Hi friends and happy Friday! So I am doing something a little different today and stepping away from the food. With the wedding only 5 months away {WAH}, I will be having a little more wedding and lifestyle stuff coming up on this little bloggie of mine! Austin and I just recently had our engagement photos taken and I am SO OBSESSED. Yes, it only took us 3 years to get them done {we got engaged in 2015}, but well worth the wait in my opinion. So I wanted to share some tips and tricks to ensure you also get the BEST engagement pics! Aaaaand show off my pretty photos, too. You can't blame me!
1. Choose a photographer you love and are comfortable with
This one may be THE MOST IMPORTANT of all. I am inherently awkward and Austin just hates pictures all around, so I knew we had to find someone we super loved to really get us in the zone and capture some great photos. I met my photographer Jennefer at a venue open house and instantly clicked with her. We hit it off right away. She has basically the same personality as me, and the fact that her photos are absolutely amazing doesn't hurt, either. We had an afternoon coffee date {which was really more of a wine & cheeseboard date... I told you she's my person} to talk and discuss our vision for the big day before I officially hired her and I SO recommend this.
She made us so comfortable during our engagement session and gave us silly questions and topics to talk about to keep us busy... we almost forgot the camera was even there. I was belly laughing the whole time. It was so great, and now I am even more excited that she will be the one capturing our wedding photos!
2. Find the vibe you're going for, and pick a place with lots of photo ops
I would argue this piece is also super important, though with the right photographer, even an empty parking lot could look good. It all kind of depends on the feel you're wanting for your pictures. We chose to have our engagement photos taken at our wedding venue and I am so happy we did! I am obsessed with all the greenery and nature and that's 90% of what sold me on choosing it as our venue in the first place. It was also great for my photographer, as she has never shot a wedding there before and was able to scope out the area before our big day!
Something that Jennefer asked us during our photos was what we were envisioning from our session, and if we were expecting more candid smiling silly photos or serious, posed photos. I wanted a more honest portrayal of our relationship so I definitely didn't mind the laughing pictures! They turned out to be my favorite!
3. Pick outfits that you will love in photos BUT that you're also comfortable in {and don't be afraid to shop your closet!}
Generally, most photographers will give you about 2 hours for engagement photos and will tell you to pick 2 outfit choices. We went with the classic "casual outfit" and "fancy outfit". I wanted to pick something that would photograph well but would also represent our personalities... and of course something we wouldn't be uncomfortable and dying in the whole time. For our casual outfits, I knew from the get-go that I wanted Austin to wear that blue button-up because he loves it and wears it all the time. I knew it would be something he'd be comfortable in. For me, I looked and looked FOR EVER for an outfit and nothing felt right. Finally, I just went hunting in my own closet and picked out this lace off-the-shoulder top that I've been wearing on repeat for the past 6 months. What I wanted was under my nose the whole time! It's originally from Hollister, but I bought it at the outlet and I'm not sure if they even sell it anywhere anymore!
For the fancy outfit, I did buy a new dress from Lulu's and snagged the heels off the clearance rack at TJ Maxx {they're Micheal Kors!}. I kept my accessories simple across the board and just wore my engagement ring, Aggie ring, and my favorite gold Kendra Scott earrings. I told Austin to wear a black suit with a white shirt and he made it happen 🙂 Boy outfits are just so much easier! With our nicer outfit, I still tried to stick to a neutral palette that would be timeless and look great in photos. ALSO - tip from Jennefer. Wear your favorite outfit last!
4. Go BIG and BOLD with hair and makeup!
Okay, so do take this with a grain of salt, but definitely do your hair and makeup a bit bolder than usual because it really doesn't come across the same in photos! I am wearing the most ENORMOUS fluffy fake lashes from Tarte and I literally felt like I was going to fly away every time I blinked. In the photos - they look totally normal! Also take into account that if your photos are outdoors, you will want to use a primer, pressed powder, and setting spray on your face, even if you usually don't. And hairspray your hair just a little bit more than normal! Posing outside for 2 hours is no joke!
5. Don't be afraid of taking photos in unusual places
When we pulled up to the venue, we immediately noticed this huge tree lying close to the ground and figured it was the perfect place to take photos! Except when we got closer, we realized it was MUCH further off the ground than we thought and we literally needed to climb our way up there. The main area of the trunk was also in a big patch of direct sunlight so definitely not photo friendly. Jennefer had the idea to have us climb further up the tree to this tiny little area and squeeze ourselves in there for some photos. I felt so awkward posing during these pictures but honestly I LOVE how they turned out!! Moral of the story - trust your photographer. Even if you feel like a dork in the moment. ?
6. Don't be afraid of a few props!
Something I had seen other people do on Pinterest that I loved was champagne in their engagement photos! What could be more fun than popping some bubbly mid-session? Nothing, I tell you. And then you have the bonus of getting to drink said champagne after ? Kind of building on to my next tip, but look online and with your photo location in mind, think of some fun props that could work to add extra interest to your pictures!
7. Scope out Pinterest and your location website for photo inspiration
Since we chose to have our engagement photos done at our wedding venue, I had lots of material to look at. I scoured their website to look at everyone else's engagement and wedding pictures that were taken there! It's amazing how different everything can look based on the photographer, their editing style, AND the time of year. Especially if you're taking photos outside in nature! Also, never underestimate Pinterest as a great source of inspo for poses and find what style tends to speak more to you and what you want.
Aaaand... that's all from me! I hope this helps a bit if you have engagement photos coming up soon! If you have any more tips, I would love to hear them! 🙂
Photo credit for all these beauties goes to Jennefer Wilson at JenneferWilson.com!
You can creep and see a few more of our photos on the website for The Grove.
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