How to prepare for your engagement session

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You have finally booked your photographer, you have the date, and now it’s time to get ready for photo day.  Yes, it can get overwhelming not knowing what to wear and what to bring. What colors would be best? Should I get my hair and makeup done? What about accessories?

Here are my top 4 tips on how to prepare for your engagement photos day!

Outfits and Color

We encourage our couples to wear outfits that are THEM but still bring out their playful, creative side. We are a big proponent of color – all colors are great, and when mixed in a coordinating fashion – they are even better. Careful with patterns though. Try not to wear designs that are crazy busy.  

For example, if a bride is planning to wear a dress with pink purple and yellow patterns, we would encourage the groom to wear a shirt that suits his taste and personality but maybe in a purple shade. The colors on each of them will compliment each other.

We love it when our couples dress up. Yes, having a casual outfit to change later is a good idea, but I always like to encourage our clients to dress up. Especially if you are getting your photos done at Disneyland, wearing vintage attire fits perfectly. A cocktail dress or a tulle skirt with a simple blouse and high heels would fit in perfectly!

Remember, these are your engagement photos. Wear whatever shows off your personality!

Accessories

Regarding accessories, they all work! Belts, earrings, necklaces – you name it! We like to highlight this stuff in our photos, so when we notice a unique accessory, we tie it into the shoot!

Hair? Makeup? Tan? Nails?

We think that people should be themselves! But professional makeup never hurt anyone. The camera loves a matte look, and professional make-up comes out looking so perfect in the camera! If you know of a make-up artist that you trust, please set up an appointment. Otherwise, we always have someone we can refer you to.

When wearing lipstick, try to wear a matte, non-transferable lipstick. This makes kissing shots much better when we don’t have to keep cleaning off on your cheeks.

The goal of the engagement session (for us) is to capture the couples’ personalities, affection & character – so if they get too done up, then the essence of who they are starts to become hidden.

Also, tanning; be careful! Some self-tanning lotions need time to mix with your skin. If you want a little more color for your photos, apply a self-tanner at least 2-3 days before your session. That way you don’t come out looking orange in all of your photos.

Props

What kind of props work? Which ones don’t?

We think any prop that helps:

1. a) create a space that will give you comfort during your shoot
2. b) will help highlight both your personalities that are perfect for your engagement portraits.

If you are doing an engagement session at Disneyland, there are many things you can use as a prop, like those “happily ever after” buttons.  I love doing a kissing shot with those buttons.  Or you can use this beautiful “happily ever after” sign that you can hang on your wall after the session. Also, you can use these adorable Mickey & Minnie salt and pepper shakers for your session. Below is an example of that cute kitchen item used during a session. Of course, after your photo session, you can always take it back home and fill them up with salt and pepper or just put them on a shelf decor as a reminder of that great time you had during your engagement session.

There is also that famous adventure book, from the movie ‘UP’ that you can use as a prop, if you are looking for a Disney themed engagement session or if you are doing a Disneyland engagement session.

Sometimes, we don’t understand the prop – but we don’t have to get it!

You know what it means, and that is the most important part! The photos are for you, and the time during your session is your time. We think that anything that helps you enjoy your time together is perfect in our book.

If you would prefer not to bring a prop, that is fine! We don’t have to have photo props to capture a beautiful and meaningful engagement photos. After all, the primary focus of the photo session is you two!

What would be the most significant piece of advice we could give to a couple about to take their engagement pictures?

When it comes to the camera, no one (except for maybe a professional model) is prepared for what is to come! The best advice we could give someone is to be themselves and have fun with it! It’s not every day that you get to spend a couple of hours together doing nothing but staring into each other’s eyes, holding hands, hugging, kissing and being super sweet to one another. So take advantage of that time!

And for our clients – most of the time, we want them to forget we’re even there!  Even in a crowded place as Disneyland, you can forget that anybody is there. Try not to get self-conscious of people staring. Think, you most likely are never going to see any of those people ever again.

If we need you to do something specific, we’ll let you know, but otherwise, we just want to capture photos of you guys being genuine and being together.  When you forget about the camera and let loose, the best photos are created because the best moments happen right before our eyes.

Hope this was helpful.

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