I love designing save the dates. They are so exciting! They’re the first thing your guests receive in the mail about your wedding. Save the date cards are the first taste of what is to come. They get your loved ones excited for you, and they might even spend a few months in pride-of-place on someone’s fridge.
The key to the perfect save the date? Incredible engagement photos! Whether you go for a clean and simple save-the-date design or opt for something a little more artistic, it’s the photo of you that your future guests are going to hone in on and enjoy. These engagement session tips will ensure that you capture your love and joy in a photograph. This will make it so easy for you to absolutely nail your save-the-date design!
I’ve put together six crucial engagement session tips and tricks to help you crush your photoshoot! Lots of people feel shy or awkward if a camera is pointed at them for more than a minute – and I get it. But with a little bit of prep beforehand, you can turn your engagement photo shoot into a fun and romantic date day. Let’s dive in!
Engagement Session Tips
Keep these six engagement session tips in mind as you schedule your engagement photo shoot. These tips will make sure that you get the perfect photos for your save the date:
Get to know your photographer
One of the best engagement session tips I can offer you is this: don’t go in cold, especially if you’re feeling a little bit camera-shy! Make sure you can sit down with your photographer – even if it’s just for half an hour beforehand – and get to know them a little bit. A good wedding photographer will want to know about who you guys are as a couple and what makes you tick. Also, make sure you ask them a few questions too! Building rapport and a little bit of trust with your photographer will help you relax. The engagement session will feel less like you’re being watched by a stranger and more like you’re having fun with a friend!
Coordinate comfortable clothes
Make sure that you plan your outfits before the shoot. Out of all my engagement session tips, this one is important. If you feel self-conscious about what you’re wearing, or your clothes keep having to be adjusted, you’re going to be distracted. For the best save the date, you want photos where you are fully relaxed and present! So make sure that you pick an outfit that makes you feel amazing.
Another important part of these engagement session tips is to remember to coordinate your outfits as a couple. Now, if you hate the idea of matching, don’t worry! That’s not what I mean at all. Just make sure that you’ve picked outfits that don’t clash. Decide beforehand how casual or dressy you want your photos to be.
Pick the right setting
The setting for your engagement photos is one of the biggest things that will influence the atmosphere of your pictures and your save the dates! That’s why one of my engagement session tips is to choose a spot that you guys love, somewhere that reflects who you are. Are you homebodies? Invite your photographer over as you cook a meal. Hikers? Hit the trail!
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Do something you love
Don’t just plan to show up and stand in front of a camera! Some of the best save-the-date photos I’ve ever worked with come from engagement sessions where the couple has done something fun together. It could be as simple as cycling, getting ice cream, or just dancing around. This is one of the best engagement session tips! When your attention is focused on doing an activity together, instead of the fact that you’re in front of a camera, everything becomes so much more natural! Not to mention that it’s an excuse to have fun with the love of your life – call it a win-win.
Take a whole day (yes, really!)
If you’re going to truly enjoy your engagement photos, the last thing you want to feel is rushed. You don’t have to spend the whole day taking pictures, but keep it clear so that you can enjoy being together without distractions.
This links up with the last two engagement session tips because a top tip is to have more than one setting or activity planned for your shoot. It will stop the photos (and the day itself!) from being boring! Having a solid chunk of time set aside means that you don’t have to worry about how long things are taking! You can plan a day that you are going to enjoy and focus on that.
Make sure you really connect
This is the most important thing to remember out of all of these engagement session tips! Your save the date is a celebration of your love, and that is what you want these photographs to radiate. Outfits, activities, settings – none of these things matter in the face of truly connecting with the person you’re going to marry. Whether it’s through jokes and laughter or moments of tenderness (hopefully, both!) this is what your photographer wants to capture. It’s what will make your save the dates shine! And at the end of the day, that’s what really matters.
Final Thoughts on Engagement Session Tips
There you go! After looking through these engagement session tips, I hope you can see that nailing your save the date photos isn’t going to be tricky or complicated. Your engagement session is really all about you having a great time with the one you love! And hey, that’s what you do best, right?
So get out there and have the best time just being you! And when you have your beautiful shots, come back here, and let’s create the perfect save the date for you, your love story, and your wedding. There’s nothing I’d like more!
xo, ashley
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