Wedding Wednesday: Engagement Photos

There are many reasons to have engagement photos taken: pictures for invites, photo guestbook, wall art for your new place, proof for your future grandkids that you were, in fact, young and attractive. All good reasons, but I’d say the biggest reason to do engagement photos is to get to know your photographer, get familiar with their style of shooting and get comfortable in front of the camera. For most people, the last time they had their pictures taken professionally was as a high school senior, so getting in front of the camera before the big day is a great way to get loosened up and know what to expect.

What to Wear

Every shoot is different, but I typically suggest that couples bring 2 outfits, an everyday one and a more dressy one. Be bold, but stick with your style, don't wear something that you are going to feel self-conscious posing in. For sartorial inspiration, look at your favorite store’s catalog or website and see how they are dressing couples together in shots. I'd check out JCrew or Urban Outfitters. If you aren't sure what is going to photograph best, bring options and have your photographer help you choose.

Have a Vision

We love it when people have a specific vision, idea or style in mind. Does your wedding have a motif or style you'd like to stick with? Style ideas can come from anything, your favorite store, a TV show, other photos you've seen, a time period, etc. Think about what made you pick your photographer-what about his/her style do you want to see in your photos? If you don’t have a specific idea, that's totally fine. Start by thinking about the type of backgrounds you want to have. Do you want city backdrops, or more rural-modern buildings or vintage brick? Is there a place that is special to you two? All of these things can help in picking a location and deciding on what style of clothes to bring.

Mad Men inspired engagement photo shoot.

Engagement photo canvas prints make great reusable wedding decor.

Display them at the wedding, then hang them in your home.

A few last words of advice... have fun on the shoot. Go into it with the mindset that it's going to be great. It always takes a few minutes to warm up to being in front of the camera, but don't worry about that. Let your photographer take care of getting awesome shots. Just relax, be playful and enjoy each other.