Orlando FLorida | Worldwide

Orlando FLorida | Worldwide

How to prepare for your engagement session

August 2, 2017

You are engaged, you have picked a venue and the date is set. Praise the Lord, you found us and hopefully invited us to tag along for the adventure ;-). Now you have an engagement session coming up and you have no idea where to start. You have no clue on how to prepare for your engagement session. I can’t believe we haven’t posted a blog on this yet, but it is never too late. No worries, The Hendricks are here lol! Wether we are your photographer or not, these tips will help you prepare for your upcoming love session.

How to prepare for your engagement session

Location + Time

First thing is first, the location. Pick a location that means something to you or is part of your story. Some couples also use this as an opportunity to showcase the beautiful sceneries Florida has to offer, especially if they are having a destination wedding. This can vary from our beautiful springs to our sandy beaches or our gorgeous Spanish moss trees in National Parks. Nothing is really out of the question because we love exploring and shooting in new locations.

Next, decide when you want your shoot to take place. Save the dates typically need to be mailed no later than four months before the wedding. During Spring and Summer, the days are longer so the shoots will start later in the evening. The days get shorter during the Fall and Winter season, therefore the sessions start during the late afternoon. Rule of thumb, once a date is picked google the sunset time, subtract two hours and you got your start time.

Outfits

Dress it up, all the way up! This is the perfect time to get dolled up. Long, flowy dresses always photograph beautifully and are very flattering. Lets talk about colors, stick to light colors. Any color of the rainbow in a pastel shade will do just fine. The secret to coordinating outfits is to pick the brides ensemble first.Once the you have found the perfect ensemble dress him up like a Ken doll.

How to make it all go together without being too matchy matchy? Have him pull a color out of your dress. Take the picture on this blog as an example. She is wearing a beautiful dress with a floral pattern and the groom to be,  wore a pink shirt which is not the dominant color of her dress with neutral pants.  Notice I said pants not jeans ;-). If he had worn a blue shirt , it would have been too matchy matchy. The next question is , one or two outfits! The more the merrier. We love it when our couples bring more than one outfit. A lot of our couples will do a dressy outfit and a more casual outfit. But there are no rules so if you want them both dressy, by all means!

We recommend to brides who what to dress it up but don’t want to invest in a dress that they will never wear again is to rent a dress. Yes, you heard me right! You can rent an entire outfit on Rent the Runway . You can pick a dress, have it mailed to you, rock it out and then ship it back. They take care of all the dry cleaning. It’s really such a great solution and crazy affordable!

wekiwa springs engagement session, wekiwa springs engagement

Beat that Face

Although we do not require that you have professional hair and makeup, we DEFINITELY recommend it.  Why do we recommend it? Well, in our experience it gives our brides a confidence that just cannot be photoshopped! We know how to pose you, we know how to find that magical lighting and snap amazing pictures, but a confident woman always makes for a killer picture! Its a sparkle in your eye and shy smile that is just so adorable and cannot be filtered. If you don’t feel gorgeous your photos will reflect that. So take the extra time to get ready so when you stand in front of the camera all that is going through your mind is “Snap away boo boo”.

How to prepare for your engagement session

Props just add the cherry on top

That’s right!!! Props! If you want your photos to look like they belong in a magazine, props always add the finishing touches! Wether its a bouquet of fresh flowers, a floral crown, a picnic basket with some grapes and wine, even a car or a bike, it is all welcomed! We love details!!! And although you don’t have to create a huge production, adding just one or two elements can really take your pictures to another level. They add an amazing touch to shoots plus gives you an opportunity to play pretend with hubby to be! Here are some great examples of couples that opted to bring along a little something if you need help coming up with ideas !

Ed + Briana

Chris + Shenele

Kersley + Jennifer 

 

Be on time!

This is so important! Many couples don’t realize that as natural light photographers we rely on the sun to be able to shoot. If the session starts late the sunset time doesn’t change therefore your session is cut short. Plan ahead for traffic, wardrobe and hair emergencies to avoid being late. Don’t think ill of us or any other natural light photographer for that matter but we just want to make sure that you have the best experience and images, and being on time accomplishes that!

Get your ring cleaned

This will be the most important accessory you wear. It’s the reason we have an engagement session. Of course we are going to snap pretty pictures of it. We recommend you get your ring cleaned and polished so that its ready to shine bright in your pictures!

Trust your photographers!!!

The most important thing is to trust us or whoever your photographer is! We got the rest under control! We promise you will look fabulous and head over heals in love! Plus we’re pretty funny so you’re sure to have a great time and laugh a lot!!!!

 

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