I’ve put together a few recommendations to help prepare for your engagement/bridal session. Information regarding what to wear, makeup and hair, locations, timing, and inspiration will all be covered here as a helpful guide.
Although my brand is fine art and vogue inspired, I love capturing the authentic moments, candids, and imagery that shows personality and expressions. And if you fear that you are awkward in front of the camera…no worries, I have several strategies to get you more comfortable. This moment is so valuable as a pre-cursor to what the wedding day will be like. So my goal is to let this be a really fun time.
WHAT IS YOUR VIBE?
The first thing to do is to determine what is your vibe for your engagements. What type of wedding are you having and what type of story do you want to tell. Typically engagements and bridal photos are on display during the reception. The images can be cohesive to your wedding, or show another fun personality. It all depends on what you want to see. Once you’ve determined your vibe, then selecting location, outfits, makeup/hair, and timing will fall together easily. Here are some main ideas for describing your vibe:
- highly traditional, formal, avant garde
- sleek, modern, editorial, rooftop
- casual, coffee shop, library, bar, food truck, sport venue, park
- windswept, beach, high mountains, open field
WHERE ARE WE GOING?
Location is the second most important thing to determine. It defines what your photos will look like. The time of our session is important to ensure the lighting accentuates the mood of your photos. If you want to have the city scape illuminated, we will have to shoot closer to sunset and into the evening. If you want a light and airy vibe, we will need to shoot midday, to sunset. Most locations shooting near sunset is better. However if you’ve chosen to be photographed inside, then we will need lots of natural light. Start time will begin generally around noon.
Locations that require a permit are covered by clients. So when choosing a location, check to see if there is a photography fee. If you aren’t sure, I can look into that for you.
For bridals at a venue, make sure you’ve contacted them in advance. This accommodation is typically reserved for brides who’ve booked the space for their wedding. Most venues reserve time during the week for bridals/engagements, as weekends are booked with full weddings. It’s best to notify the venue and schedule in advance to get the date you want.
Choose a location that works for both of you and your interests. Ensuring that your personality rings true in your photos is very important. If you don’t like being outside, don’t go to a field. If you are not into art, dressing up, or formalities don’t book the museum, or a cathedral looking venue. Same goes for it you never drink coffee, or go to the bar, or dislike NYC…don’t do a city engagement. Lol!
WHAT IS YOUR LIGHT INSPIRATION
The location will determine the lighting and what lighting equipment I will bring. I don’t typically use flash for outdoor sessions. However, I do bring them as a safety precaution. For indoor sessions, I typically bring two flashes, as well as for night time shooting. At night, I often will use a single flash and bring a small light modifier to properly expose the scene. Studio work, I use up to three strobes in my Sanguine Portraiture style. You can see more of my Sanguine brand here: www.sanguineportraiture.com
Here are some ideas of to help you determine your lighting inspiration:
- Light and airy
- Studio, portraiture, magazine
- Paparazzi, trendy, flashy (night scape, night bar)
- Moody, rain day, (movie theatre, dark museum)
WHAT TO WEAR
So now you’ve figured out your vibe, location, and lighting inspiration… it’s time to pick outfits. For bridals, you only need your wedding gown. However, for engagements, I highly recommend two outfits; one formal and one casual. It’s important to be true to your own personal style. If you want two vogue looks, or two causal looks, do that. So what I’ll break down are some ideas for each below. For any option, I strongly recommend for women to wear at least one outfit being in white to represent you as the bride.
- I do not recommend couples wearing matching clothing or colors. This sentiment is equally as strong as wearing too many patterns. Patterns can be very distracting in photos. I certainly don’t recommend two people in patterns. However, if this is truly your authentic style, I will be happy to capture you in what makes you comfortable.
- Wear comfortable shoes, but bring your cute ones. Depending on the location, we will be moving around quite a bit.
- Think about what footwear to bring. City scapes and editorials…fancy shoes. Going to a field, wear boots. Going to the park, wear sneakers. Going to the beach, flip flops or no shoes.
- Stay true to your normal personal style. If you never wear a suit…then don’t go buy one. If you live on a ranch, then pull out the cowboy hat. If you never wear a dress, there’s no need to start for your engagements. There are so many choices to capture the essence of your shoot without having to go outside of your normal wardrobe proclivity.
- Make sure everything fits. Clothing shouldn’t be too tight, too loose, or ill-fitted. Guys, make sure the suit is comfortable and tailored for your body. Suits should button, jacket sleeves should reach your wrist, pants shouldn’t bulge, and pant shouldn’t be above your ankles. Ladies, if the dress is form-fitting in the right areas. Spilling out of a dress is never flattering in photos. Conversely, loose clothing should still be the right size along the shoulders and waist. It’s important to have shape defined.
- Remember to consider the weather. Texas is ofter hot March-October. So wearing too many clothes is generally not necessary for us unless its in the winter and early spring.
Vogue
- Formal fitted black or white dress, generally longer length
- Cocktail black/white dress, or big flowy couture dress
- Tailored suit creates a more vogue formal look
- Suit with no tie, or open bow tie creates a more city editorial look
Romantic
- Fun short and flowy white/black dress, fun shoes
- Work professional slacks and dress shirt
- Casual both in jeans and t-shirts, sneakers
- Shabby chic and boho, fun hats, layers, patterns, etc.
ACCESSORIES
Accessories can add more personality to your engagement and bridals. Here are some things I recommend:
Bridals
- heirloom jewelry and sentimental pieces
- hair jewelry
- bouquet
- bridal shoes
- crown
- vintage formal car
Engagements
- black and white sunglasses
- bridal cake with wedding date on it
- sharing pizza, coffee, icecream, etc.
- vintage two-seater car
- vogue/editorials: high fashion watches, bracelets, glasses, purses, etc.
- fun sneakers, shoes, tall rain boots
MAKEUP AND HAIR
Book your makeup and hair stylist in advance. You will want hair and make up scheduled for the day of our session. If you haven’t scheduled a wedding trial yet, the engagements could act as one. But I recommend getting your trial done prior to bridals and engagements. Here are some tips for both:
Makeup
- Makeup shouldn’t look like a filter, but should look like skin
- Makeups should cover scars, blemishes, and imperfections
- Your face should match and blend with your neck…otherwise it will look like your head is floating
- Eyelashes should not be overly/grossly large and thick, but natural enhancements to your own
- Brows should be defined and have shape. An unstructured brow will make photos look non-professional
- Lips should have dimension in color, and match your skin tone/vibe/outfit, etc.
- Contour, highlights, and bronzing should be done tastefully to accentuate the way light naturally falls on the face to create structure. However, it should not take over what lighting naturally does. Your face should not look like you are bruised, have theatre powder, or a light strip running down your nose.
- No waxing of anything 2 weeks prior to session
Hair
- Straighter hair textures, wigs and weaves, and natural coiled textured hair should be styled day of session
- Curly textured hair has more flexibility to be styled 1 week prior to your session
- Braids, locs, and intricate designed hair should be done 1-2 weeks prior to your session to allow the style to settle and not be overly tight
- Cuts, color, waxing should be done 2 weeks prior to session
- Guys should have a fresh cut within the same week of our session
- Wigs, weaves, other removable hair should be styled professionally so that the edges are seamless with your face. Editing out tracks, wig pieces, etc. can be done, but is a very time consuming effort and will lower the deliverables from your session.
- Hair style should match your vibe and location.
OTHER DETAILS
We are getting close to being ready for our engagement/bridal session…but there is still more to think about.
- Nails: Neutral or white is best. I don’t recommend distracting designs or colors for these type of portraits. Get your manicure and pedicure the day before your session, or as close as possible. Guys should also consider getting a manicure. If not, ensure nails are clean and trimmed.
- Ordering outfits: If you have something you really want to wear, order it 2 months in advance. That way if there are any fit issues, you have time to figure out an alternative, return it, etc.
- Diet: Try a clean diet two weeks before our session. Low salt and sugar foods and lots of water works really well. If there are skin changes based on this diet, it should work itself out within the week. But a clean diet will help you lose a few pounds, prevent bloating, and get skin glowing.
- Facials: Do not get a professional facial the week of your session. Facials should be done 2 weeks prior to allow the skin to peel, recover, etc. from the treatment. However, doing a nightly ritual to enhance your skin is fine.
- Ring: Get your ring professionally cleaned, or order a ring cleaning solution from Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3SVLGsX
- Weather: Check the weather and plan accordingly. In extreme weather conditions, I reschedule. But a little rain and snow…I will happily photograph you in the elements. I have a clear umbrella, etc. Houston is hot, but unless it’s over 95 degrees, I will keep your session. Same if weather is below 30, and any threat of ice, etc.
INSPIRATION IDEAS
I love Pinterest for creating mock boards of ideas for your wedding, engagement, and bridals. It’s a guide post that lets me know more about your vibe. When clients send me what they have on their boards, there is always a level of unity, personality, and style that is reflective in what they are drawn to. And based off of their pins, I get a greater understanding of who they are and…for the millionth time…their vibe. Lol!
Here are some links to boards I’ve created:
Portrait Bridals: https://www.pinterest.com/sanguineportraiture/bridals/
City Engagement Ideas: https://www.pinterest.com/sanguineportraiture/city-engagement-ideas/
Couples Poses: https://www.pinterest.com/sanguineportraiture/couple-poses/
Engagement Shoot: https://www.pinterest.com/sanguineportraiture/engagement-shoot/
Trendy Couple Outfits: https://www.pinterest.com/sanguineportraiture/trendy-couple-outfits/
Unbridled: https://www.pinterest.com/sanguineportraiture/unbridled/
DAY OF SESSION
Here are some suggestions on things to do and bring for the day of our session:
- Have a light breakfast, if we are scheduled midday, and a light lunch, if shooting near sunset.
- Make sure you’ve mapped the meeting location and planned for any traffic. Sunset photos have the most critical time restraints. So being early, is better than being late.
- Bring a snack if we are doing a lot of walking around and a water bottle with ice water. Depending on where we are, we can just grab something nearby.
- Bring a makeup touchup kit
- Bring a brush, pick, hairspray, etc. for maintaining your hair during the day
Now this was a lot of information. But, there’s no way to capture everything and every question. So please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with more. I look forward to answering them to make your engagement and bridal session remarkable!
~Joanna
www.joannaboothweddings.com
#houstonwedding #houstonweddingphotographer #houstonweddingphotography #houstongengagement #houstonengagementphotographer #houstonnewlyengaged #weddingphotographer #weddingphotography #houstontx
comments +