5 Tips for the Perfect Engagement Session

Your engagement session is a perfect time to celebrate your love and kick off your wedding journey in an exciting way. While this is such a fun experience, you may be nervous stepping in front of the camera. I totally get it. Being in front of the camera is hard! But not to worry, I’ve got you and I have plenty of engagement session tips to make this experience a total blast. 

Engagement photos are not only great to use for your wedding save the dates, but more importantly, they give you two a chance to document this time in your lives. How often do we really get to celebrate that everyday kind of love? As incredible as the images from your wedding will be, these photos give you a chance to be yourselves so we can document you two in the most genuine and real way possible. 

So, let’s jump into some of my top engagement session tips to make sure you and your partner are comfortable and have the best time possible celebrating your engagement! 

Engagement Session Tips

Choose a location or place that’s meaningful to you

Picking where you want to have your engagement session can seem a bit daunting. I mean, there are endless options for where you can go, and you can easily get overwhelmed by all of the choices. 

My best advice is to pick a location or a place that is meaningful to you both. This can be where you had your first date, a place you love to visit together, or even the spot where you got engaged. There are a few reasons why picking a meaningful spot can help make your engagement session even more special. 

First, it’s going to make you and your partner a little more comfortable. Since you have been to that spot before, you’re going to know your way around a bit more and have a better idea of what to expect. Especially if this is your first time in front of a camera, having a familiar place can help make you feel less stressed and just enjoy your time together. 

The other major benefit of choosing a spot that is meaningful to you is it is going to make your photos even more special. You will be able to look back at your photos and remember your first date and how your relationship started or where you began building a life together.

Make it a date!

To make your engagement session as fun as possible, make it a date! This is one of the best tips to make sure that your engagement session is both memorable and results in authentic photos that really represent the two of you. Plus, there’s a mindset shift that comes along with viewing the session as “just a photoshoot” versus treating it as a fun experience with you and your partner. 

Making your engagement photo session feel like a date can also really help to ease any camera-shyness or awkwardness that either of you might feel. You’ll be able to relax a bit more and have fun with the process, making sure the experience is enjoyable rather than something to get through.

Treating your engagement session like a date can set a romantic and celebratory mood for the photos. Embracing that this is a time in your life that’s filled with so much anticipation and love is incredibly powerful, and it will show through in your photos. You could even go out for breakfast beforehand or spend the day exploring Boston after the session. 

Wear clothes that you are comfortable in

One of the easiest (and most common) engagement session tips is to wear clothes that you are comfortable in. This may seem like a small thing, but it can make a big difference when it comes to your photos. 

Now, comfort is going to be different for each and every person and each and every session, but there are a few general tips that you can follow. 

First, make sure you are dressed for the weather. This may seem like an obvious tip, but it’s one that is often overlooked. Because we’re in the Northeast, it’s easy for the weather to change on a dime. In winter, you’re going to need to dress in layers and coats, so be sure to consider those colors to make sure you aren’t both in black. For summer, you’ll want to wear clothing that will keep you cool, like flowy tops, pants, or even a dress.

Next, make sure you have tried your clothes on and can comfortably move around in them before your shoot. If you’re buying a new outfit for the session, try wearing them around the house a bit to make sure you’re not super stiff in them, or there aren’t any alterations you want to make.

Finally, don’t choose outfits that are the complete opposite of what you would normally wear. If you’ve never been one to wear a dress, now is probably not the time to wear one. If you prefer baggier clothes over tighter ones, opt for something a little looser. 

Before your session, I follow up with more detailed information about outfit planning. This will not only help you feel more comfortable, but it will also help ensure you aren’t constantly tugging at and adjusting your outfit all throughout the day. 

Incorporate pets if you’re able

Let’s be honest; our pets are a major part of your family, so why not include them in your shoot if you are able? Not only will you get adorable pictures with your pets, but it will also help you relax and feel a bit looser. I mean, who can be tense and awkward when your furry friend is jumping around next to you?

There are a couple of ways you can incorporate your pets. Odds are you aren’t going to want them in every single picture, but you can plan out a small part of the session to include them. 

A great way to do this is to plan to have your pets at the beginning or the end of your session if you can. This way, you can have someone drop them off/pick them up so they won’t get anxious and squirmy sitting by themselves during the rest of the shoot! 

One key thing that you don’t want to forget to bring if you want to incorporate your pet is a lint brush. As much as we all love our furry friends, I think we can all agree that we hate being covered in their hair!

If you are planning on taking pictures with your pet at the beginning of the session, be sure to pack a lint brush so you don’t end up with fur all over your clothes for the rest of the shoot! 

Be yourselves

Finally, my last engagement session tip is to leave the expectations and perfection at home and truly embrace being yourselves. I know that this is easier said than done, especially today in the age of social media. 

Let’s get this out of the way first. Everyone is going to feel a tiny bit awkward in front of the camera at first. Odds are, this is probably one of the first times you have actually been photographed one-on-one like this, so a little bit of nervousness or awkwardness is totally normal. However, it’s important to remember that this day is all about you and your partner, so have fun. Joke around with each other, talk about your favorite memories, and never stop interacting with each other, even if I’m not saying anything to you. 

I promise the more you interact and the earlier you just let loose and be in the moment, the better your session is going to turn out. This isn’t vogue and doesn’t need to be perfect (which we will talk about later), so let your personality shine, and enjoy being together.

As amazing as social media is and all the curated pictures and selfies that are posted there are, it makes us constantly want to see the absolute perfect photos of ourselves or makes us feel pressure to be someone we’re not. The truth is that 5, 10, or 20 years from now, real photos of you two doing something you love or just hanging out in your favorite place are going to feel that much more special.   

People always say, “Our closest people see us in a way that we don’t see ourselves,” and that is so true. So try to leave those thoughts of perfection at home and let your photographer document that and your love just as you are. I promise you by doing this, your session is going to turn out better than you could ever imagine, and you are going to end up with photos that you can’t wait to show off to all of your friends and family. 

Final Thoughts: Best Tips for Engagement Sessions

There you have it, my top 5 engagement session tips. The most important thing when it comes to these shoots is to just have fun. This day is all about you and your partner and celebrating the life that you two are building together. 

If you are still looking for the perfect photographer to capture you and your partner in a genuine and real way, click here to get in touch and see how we can make that a reality! 

---

Check out these posts next:

• 4 Reasons Why I Love Black and White Engagement Photos
• Boston Navy Yard Engagement Session
• World’s End Engagement Session