You’re engaged! You don’t need to be reminded why this is such an exciting time as you get ready to commit to a lifelong partnership with the person you love.
Once you’ve let the buzz of being someone’s fiancée die down, the wedding planning begins. For many couples, the obvious first step is to organise their engagement photos.
Your engagement photos will likely be the first time you’ve taken a professional portrait shoot with your partner and will be some of the most beautiful pics you have of each other prior to the wedding. You will more than likely take a look back at these images in a few years’ time and reminisce over the blissful feelings of excitement and anticipation.
Naturally, you want to get the most out of your engagement photos, so we’ve compiled the following tips to help you get the best results possible!
Make it personally relevant to you
When it comes to your engagement photos, you should take the opportunity to express who you really are as a couple. If you’re favourite thing to do is go to the beach together, do that! It matters more than you are doing something that’s a sincere reflection of your relationship rather than something you think would be traditionally romantic.
Think about your shared interests and anything that makes you feel connected. Since many people discover their partners through their hobbies and interests, it’s more than appropriate to have those activities as the backdrop for your engagement photos.
Choose a consistent theme
It’s always a good idea to select a concrete theme from which to base your engagement photos. Think about quirky ideas that involve props or animals or anything else that you think adds some flavour to the shoot.
These images are less formal than your wedding pics, so you have a lot more room to be creative. No matter what theme you go with, make sure you stick to it so you don’t end up with a photoshoot that looks sporadic and disconnected.
Include some meaningful items in the shoot
You engagement photos are the perfect place to express a bit more of your personal history by including a few special items that mean a lot to you. It could be a favourite childhood toy, a favourite instrument or the first gift that your partner bought you; it can be anything as long as it holds personal value to you.
Dress to impress
While we’ve established that your engagement photos are less formal than your wedding ones, it’s still important that you look your best. Go for a semi-formal, date night kind of attire that’s suited for the environment you’re doing the shoot in.
Obviously, dress for the weather otherwise you’ll be miserable during the shoot. The main thing is that you look and feel comfortable so that this translates into the final product.
It’s also a good idea to go with colours that compliment your partner’s outfit. While you aren’t expected to wear matching colours, it’s smart to go with shades that sit well together in pictures.
Don’t cheap out on hair and makeup
While it may be tempting to save money and get your sister to do all your hair and makeup for you, you ultimately get what you pay for. Most photographers agree that the best thing their clients can do to improve their engagement photos is to get professional hair and makeup done prior.
Ask your photographer for recommendations
Don’t hesitate to ask your wedding photographer what they think will look best for your engagement photos. They will have done hundreds of similar shoots before and will have lots of great ideas that you can expand on and add your own flair to.