Engagement Picture Tips

So, you did it. The love of your life asked, you said yes, and now you're engaged. Congratulations. It's the happiest time of your life and you want to encapsulate it in pictures.

Way back in the day, people actually sent out engagement announcements. It was a way to tell relatives near and far that you were, in fact, going to get married. And a photo helped to show them just who was being added to the family. Now, with Facebook and FaceTime, keeping in touch with distant relatives is much easier so people don't send engagement announcements now. They do, however, still take engagement pictures. These are mostly for you and not for anyone else to ever see (unless you post them in an album on Facebook), but you still want them to be perfect.

Of course yours will be. You stopped on this blog post to get engagement picture tips. You're better off than a lot of other people. Trust me.

Engagement Picture Tips

Choose a location.
You need a setting that isn't too busy but, at the same time, isn't boring. The focus needs to be on you and your fiance, but you also don't want to pose in front of a cream wall for twenty photos.

Pick a location that has some meaning to you as a couple or to your wedding. We took ours at the beach because we had recently moved to the beach together (far from our families) and we knew that we were going to have a beach reception so it was a good way to introduce our guests to our theme (since we used an engagement picture as the photo for our save the date cards).

Engagement picture location ideas:

• Local nature park
• Downtown in your city
• The beach
• A playground
• The riverwalk
• A baseball stadium
• An amusement park
• The place where you got engaged/had your first date
• Somewhere outdoors doing something you love (rock climbing, ghost hunting, etc.)
• Somewhere indoors doing something you love (reading books at the library, cooking, etc.)

Choose your attire.
You really want neutral solids in your photos. You don't want some ratty t-shirt with a band's name on the front, and you want to stay away from really busy patterns that won't photograph well.

Also, be very mindful of necklines. I know, it sounds like a silly thing to be concerned with, but it's actually something photographers tell models when they're going for head shots. You want a very clean neckline, nothing flopping around taking away from your face. A shirt with a collar that doesn't stay down will be super distracting in photos.

Choose a theme.
Some people go all out with their engagement pictures. These are the ones who dress up like zombies and get featured on Reddit and Buzzfeed. Most engagement photos are a lot less involved. You can stage an entire winter wonderland photo shoot with a cute blanket and cups of hot chocolate in your hands (preferably in this pair of Does This Ring Make Me Look Engaged and I Put A Ring On It mugs) and it will be just as adorable (although it won't get you on the front of Yahoo news).

Many photographers will have props for other photo shoots that you might be able to use and incorporate into your theme. If you are both teachers, for example, you can ask if your photographer does back to school mini sessions. If he or she does, they are usually taken with a bunch of props -- books, apples, old fashioned desks, etc. You can use them in your engagement photos (then again in a few years from now when you have a kid who goes to school).

Engagement picture theme ideas:

• Winter wonderland (shoot in the snow, a ski lodge, etc.)
• Falling in love (go to a park that is filled with fall foliage)
• Spring fling (shoot where everything is new and green)
• Summer fun (series at the beach or pool)
• Sightseeing (what a cute way to show off your town)
• Recreate your favorite movie
• Photograph your favorite activity (ghost hunting, bar hopping, whatever)
• The perfect pair (take photos of you with pears, Mickey and Minnie dolls, your parents' photos, etc.)

Choose the right photographer.
We have a huge post on how to choose your wedding photographer that you can read here. Taking engagement photos is a good way to test out your wedding photographer and also get comfortable with them. That way you will feel so great about them on your wedding day and you will have better photos.

Capture your personalities.
Your engagement photos are a great way to show off your engagement ring, but it is also such a good way to show off your love too. If you and your fiancé are playful, let that show in your photos. You don't have to be stiff and formal. This is such a happy time in your life; let your engagement photos reflect that.

BRIDAL BABBLE: What is your favorite engagement picture location idea?