Are you debating whether or not you should take engagement photos? Are you wondering if you actually need them or maybe you’re lost about what to wear? Just over a year ago, I was in the same boat, wondering the same things.
In this post I will share why engagement photos are important and tips to get you in the best frame of mind for a great engagement photo shoot! Stay until the end and I will even share some outfit ideas!
Plus: Check out a few of our favourite engagement photoshoot poses below!
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Deciding Whether or Not to Have Engagement Photos Taken
Sometime last year, I remember being on FaceTime with my best friend, discussing whether I really wanted to get engagement photos done.
At the time I was heavily into my wedding planning and was feeling like I had a million things to tackle on my plate. To be honest with you, I wasn’t feeling particularly motivated about my engagement shoot at all.
Related Post: Click here to read more about my wedding planning process, and the lessons I learned along the way!
Engagement photos were offered as a part of our wedding photography package, but I was still deciding whether I wanted to opt out. I even considered taking them ourselves, where I felt I could feel more comfortable.
I had also found myself feeling extra bloated and just not like myself at the time. So every outfit I seemed to try on just wasn’t fitting the way I wanted to. When I found out I was pregnant the following month, the bloating made a lot more sense.
Related Section: To read more about my pregnancy, you can check out the pregnancy section of the blog.
Making the Decision to Take Our Engagement Photos
Ultimately, we decided to leave it to the professionals and have have engagement photos taken by a professional photography company. Looking back now, I am so thankful that we did!
Whether you decide to have professional photos taken, or you enlist a friend or family member that is great with a camera, engagement photos are a very important part of your wedding planning process! Keep reading to find out why!
5 Reasons You Need to Take Engagement Photos!
I have summarized some of the most important benefits of taking engagement photos and how you can use them in more ways than you think!
1. Great Memories
Your engagement photoshoot will likely be a great memory that you and your partner will share. It is something that the two of you can enjoy and think of fondly together.
Because wedding planning can be stressful, think of this as a day off to relax and enjoy each others company, while looking cute together!
2. Use on Your Wedding Website and Stationary
Engagement photos are great to use on your wedding website, save the dates and even invitations, because they are usually coordinated with your wedding theme and colours.
It can be really hard to find good suitable pictures to use for those purposes, but you won’t go wrong with your engagement photos.
As an added bonus, your engagement photos can be used as the feature picture for your wedding registry!
3. Use at your Wedding
Your engagement photographs can be used at your wedding for areas such as the welcome table, sign-in table or other signage at your ceremony or reception.
They can even be used as decorations, such as table thank you cards or in centerpieces.
4. Pre-wedding Practice Shots
If you’re not used to taking professional photos, engagement photos are great practice shots that can help you to work on your poses, facial expressions and positioning before your wedding day!
They also make for a fun bonding moment with your partner.
5. Look Great In your Home
Because you and your partner may not take professional or staged photographs together often, your engagement photos can make a wonderful additional to frames and albums in your home.
Other than your wedding photos these will likely be some of the nicer shots of you two as a couple.
We have some of our engagement photos hanging in this frame that we received as a wedding gift. They look beautiful!
Taking Our Engagement Photos
So let me get back to telling you a little about our photo shoot. Some of the tips that I learnt can help you have an awesome engagement shoot
My husband is much more comfortable taking photos and posing for cameras because of his profession (you can check him out here on Instagram), but I always feel kind of funny when I’m taking professional photos. I consider myself much more of a candid photo girl.
However, on the day of our shoot, I tried my best to get into the photos. Soon enough I found myself enjoying the process and getting into the action.
I followed the photographers’ directions and before I knew it, it was over. We actually had a lot of fun posing and getting into it. I encourage you to do the same, even if you aren’t a picture person like me.
The great thing about professional photographers or even a skilled camera man friend is that they can direct you and give you pointers along the way. You can also let them know what poses you would like to capture.
So let me share some of the most valuable and beneficial tips I learned to help prepare you for your engagement photo shoot.
Tips for Engagement Photo Shoot Success!
Theme
Considering you wedding theme and colours when deciding on a theme for your engagement shoot. You want to choose a theme that compliments the overall tone of your wedding and that you and your spouse-to-be are comfortable with.
Your photographers will be great at helping you choose a look/feel for your photos if you don’t have an idea in mind or haven’t chosen your wedding theme yet.
Related Post: You can read more about selecting a wedding theme in Part 1 of my wedding planning post!
Venue
With your theme in mind, choose a location or two that work well for you.
Remember to consider traffic (you don’t want too many spectators or people around, unless that is something you would like to incorporate into your photos).
Consider what scenery you would like included in your photos. Some popular venues for engagement photos include: the beach, forest, farm land, indoor venues, gardens or architectural gems.
Props
Are there certain props you would like to include in your engagement photos? This could refer to large props such as gazebos, benches, carousels, etc., or to smaller props such as parasols, signs, wordage (like scrabble pieces), or other items unique to you and your partner.
Personal items also make a great touch. For example, someone I know took her puppy along for her engagement photo shoot, so that he could be photographed as part of their family.
Don’t forget to mention any props you want to incorporate to your photographers so that they can plan the best way to include them in your photo shoot.
Time of Day
Remember that the time of day that you take your engagement photos will impact lighting and foot traffic as well, so it’s a good idea to speak to your photographer about this so that they can guide you.
Obviously if you want a particular shot that incorporates a feature such as a sunset, sunrise or the moon, you will have to time you photoshoot to make that possible.
Outfit Ideas
Consider your theme and venue when choosing your outfit. For example, because we shot on a beach, I opted for a flowy, lighter dress. I also chose to wear my “power colour” to help boost my confidence and comfort level for the day.
To get you thinking, here are some different outfit options for different themes and moods! Remember to find something that you feel comfortable in.
Speak to your partner about whether you want to coordinate outfits on the day. It is usually a good idea to wear something complimentary (for example, if you opt for a beach theme, you can both choose a more casual rather than formal outfit, or coordinate your colours).
This does not mean you have to match exactly, but deciding on a look that compliments each other is a great way to feel bonded about this special activity and look amazing in your pictures.
Getting Ready
Have your hair and makeup done or do them yourself if you’re skilled in that area, being sure to dramatize your look a bit more than usual for the day. This is important so that your look stands out in photographs. Bonus: Emphasis on the eyes!
It is also a good idea to have your nails done since you’ll likely be taking several photos of your beautiful engagement ring!
Have Fun
Finally, your engagement photoshoot brings you one step closer to your wedding day, and that is exactly what I was reminded of when I immersed myself in the experience.
We had a great time posing, laughing and thinking about our wedding day as we took our engagement photos.
The best advice that I can offer you is to try to relax and just think of it as a fun day with your partner without the busy or stressful wedding planning crunch.
Forget about the cameras and be as natural as you can while enjoying your spouse-to-be’s company, like I did!
Here are a few of our favourite engagement photo shoot poses!
Final Thoughts
I wish you the best of luck with your engagement photoshoot! Remember to have fun and enjoy the day. It will go by very quickly. Don’t forget to be vocal with your photographer about what look, poses and other aspects that are important to you.
Related Category: For more wedding content, be sure to check out all of my wedding posts here.
I Would Love to Hear from You!
Be sure to reach out to me with any questions or suggestions! I would also love to hear from you in the comments.
What are you most looking forward to about your engagement photoshoot? Or, what did you love most about your engagement photo shoot if you’ve already taken yours?
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Such a lovely post. Congratulations. I agree it’s important to keep precious memories. Beautiful pictures. Thank you for sharing. ☺️
Pastor Natalie (ExamineThisMoment)
Letstakeamoment.com