HOW TO PICK THE PERFECTION ENGAGEMENT SESSION LOCATION

THE LOCATION OF YOUR ENGAGEMENT SESSION WILL DEFINE THE MOOD OF YOUR PHOTOD

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As a photographer I am always happy to help my clients find the perfect location for their session, especially if they’re coming in from out of town and don’t know the area. If you’re on the hunt for the perfect spot for your own session and you’re feeling a little lost, I have some guidelines that I have found to be helpful and wanted to share some tips to help you find your perfect engagement session location.

04. PICK YOUR SEASON

Time of year makes all the difference in highlighting the beauty of your location.

A location that looks amazing in the summer may have lost all it’s leaves by winter. Or maybe you’ve seen a beautiful orchard in one season but go back and the leaves are completely dead leaving very little to appease the eye.

Consider what you’d like to wear for your session, cozy clothes and beanies? Search for a location that looks amazing in winter. Are you hoping for amazing fall leaves? Or bold green colors. Make sure you choose spot in the highlight of its season.

05. INSPIRATION

What does the location mean to you?

Pick a location that means something to you as a couple. Where did your fiancé propose? Would it mean something special to go back there? Maybe you went to college together and want to take photos on the college campus. Or you went on your first date to a county fair and would like to relive that moment when you started falling for each other. Finding a location that means something to you as couple can create photos that are inspired by your love and will highlight the beauty of your relationship.

The most important this is that you have fun with your location!

- Happy Location Scouting! xo

01. CHOOSE A LOCATION THAT SUITS YOU

The goal of the engagement session is to get to know your photographer, get comfortable in front of the camera and learn from each other what will help things fall into place on the wedding day. AND of course to capture photos that personify the love you have for each other.

Think about what works for you as a couple, are you an outdoorsy couple who loves hiking on the weekends and discovering amazing places to enjoy the outdoors? Are you a city lover who loves finding hidden gems wherever you visit? Maybe you like to enjoy new coffee spots on the weekend, take your session to a local coffee shop you love, bring a cozy blanket and snuggle up near a window. Or perhaps you both spend your weekends at an old bookstore finding new favorites to read, take your engagement session to the places that resemble your relationship and your personalities.

02. TIMING IS EVERYTHING

Make sure to take the sun into consideration when planning your location.

If you’ve been scrolling through Instagram or Pinterest looking at engagement photos and you’re loving that beautiful golden light, asking to meet your photographer at 2pm is never going to get you golden light. Keep in mind when planning your engagement session that for most locations that golden light happens at sunset, or maybe if you’re willing to catch the first light of the day like the photo above you can shoot during sunrise. However, mid day will rarely get you the dreamy light you’re looking for.

Also keep in mind that if you’re shooting at multiple locations you’ll need to travel between the too and extra time for the commute, so starting before golden hour and you may miss part of that great light while traveling. Lighting is everything so don’t underestimate how it will affect the location you choose.

03. HIDDEN GEM

Unique locations with a really cool backdrop make all the difference

Whether you’re choosing an epic hiking location with mountains in the backdrop or an urban spot with a cool city scape or amazing brick walls. Choose a location with a with an interesting background that can be used for photos. Also keep in mind finding a place that doesn’t have a lot of foot traffic that could interfere with your photos.

HOW TO POSE FOR WEDDING PHOTOS

Posing Guide

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Posing can be very nerve-wracking for couples and tends to be something that my couples are most worried about when they contact me. Well posed photos can make all the difference in how your photos turn out, and while you’re wedding photographer should give you guidance on posing, I’m here to hand out a few helpful tips. I will note that if you end up using me as your wedding photographer I will give you tons of direction the entire way through and give you prompts to let you let lose and have fun with it!

Tips for Making your Posing Feel Natural

The biggest mistake you can make with your wedding posing is overthinking to the point that your photos don’t feel natural. As a photographer we want photos that don’t feel forced, We’re there to direct you when needed and find out which couples need more guidance then others when it comes to positioning and the little details. But if you’re interacting with each other and having a nice moment, don’t feel the need to stop the natural candid moments to find out about your next pose, because those in between moments where you’ve let go and forgotten about posing, that’s what makes the magic.

Everyone wants those beautiful candid moments where you’re laughing and have these big natural smiles on your faces that are just completely in the moment, and while it may seem impossible there are a few things you can do to get each other laughing. Maybe you whisper a dirty joke in the other persons ear, or stare each other in the eye for 20 seconds till inevitably someone cracks up laughing. You can also try a subtle tickle or butt grab to get both of you laughing.

Wedding Posing Mistakes to Avoid

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Speak Up : If you have a favorite side that you prefer make sure you tell your photographer. The last thing you want is to not say anything and hate all your photos that are on your “bad side”. Also if you have any specific insecurities, talk to your photographer about it so they can direct your posing around your insecurities if at all possible. Make sure you’re vocal about what you’re concerned about.

Cheesy Smiles: We all want those beautiful smiles but the last thing you want is to look stiff, over posed and cheesy. Don’t over practice your smiles because it will come off as forced. Focus on interacting with each other and enjoying the moment, it helps to relax.

Slow Down: Slow down and interact with each other. It’s not a race to get your photos done because you’ll miss the in between. Touch foreheads, sneak in some little jokes about what happened earlier in the day. Really take time to soak each other in instead of worrying about the day.

Open Eye Kissing: Most couples don’t kiss with their eyes open in real life but somehow when it comes down to the wedding day it becomes a nervous habit. If you’re faces are really close together or if you’re kissing make sure to close your eyes, it also helps you really take in the moment.

Keep it Clean: While the occasional sweet delicate kiss will look great on photo, a big make out session doesn’t. Keep your kisses clean and try to avoid squishing your faces together and squishing each others noses.

Below are a few great go to poses for your wedding day.

1. walking shot

   The walking shot is always a good one! Talk to each other, hip check each other and have fun with it. This always brings out the natural smiles.

2. gETTING DRESSED PHOTOS

Whether it be the groom tying the tie or the bride putting on shoes or jewelry, these fun getting ready shots are always a good one because we can highlight the outfit choices and get great photos of you without you overthinking it.

3.showing off the veil

We love a good veil especially if it has gorgeous details. The veil can be featured in so many different ways whether its bridal shots or of the bride and groom together.

4. Jumping into each others arms

This is a personal favorite for me because we can have so much fun with it. Twirling around or making it a big romantic notebook moment. This movement allows for photos that feel natural and also has you engaging with each other which is what we want.

5. FEELING THE EMOTIONS OF THE DAY

I always love to have my couples slow down for a minute and just embrace in a way that feels natural and comfortable to you. Sometimes I ask you guys to tell each other what you’re most excited about for being married to each other, this allows for a natural tender moment for photos.

How to Combat Wedding Planning Anxiety

Hey You …. Pause and Take a Deep Breath

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Before reading this I hope you paused and took a deep breath, because guess what, if you haven’t figure it out yet sometimes wedding planning can be pretty stressful and you just need to take a minute to close your eyes, breath in and release all that tension. Whether you’re the perfect planner bride who wants to have every detail organized from start to finish or the super laid back chill bride, you’re bound to experience a bit of wedding planning anxiety at some point in the process. And you’re reading this it’s probably because you already have. So here are a few of my top tips from a wedding professional, who has also planned their own wedding, on how to combat the wedding planning anxiety.

TAKE TIME

FOR YOURSELF

Just because you’re planning a wedding does not mean it needs to take over your life. You and your fiancé shouldn’t stop dating because you got engaged and you still need time for yourself too. Don’t let everything become about the wedding. Continue to date, Continue to have fun together and get to know each other separate from planning. Most of all give yourself mental health breaks from planning.

STOP

THE CRAZY LISTS

I remember when I was planning my wedding and I joined The Knot wedding planner and it gave me a list of like 400 things to do and I genuinely thought I had to check every item off that list. Not only that but I joined about 3 other websites and added their lists to that list and pretty soon I was losing my mind. STOP THE CRAZY LISTS.

Y ‘all let me tell you about a week after my wedding I woke up from a nightmare in a full blown panic because I needed to check items of my list on The Knot…. my wedding was over.

So here me out, if you don’t know where to start planning your day a list can’t hurt. But take it as a helpful suggestion and not something that has to get done. Don’t worry about a 400 item list, and focus on the big picture.

BE HONEST

ABOUT YOUR FINANCES

Nothing stresses people out more than finances, and overspending on your wedding only to have to either cancel certain aspects of the wedding you’ve already organized or have to stress about coming up with the money is not something any bride wants to do. Be honest from the very beginning about your finances and how much money you can spend on the wedding as whole, once you figure that out designate amount of money per category of the wedding expenses and go from there. Whatever you do don’t go into it unaware of where you are financially and how much you can spend.

TRUST

YOUR PARTNER

Hey remember that person you chose to marry, that person you love and adore? Trust them. This marriage is about more than the big beautiful dress and fun party. There are going to be a lot of big decisions throughout your marriage where you’ll lean on each other for guidance because what you’re entering into, is a partnership. So trust your partner, lean on them guidance in your decisions, big or small, and let them help you navigate this planning process.

ACCEPT HELP

WHEN OFFERED

Don’t forget that the people standing by you on your wedding day want to help, especially if people offer. Accept help from people, delegate some of that planning! And know when to hire a planner or coordinator for your wedding day.

Good Luck and Happy Wedding Planning

xo

Adele