avoid neutrals, they wash you out! Whoever started this myth couldn’t have been further from the truth. Sure, there are some colors that don’t work for some people, but I spent a large majority of my life believing that I could never wear neutrals and I was missing out! The truth is, neutrals are the most photogenic color for portraits. 2.

MYTH TWO : Always wear black or you won’t look thin! Sure, black is sliming, but it’s always very heavy in portraits. There is nothing wrong with black but if you’re only wearing it to look thinner and deep down you’re hoping for light and airy portraits, it may not be the best choice. 3.

MYTH THREE : You two need to match! Please, for the love of all things beautiful, please don’t try to match your significant other! Instead, try to coordinate! Coordinating is a completely different concept from “matching”. Coordination means you are usually choosing different colors that look good together but are not close to being the same. I have some more tips about this concept in the following pages. 4.

MYTH FOUR : Your location determines your style more than your outfit! False! Your outfit has way more impact than your location. Your location is just a setting in the background but you two will still be the main focus of the images. 5.

MYTH FIVE : You have to buy something new! False! If you know you look awesome in an outfit that you already have and it fits the style you want for your engagement session, that would be the a great choice!

wardrobe myths

Believe it or not, you have so much control over the outcome of your shoot and what it looks and feels like! What you choose to wear is a big decision that often causes a ton of stress beforehand. However, my hope is that with a little education, you will be able to determine style and feel you desire for your shoot and then that will make your outfit selection so much easier and less complicated! Lets start by de-bunking some very common outfit myths that a lot of people believe about what they should wear to their session!

selecting outfits + styling

1. Colors to avoid : bright reds, neons, bright oranges (they reflect color onto skin and can be difficult to edit!)

2. Avoid busy or large patterns : Patterns can draw the eye right in and become the focus of your images. Solid colors and textures are better to keep the focus on you.

3. Alternate Heaviness: If one of you is wearing very dark jeans, the other may want to wear lighter pants. If one of you is wearing a navy top, the other shouldn’t wear a dark/heavy colored top. To a certain degree, alternating the “heaviness” of your outfits can make your images look more balanced.

4. Avoid one of you being casual while the other is more dressy: This can look a bit awkward in photos. If one of you is dressed up and the other is casual, it can look a little off in your images.

5. Other things to avoid: Tennis shoes, Graphic tees, Bold logos on shirts.

things to avoid

These choices represent the three main decisions you will have to make in regards to your outfit choices. There are no right or wrong answers! Maybe you want one outfit to be dressy and the other to be casual. Maybe you want one outfit to be very light and neutral but you want to wear more color in the next outfit. These categories will hopefully help you determine what you’re hoping for in your engagement session. If you’re feeling stuck and can’t seem to determine what you prefer, that’s very normal! Here are some general “rules of thumb” when it comes to styling during an engagement session. Once you read through these, you may have a better understanding of what you perfer and you can start planning your outfits. These “rules of thumbs” are based off of my experience and aren’t concrete rules that can’t be broken. However, if you have questions about one of them in regards to what you want to wear, just email me and we can talk about what would be best! :

bold or neutral

casual or dressy

classic & trendy

deciding on your style

If you’re hoping for a more romantic style of shoot that includes long or shorter flowing dresses, you can actually make outfit choices that will lend your images to turn out, more romantic and have more movement. Here are some ingredients that go into creating a romantic styled shoot. It’s important to note that you do not need to choose all of these ingredients in order to have a romantic style to your images but the more ingredients you include, the more romantic it will be:

-Jewel or Light tones: Lighter tones lend to brighter images, bolder or jewel tones lend to more colorful images.

- Long, Flowy Skirts/Dresses: Dresses and skirts with feminine ruffles, multiple layers of fabric and the ability to blow and move in the wind will always photograph beautifully! I LOVE to play with long flowing skirts in photos! -

Khakis vs. Jeans: If you really want your images to be as bright as possible, consider having your groom wear lighter pants instead of dark dress pants or dark jeans.

Romantic styling

Looking for a more laid back and casual e-shoot? These tips will help you achieve the casual look while still looking nice for the photos!

- Rock the Jeans and Tees- Feel like yourself, only better. Grab a comfortable pair of jeans, a new tee, or a comfy sweater and get cozy!

- Accessorize and layers: A lot of times, if my couples are going for a casual look, the accessories and layers make the outfit. Add a fun hat, a sweater or jacket, some fun bracelets!

- Only one pattern: I suggest that only one of you have a patterned clothing item and the other stay in a solid neutral to avoid over-doing it!

casual styling

winter

spring

summer

Timing for the seasons

fall

During December through Mid-March you can plan on your engagement session taking place around 3-5pm. However, the time changes in Mid-March and so that will make the start time one hour later.

Summer engagements, just like all engagements, take place two hours before sunset. This will hopefully mean that the shoot will be during the cooler part of the day.

The sunset time drastically changes throughout the course of these two months and so our shooting times change as well. You can plan on approximately 5:30-7:30 in April and 6:00-8:00 in May.

The sunset time changes drastically during these three months. In Sept, you can plan on 5:30-7:30 until the third week and then you can plan on 5:00-7:00 until Mid- Oct. After the first week of Nov, 3:00-5:00pm.

sept-nov varies

june-aug 6:30-8:30pm

april-may varies

Dec-Mar 3-5pm

families

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If you’re a bride that is a little anxious about how your groom is going to react to this whole “picture” thing, you’re not alone. I receive so many emails from brides who are worried that their groom won’t be into it and I have great news for you.... you both are more photogenic than you think! I am constantly surprising couples by discovering just how much fun an engagement shoot can be! After the first 15 minutes i promise you will both have your nerves settled and start to realize just how easy this is! Your engagement session is supposed to be fun and relaxed, not forced or awkward.

As you prepare for your shoot, there are a few things that you can do to help your groom know what to expect. First of all, I highly recommend sitting down with your guy and showing him 2-3 of your favorite engagement sessions that I have photographed. Spend some time together scrolling through a few blog posts, this will allow him to gauge what his expectations should be. I also recommend that you allow for plenty of time to get to your shoot! There is nothing worse than when a couple shows up late, and they have been arguing in the car! That is definitely going to put your groom in a bad mood! Last but not least, remember to have patience with him, and don’t assume that he’s not going to have a good time... I think you’ll be surprised how much you will both enjoy your session with us! AND when all else fails, pull out the bribery, promise him a nice dinner out, some cocktails and a good time ;)