Congratulations! You’ve just said yes to a bright future together. Now, take that shiny ring and start planning the wedding of your dreams! Because this is such an exciting and once-in-a-lifetime experience, make it unforgettable with a professional photographer capturing the adventure giving you amazing engagement and wedding photos.
Guide to Loving Your Engagement & Wedding Photos
You may be surprised to learn that engagement photos can serve multiple purposes. Not only will these images convey the love, romance, and intimacy of your early days together, you can also use the session as a trial run to experiment with different beauty looks and photo styles for the big day itself. Engagement photos also make great backdrops for save-the-date cards.
Most importantly, an engagement photo session will help you determine whether your chosen photographer is the best fit to commemorate the upcoming, magical moments of your wedding day.
Engagement & Wedding Photos Guide
If you’re dreaming about creating truly memorable images, there are a number of things to keep in mind. Below are some expert tips on how to select the right photographer and plan the essential photoshoot details to give you the results you’re looking for: beautiful images that you will love for a lifetime. Let’s get started!
Choosing Your Wichita Photographer
Feeling a little overwhelmed? It’s no wonder. There are already so many things to think about when planning a wedding and – let’s face it – the market is saturated with potential engagement and wedding photographers in Wichita, KS. So, how do you go about picking the right one? As you begin to explore your options, there are several important elements to consider.
Portfolio
To begin, take a look at the potential photographer’s wedding portfolio, website, and all social media outlets. “It amazes me how many people inquire about the packages before they even looked over the galleries or blogs of weddings,” says Cassie Boyce, Photographer & Media Manager, Complete Weddings + Events Springfield, MO. “If you are not a fan of the style or gallery of work, it is a waste of your time to get pricing from that photographer.”
A wedding portfolio and/or online gallery should give you a good sense of the photographer’s experience and preferred photography style(s). Explore whether they tend more towards artsy candids, traditional posed studio shots, a photo-journalistic approach, or a range of other stylistic possibilities. You can also see whether they’ve photographed past weddings at your specific venue, or at similar venues to yours. On-location experience can be helpful, though is by no means essential.
Because a portfolio consists of a photographer’s best images from a number of different events, Boyce also recommends asking to see a full album from a single wedding. This will give you a more realistic impression of image quality from start to finish.
Pricing
Once you’ve found several photographers whose images you like, it’s time to ask about availability and pricing. First, see if they are free on your preferred date(s). Next, while exploring cost, be sure you are comparing apples to apples. In other words, do the photographers under consideration include exactly the same things in their wedding packages?
Engagement Photo Outfit Ideas and Tips
Most engagement photo sessions take an hour and a half to two hours and involve a couple of different outfit changes. This is great news for couples who can’t quite decide what to wear, and it doubles the odds of nailing one of your looks!
When selecting your two ensembles, you may wish to pair a casual outfit with more formal attire – or choose one outfit appropriate for indoors, then one for outside. When deciding on your attire, consider the practicality of photo location, season, and weather. After all, you probably won’t want to be posing outside for two hours in the middle of winter wearing a strapless dress! Instead, coordinate clothing choices with your surroundings. For example, how about trying earth-toned sweaters and scarves with jeans and cozy boots against a background of fall foliage? Or, what about wearing shades of blue and white against a beach, lake, or other water-themed backdrops during summertime?
“Try to pick clothing styles that reflect your personal style and tastes,” adds Scott Stanley. “Coordinate your looks with each other by staying in the same color palette such as spring pastels, autumn earth tones, winter warm, or summer breeze.” He also recommends that you avoid large, bright, shiny jewelry pieces, since they will reflect more light than anything else in the image and be an unwelcome distraction from your facial expressions.
Engagement Photo Location and Tips
When it comes to finding the perfect spot for engagement photos, consider places that are meaningful to you as a couple and/or reflect your combined interests and personalities. Ask yourselves:
- Where did we first meet?
- Where did we get engaged?
- Where do we hang out as a couple?
- What activities do we enjoy doing together?
Whether it’s hiking outdoors in the fresh air, cooking gourmet meals at home in your pajamas, dressing up and going to the theater, or snuggling in front of a fire underneath fleece blankets – the more meaningful the location, the more comfortable and natural you will feel during your photo shoot. As a result, the image quality will reflect this.
Location
Of course, you can also explore specific local venues such as parks, gardens, waterfront areas, or historic buildings to find a beautiful engagement photo location. Be sure to work out the exact spots in advance of your shoot if it’s an area you’re not super familiar with. Or, if you’re still really not sure where to take your photos, ask your photographer for recommendations. They will already be familiar with some great places for romantic photos – and, of course, there’s always the option to do a simple studio session.
Lighting
Once you’ve selected a location, ask your photographer when the lighting will be most optimal and schedule accordingly. If outdoors, photographers generally prefer times closer to sunrise or sunset to avoid harsh sunlight and shadows.
If you’ve chosen a public space, you’ll want to confirm that there won’t be any major events impacting your photo session – unless it’s an event that’s meaningful to you! But in most cases, couples don’t envision crowds in the background of their engagement photos. Also, to be on the safe side, look into whether you need a permit to take photos at your chosen site
No matter where you ultimately book your session, remember that the most important feature is capturing the love and intimacy between the two of you. Attractive surroundings are simply an added bonus!
“When it comes to picking out outfits for engagement photos you should pick something that makes you feel confident, beautiful and that fits your body type. If a client comes to me asking what they should wear, first I am going to address what they love about their body as well as what they are self-conscious about. One thing I love about clothes is that you can highlight as well hide any part of your body that you choose! Another tip I like to give is think about how the colors you are picking will look hung up on your wall. My house is full of greys and blues so I personally like to choose color schemes that will compliment them, because I know I will be blowing up some of these images big to hang on my wall.” -Cassie Boyce, Photographer, Complete Weddings + Events Springfield
Choosing Your Photography Style
Photography styles are wide-ranging and include traditional, artistic, documentary, candid, dramatic, black and white, portrait, natural, romantic, vintage, and more. While some photographers tend primarily towards a particular style, other wedding photographers are less specialized and successfully dabble in multiple styles.
The best way to ensure you receive the stylized shots you desire is to share sample photos with your photographer. But always keep an open mind – if your theoretical preference is for outdoor candids, you might be pleasantly surprised to discover that the indoor studio shots end up being your favorite images! Again, communication is key.
Remember that your engagement photo session is the perfect time to experiment with different photo styles. “Take the time to look back at your engagement photos and share with your photographer the photos you loved so you can recreate them on your wedding day,” encourages photographer Ari Reynolds.
With a little advance planning and a lot of open communication, the images you are now envisioning are sure to become reality. Simply follow our expert photography tips to create an array of memorable engagement and wedding photos that you will treasure for the rest of your lives together.
“The best photography starts with great communication beforehand. Communicate and share your pinterest boards, how you want to look and feel on your wedding day and most importantly what you’d love to show off after your wedding!” – Ryan Dubree, Owner, Complete Weddings + Events Tulsa
Guide to Loving Your Engagement & Wedding Photos
Add your email for our complete PDF printable guide to loving your engagement & wedding photos with more tips like posing for engagement and wedding photos below!