Hi Friends! Since I just got done with my engagement photos 2 weekends ago, I wanted to share some tips with you before you plan your engagement pictures. On this weeks #weddingwednesday blog post, I will go into depth a little with each tip, and then I will summarize at the end of this blog post for an easier list.

First, I would definitely pick what month you want to take your pictures in. For some couples this isn’t a top priority. At first I wanted to get the pictures done ASAP, so we were going to take them in April but then Covid happened. This was a blessing in disguise though because I was able to shoot in my favorite month AND our future wedding month! We always knew we wanted an outdoorsy, scenic place to shoot!

Branching off of that, the next tip I want to give you is picking your location next. Some couples have a location in mind, I, however, did not. To be completely honest with everyone, I googled locations in Northern New Jersey. I always knew about Skylands Manor but I had never been there before. It was the first location I had googled and instantly fell in love. We took our pictures there on 10/10/2020. I say go with a location that suits YOU best. I know a lot of couples take photos with the NYC skyline, or at the beach/boardwalk, but those locations do not relate to me or my fiancé (we LOVE those views though!) We really love the outdoorsy vibe which is why we went with Skylands Manor.

Now that you picked your month and location, you can search for something to wear! I say pick this after both the month/location so you can pick an outfit that suits the scene. I would go with more than 1 outfit just to change the pictures up- this looks fantastic! I went with 2 looks (I feel that anything more than 2/3 looks is excessive); a casual and then a dressier look. Some pointers on picking outfits:

• Pick something that you absolutely LOVE. I had it in my mind that I wanted a long sleeve, autumn floral dress. This can be very easy OR make your life super stressful (I am kind of being dramatic) like it did for me 🙂 I couldn’t for the life of me find exactly what I wanted until I stumbled upon a Facebook ad from a store I never heard of before. You can find more details about this story on my other blog post.
• Make sure both outfits are comfortable! I don’t think couples realize what positions the photographer will put you in until the day comes. Just think- you will possibly be on the ground, on a bench, up in a tree, etc. I thought my shoes were comfortable until we started walking all over the bumpy grounds and now I have blisters on my toes. But HEY it was SO worth it for these pictures!
• Change it up! I love seeing engagement pictures in outfits other than white! I feel that as a future Bride, there are so many other times you can wear white. However, do what makes YOU HAPPY! This is just my personal preference coming from a stylist point of view
• Don’t be too matchy matchy with your significant other. Again, this is a personal preference coming from someone who has been in the fashion industry for almost 10 years. I think you should complement one another! For instance, my fiancé wore a white button down, with chinos, a brown belt and brown boots. I feel like this is a very common look for men and SO easy to match with anything your counterpart is wearing!

The next tip I will give you is, if you can afford it, go with the photographer who you will be using for your wedding. This way you can get comfortable with his/her techniques and also get a sneak peek at what your future wedding photos will look like. I did not use the photographer we booked for our wedding because, as stated in my blog post here, I used my friend’s boyfriend. He is amazing with the camera! You can find his Instagram here. This is a hobby of his BUT I think he should go full on professional because he has such a creative eye. I would have totally booked him for our wedding but he is going to be a guest and I would want him to have a good time and not worry about work! Also, you should research poses so you can tell your photographer exactly how you want to be placed in the photos. Of course, a photographer has a natural eye for these types of things but I heard stories of people missing out on some poses that they wanted. The photographer is not a mind reader so make sure you speak up!

A lot of brides do their hair and makeup trial for their Bridal Shower, but I think you can also use your trial for your engagement pictures. I did not use the hair and makeup artist that I am using for my wedding because I want to look different in these pictures versus my wedding day pictures. I also did not want people getting a sneak peek too soon of my wedding hair and makeup 🙂 I used my friend Rachel, who is a master with the makeup brush. You can find her Instagram here.

Another thing to consider is the day/time of the day. A lot of people I know say “Golden Hour” is the best time for pictures, roughly 2 hours before the sun sets. We went about 2 hours before the sun set and the pictures came out stunning! The park was super crowded, but Mike knows all the best angles and didn’t get any pictures with anyone in them! I would definitely consider taking your pictures during the week, if you can, because chances are the weekends will be much busier than the week (that was the case for us).

I would also say definitely bring some props to make the photos stand out. I packed a carry on PLUS duffle bag full of outfits, shoes, props etc (who does this?????). Some of my favorite pictures that we took have props in them. Again, this is a personal preference. I brought a ceramic pumpkin that says “Mr. and Mrs” on it and then 2 individual small pumpkins that say the same thing. I also brought a blanket so we could sit on it / wrap it around us. You can also do this with a blanket scarf. I’ve seen people use champagne flutes in their photos and also bottles of champagne- which is also cute! This is all about how YOU want YOUR pictures! I wouldn’t call this a “prop” necessarily but I brought my favorite fedora, which I wore with my casual outfit. I also brought my “Future Mrs.” jean jacket with faux pearls and draped that over my dressier outfit. You can shop the jean jacket here. I bought it off Etsy! You can add your wedding date to the back of the collar (like it shows in the picture) OR you can ask the woman to add it under the “Future Mrs.” I did that and got our future wedding date in Roman Numerals 🙂

The last 2 things I would say you should do (but don’t have to) before you get your engagement pictures done is get your nails done and ring cleaned. There are a lot of pictures where your hands will be photographed up close. If you don’t like to get your nails polished (I love a good natural nail!!) just make sure they are cleaned up a little bit OR you can ask your photographer to not photograph them up close. However, there are a lot of ring shots in these pictures and I definitely wanted my nails done. I didn’t take my ring to get cleaned but I did order a ring cleaner on Amazon. I will link it here! Or you can shop the link below. This was the first time cleaning my ring and I must say it did a good job- it is also convenient to travel with since it is so small!

Wow! That was a lot of writing. So I am going to sum up in simple bullet points my top engagement photo tips:

1. Pick a Month
2. Pick a Location
3. Choose 2-3 outfits for outfit changes!
   1. Make sure it is something comfortable
   2. Don’t be too matchy matchy with your significant other
   3. Make sure it is an outfit you LOVE
4. Use your wedding photographer if you want to get use to his/her way of shooting
5. Research poses for pictures- your photographer is not a mind reader!
6. Do you hair/makeup trial if you want!
7. Day/Time of Day – try to avoid the crowds + Golden Hour is the best hour!
8. Bring props- it adds something different/fun to your picture
9. Get a manicure (bare nails or polished!)
10. Get your ring cleaned or shop the amazon link below for a ring cleaner!

I hope you all enjoyed this blog post and I hope it helped anyone that is trying to figure out what to do for their engagement photos!

Xo,

Kristen

*Please note- I may make a small commission if you buy something from one of these links. I appreciate the support so much!