Congratulations on your engagement!!! This is such an exciting time for you and your fiance, but it can also be a super busy season for you. I definitely encourage you to take the time to slow down and really celebrate this special moment in your lives! Your engagement season within your relationship is an incredible time for you both, and it should be celebrated. Don’t forget to really cherish all of the amazing things that are happening in this phase of your relationship right now!

One of my favorite ways to celebrate your engagement is to have an engagement session together! I think of engagement sessions as little “miniature dates”. This is a special time that we have carved out to celebrate YOU and this beautiful season!

Today, I’m sharing all about what you can expect during your engagement session to help you mentally and physically prepare for your session!

01 | Last Minute Prep

There are times when clients show up with a number of different outfits and lots of questions, and they don’t know where to start. This is totally okay! I am here to help! Prior to your session, you will have received an Engagement Styling Guide to help you coordinate your outfits, but sometimes it helps to talk things out in person.

Therefore, if you want to bring a few extra outfits and want to talk through the details at the start of your session, we can do that! I can help you make outfit decisions, help you coordinate your outfits, and answer any questions you may have before we get started.

We’ll make sure we’re all on the same page before we actually get into your session.

02 | Let’s Chat

Once we’re on the same page, it’s time to get your session started! We’ll take some time to ease into the process as I know some couples are super uncomfortable in front of the camera. We’ll chat about how things are going with all things wedding planning and take a few minutes to walk to our first location.

This gives us time to get settled in, and for me to get a good idea of how you interact as a couple when not behind the camera.

Also, I’ll already have scoped out all the spots we’ll be utilizing for your session, so you can just arrive, go with the flow, and enjoy the process! I do my homework to find the spots that have the best light and overall look we want for your session to create your beautiful images and a seamless experience.

03 | Loose Direction

Once we get to our first location, I’ll give you some loose direction and talk you through what you’re going to be doing for the session. This allows you to have all the direction and feedback you need so you’re not seconding guessing yourself. I like to call it “loose direction”, because while I’ll guide you through ways to naturally move and pose yourself, I want you to also feel like YOU.

I never want anyone to feel stiff or uncomfortable. Now, you may have to push yourself out of your comfort zone a little bit, as you don’t normally have a camera following you around in your daily life, BUT you don’t want to be thinking “we would never ever show affection like this”.

So, it’s really more of a collaborative process where I’m walking you through different steps and you’re performing them. I’m always assessing and moving through what’s working best for you as a couple and what looks best on you. I do this by doing a lot of movement and interaction in your session…so get ready for a mini workout! LOL!

I’m just kidding! BUT, I do love to incorporate what’s called “prompt posing”. If you have never heard of this, prompt posing is basically a move to action. It’s an instruction or prompt to get you moving! Prompt posing is an amazing tactic as it produces more natural looking photographs. So, instead of asking you to stand there and look at the camera and do a fake laugh, I’ll give you an activity to do that will produce a more natural laugh!

04 | Communciation

I communicate with you both the entire time we are together! You will never have to guess if you are doing something right or wrong, because I will be there helping and guiding you through it all. I definitely won’t let you go through your session looking crazy!

I will do everything I can to help you look your best behind the camera and that means lots of communication, good direction, and feedback every step of the way.

05 | Outfit/Location Changes

Often times, my couples change outfits to have two looks during their session, and sometimes we go to two different locations as well! Depending on what we decide works best for your engagement session, there may be a small break right in the middle of the session to change, travel, and arrive at a new location. However, there are times when we decide on one location that has multiple locations within itself, which offers location variety without having to travel!

If we are traveling to another location, once we arrive, or are in the new outfits, you’ll be PROS at this whole engagement session thing! We’ll walk back through the process we’ve already established, just in a new outfit and in a new location.

06 | That’s A Wrap!

Once I’m confident we’ve fully captured everything we all wanted, we’ll wrap up the session and head out. On our way back to our cars, we’ll chat about when to expect your engagement gallery and any next steps we have moving forward.

And that’s it! Your engagement session SHOULD be fun! So get excited!

My biggest tip is to show up, trust the process, and trust your photographer! You’re in good hands! I treat engagement sessions more like a “mini date” more than anything. This is a special moment and time you can have with your partner, so embrace it! I promise you it will be fun!

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It doesn’t have to end here…check out more of this Dallas Wedding Photographer’s work by clicking over to our portfolio, or visit our Instagram page here. You’ve seen it all and want to reach out to contact us for your own portrait session, wedding or event? You can do that by contacting us through our contact form!

We cannot wait to hear from you!