WEDDING SERIES WEDNESDAY – PART II

Continuing the wedding series Wednesday talking engagement pics and tips from a bride and photographer perspective and linking my outfits and a few others that would be great for your engagement pictures below.

The day we took our engagement photos was a very special day. Ian and I had just traveled to Nashville the weekend before and after what felt like a million years later, had finalized our venue. That weekend in itself is something I’ll never forget; our roadtrip from Atlanta to Nashville and the gorgeous views, my fiance driving the biggest truck of his life, first walking into Riverwood Mansion (our venue), and celebrating Valentines day in a new city we had never been and was going to be the place we got married. Pretty dreamy weekend right?!

I admittedly HATE taking pictures, which is an interesting fact considering I’m taking the leap into blogging and will have to take pictures all the time, so I was pretty nervous to be doing our engagement pictures. That coupled with the fact that people’s engagement shoots these days are like magazine spreads I was nervous and awkward and hoping my double chins were less pronounced than usual in the snaps.

With my sister who is an amazing photographer behind the lense, we ended up having a great time taking these photos and the end product is something I will adore always. Having been through the process, I thought I’d share some tips and tricks for getting the engagement pictures you want and some advice from the other side of the lense so you know what your photographers are thinking and expecting during your shoot.

TIPS AND TRICKS

FROM THE BRIDE

1. Pick your theme/colors/vibes first

   Although Pinterest can be extremely overwhelming at times, it’s really going to be your best friend for wedding planning. Search through Pinterest photos to find inspiration and understand what colors and aesthetics you like most and want for your engagement shoot. While I’d recommend choosing a style that fits you and your fiance’s in your most natural element, you may be really inspired by a particular theme that maybe fits your wedding or want more dramatic pictures that are unexpected, either way think it through and find inspiration so you are clear on the vision.

2. Pick your location

   Once you’ve got your inspiration, you’ll then want to consider the location for your pictures. You can work with your photographer on this as they may have locations in mind that fit certain styles or places that you would have not thought of. For Ian and I, we chose the college that we met at that happens to be on a lake and is consistently rated one of the most beautiful campuses in the US. It had sentimental value for us, a great mix of natural colors and textures as settings and wasn’t too far to travel for my photographer.

3. Pick your outfit(s)

   One of the most intimidating parts of taking your engagement photos is choosing your outfits. Should I go casual and everyday? Should our outfits match? Can I wear a gown because YOLO?! I’d recommend choosing between 1-2 looks for your engagement shoot, especially if you are planning on shooting in a few different settings. I had the opportunity to choose 3 but that’s because my sister is a patient saint and both she and my husband know how much I love planning outfits. I went with mostly neutral colors which I knew aligned with what I was planning for the wedding, the locations we were shooting in, and the inspiration I had found on Pinterest. I tried on all the pieces beforehand to make sure I felt great in them and laid them out with the outfit I was planning for my fiance to make sure they went well together. I’d highly recommend making sure no matter what you choose make sure you feel great in it, even if its just jeans and a plain white tee. How you feel in the outfits will certainly come off in the pictures, so make sure it’s right and true to you.

4. Have fun

   Although engagement pictures can be so intimidating because you want them to turn out amazing, you have to make sure you take the time to appreciate the exciting season of life you are in and HAVE FUN. Luckily my sister is one of the most ridiculously funny people I know so she made my fiance and I feel relaxed and had us laughing and having so much fun the whole shoot which came across in the photos at the end of the day. Relax and be in love because that’s why you’re doing this anyways right?!

FROM THE PHOTOG

1. Trust Your Photographer

   You hired us for a reason, so use us as your biggest resource. There is nothing like when a couple shows up and puts their every confidence in the fact that we are going to do an awesome job. Time of day, location, “posing” or prompts…trust us! Of course, give input on what things you love most about our work so that we can make sure to really cater the session to you and if there are must have ideas, communicate those too. Ultimately, the session is for you and we want you to be happy so trust us!

2. Be Yourself

   There is nothing worse than those pre session jitters! It can be SO hard to act natural when you have a creeper with a lens in your face (or sometimes hiding behind a bush for a really cool affect!) but the more you can relax and be you, the more you will love your photos. They should tell a story of your relationship and how you interact with the person you love most, and if you are focused too much on the posing and the camera, that story won’t come through.

3. Styling

   It is SO important to make sure that you look and feel your best for your photos. Work with your photog on this one. Your wardrobe should flow with your setting and the overall feel you are going for. Really think about the big picture and the types of photos you want hanging on your wall. If you are going for a more formal feel, a setting with a structured background (cool architectural details are great) would be a great pairing with maybe a structured dress and a great suit. If you want a more ethereal and romantic feel, a flowing dress and lighter colors blend well with a beautiful natural setting like a field or a beach. Sit down and really consider what it is that you want to achieve and work together with your photographer to make it all flow. Look for some examples of this next month when I post my sample couple’s session and explain some awesome tips in further detail!

 

My outfits from the pictures (or similar) linked below with some other finds I love for this type of shoot.

Hope everyone is having a happy Hump Day!

XO

JESS

 

Romper: Old, fun alternative here and here

Navy Dress: Similar here and Here

White Dress: Here in light pink/peach

Shoes: Here

Other options: Here and here