It’s no secret that I love engagement sessions. They are so great for a variety of reasons. They are casual, fun, and lets you relax and enjoy a fun evening with your future spouse while looking good and getting amazing photos that you’ll love for a long, long time. There definitely is a lot to consider while planning your engagement session. So, enter my Free Engagement Session Planning Guide!

DATES & TIMING

Date Picking

Obviously you just got engaged and there’s a TON to plan, but I do think engagement photos should be one of the first things to plan once you have your photographer booked! Sometime between the one year and 6 month mark out from your wedding date is a great timeframe to plan for. This way, you’ll have your photos soon enough that you can use them for your wedding website, save the dates or invitations.

Time of Year

In Phoenix, it’s no secret that the summer is PRETTY DANG HOT. So, that being said, if you find yourself engaged in the early summer and don’t want to be a sweaty mess for your photos, but it pushes you closer to your wedding date than that 6-12 month sweet spot for photos, don’t stress about it. Everyone’s wedding timelines look different, and having to wait an extra month or so to get your perfect weather for your session is no biggie.

Time of Day

Lastly, let’s talk about lighting and time of day! As far as lighting goes, I am comfortable in pretty much any lighting scenario. Bright direct sunlight, shade, indoors with windows, indoors where it’s dark, nighttime. As long as I know ahead of time and can anticipate what I’ll need to bring with me to make it work- so don’t worry!

For outdoor locations, it’s no secret that photographers love “golden hour,” but what does that mean? The hour or so before sunset is (in my opinion) the best light from the sun of the entire day! It’s low enough in the sky that it’s not too harsh and no one will be squinty. But still bright enough that there’s plenty of glowy sunlight in your photos! If sunset isn’t an option, the second best option is going to be sunrise, but that tends to be EARLY. So, unless you are morning people or the location is better at sunrise, it might be a bit of a hard wake up call.

For indoor locations, middle of the day when the sun is high in the sky and bright is usually ideal to let the most light indoors as possible, but timing is much more flexible indoors.

LOCATIONS

Types of Locations

First, think about the broad type of location you’re interested in. Are you nature lovers or city dwellers? Do you prefer a rustic or modern backdrop? Depending on what you think fits your style best, that should narrow down options quite a bit.

In Arizona specifically, there’s a handful of location “genres” to choose from. Desert, cactus, mountains, western-vibe, downtown/urban sceneries, greenery, Sedona or Papago red rocks, pine tree forests (Flagstaff or Payson), lakes (lake pleasant, saguaro lake, Watson lake), indoor studios (see all my favorite Phoenix Studios HERE!), cool coffee shops and vintage book stores, bars and speakeasies, Old Town Scottsdale, the Grand Canyon?! and really so much more! When you download my Free Engagement Session Planning Guide- you’ll also receive a link to see all of my favorite Arizona Engagement Session Locations!!

TIP! I try to encourage my couples to pick an engagement session location that’s really different from their wedding venue! That way you have a good contract and variety of photos to display in your home from these two special events!

Personal Style

Next up, let’s consider your personalities. If you are homebodies, maybe it makes sense to pick a library or shoot your engagement photos inside your own house! Big on hiking? An epic picturesque mountaintop might be just what you’re looking for! Think about things you like to do together that reflects who you are and use that to guide your decision.

Unique to You

Pick a location that’s meaningful to you both! Was your first date at a cute little coffee shop? Let’s go there! Do you go to the farmers market every weekend and stroll around together? That sounds ADORABLE- let’s do it!

OUTFIT INSPIRATION

Number of Outfits

As far as amount of outfits go, for engagement sessions I always tell my couples to bring two different outfits!

The first outfit should be something comfy & casual that I could catch you two wearing out and about on any random day. Something that feels like yourselves & would be great in a “lunch date” kind of setting.

The second outfit is something bold or more dressy! Usually I say that if it looks like you’re going to be guests at a wedding or going to a cool new date night cocktail bar/fancier restaurant, you probably hit the nail on the head!

99% of the time you two will show up in the more casual outfit. After we are done with those, then you’ll change into the dressier outfit (I’ll bring a pop up changing tent so no worries about where you’ll be able to change!)

Authenticity

If you are not comfortable in the clothing you’ve picked out, it’s probably going to show through in your photos. Make sure that both of you are comfortable in your clothing to ensure you’ll be confident and comfortable. Plus, if you or your partner/your spouse love the clothes you’ve chosen, you can wear your outfits over and over again! Less waste, more economic, happy faces, win-win-win!

Compliment, Don’t Match

It’s possible to achieve a cohesive look without both of you wearing the same/similar colors., and style. It’s also much easier to choose clothing that coordinates well when you have a building block to start with. Start with one person’s outfit and plan the other’s outfit to compliment the first. If the first person’s outfit is patterned or texture-heavy, stick to solids or neutrals for person #2 so things don’t get too busy.

Color Scheme

Pick colors that either compliment your wedding color scheme so you have a seamless look throughout all of your photos if you choose to display some at your wedding, or colors that will look great when printed and displayed in your home! Choose 1-2 main “popping” colors you love, and plan outfits using those colors in different hues. Sprinkle in neutrals such as denim, white, grey and tans and you’re good to go!

ENGAGEMENT SESSION PLANNING GUIDE FREE DOWNLOAD

You can find ALL of the above information, plus much, much more when you download my Free Engagement Session Planning Guide below! If you have not yet booked your engagement session photographer… I would love to chat with you! Shoot me a message HERE and let’s get to planning!

Happy Engagement Session Planning!!