So you’ve booked your engagement session! Congrats! Let me give you some tips on how to absolutely CRUSH your engagement session!

My number one of my engagement session tips is to treat it like your favourite date night. Do something you enjoy together! Engagement sessions should be fun and feel special, and totally suited to your unique relationship. A bonus to including an activity, like going on a hike, sharing your favourite treat, playing music together, skating on an outdoor rink, etc., is that it gives you something to focus on and enjoy rather than just posing and thinking about what to do with your hands for a full hour.

After you’ve brainstormed a concept for your session (I can give you lots of ideas, don’t worry!), you can think about the next steps:

1. Think About Outfits

It’s fun to dress up, and I’m all for it! But it’s important to make sure you feel like yourselves in your outfits, and that you are comfortable! Dress up, down, or both, just make sure its true to you!

Once you’ve got that in mind, we can think about colours and patterns. Stick to one colour family, and coordinate without matching. Different tones of the same colour are great, as well as a palette of all jewel tones, or all neutrals. Keep patterns to one partner and one piece of clothing, and keep patterns small and subtle. Avoid big logos, bright colours and large patterns.

Feel free to bring two outfits too! One casual and one more dressed up gives two different layers to your session. And, if you ever need outfit advice, I’m more than happy to help!

2. Choose a Location

If you have a session concept in mind, the location might take care of itself! Otherwise, think about what kind of spots usually catch your eye. Forests, mountains, streets, tall buildings, backroads, lakes, rivers? Again, you want your engagement photos to feel like you! It’s always an option to shoot in your own home, backyard or front porch – it adds a solid personal touch! We can also visit two locations if you really love the look of more than one. Finally, don’t underestimate ditches, random back alleys and small stands of trees. We don’t always need an epic location to create magical photos.

3. Consider the Timing

I always recommend booking your engagement session for a different season than your wedding will be in. It’s nice to have variety in your photos, and will look side by side on your wall (yes, print your photos!). If you want your photos for invitations or save the dates, plan the session for at least 6 weeks before you need to order them.

As for timing on the day of, if we’ll be outside, I like to shoot around sunset for the most beautiful light. If we’ll be indoors, as long as the space has windows and natural light, we can shoot any time!

4. Trust me!

My couples always tell me they didn’t realize how much fun they’d have during the session, and how easy it really is! All you have to do is show up and be ready to let go, and I will take care of everything else. I’ll give you prompts and little challenges to get you moving and interacting, and yes, I’ll tell you what to do with your hands. My goal for your engagement session is for you to ignore the outside world for a while, tune in to each other, and enjoy the moment. I’ve got the rest.

At this engagement session in Edmonton, I met Andrea and Braden on Whyte Ave and found this fun patio, and then wandered down to the old building you’ll see halfway through. Then, these two changed to their second outfit, and we headed to the Edmonton Corn Maze to play in the sunflowers! Andrea loves sunflowers and wanted to incorporate the bright colours of her favourite flower in their engagement photos. These two really aced the whole “enjoy the moment” thing; anyone around could tell how in love they are. I so loved getting to know Andrea and Braden and I’m beyond excited for their wedding this spring!

Any more questions, or need more engagement session tips? I want to answer them all! You can get in touch here and tell me all about your ideas!