Congratulations, friend! It is finally your turn! Let the wedding planning celebrations commence! Now that you have picked a date, a photographer, and venue, pop the bubbly! You are probably here because you are in the beginning stages of planning your engagement session and you might have a few questions. No worries though, I have prepared a guide with 8 tips for preparing for your engagement session from a Nashville Wedding Photographer.

While I don’t require my couples to do an engagement session, I highly recommend it – and even include complimentary engagement sessions in each of my wedding packages. During your engagement session, you will have the perfect opportunity to not only get to know me, but you’ll also get to experience how I shoot and handle different posing and lighting. Your session will make a large impact on how your wedding day flows. By providing you with a complimentary engagement session, I will show up to your wedding day already knowing how the two of you interact, what your best angles are, and how to photograph your wedding day in a way that is genuine to the two of you!

Now friend, I get it. Having your picture taken is uncomfortable – I am the worlds most awkward human when I am in front of the camera. But, lucky for you, I am pretty great at guiding and prompting you to look and feel your best! I am no stranger to realizing that planning your engagement session can be a bit overwhelming (I remember the feeling like it was yesterday), but I’ll be providing a checklist to aid you in preparing beforehand to make your shoot the best it can be!

1. Determine a Season

Your engagement session can be scheduled anytime before your wedding day, however the general rule of thumb is 3-6 months in advance. I have shot engagement sessions a month before the wedding and some as far out as two years – you do you boo! As you begin planning for your engagement session, it’s best to figure out what season of the year you would like to do them. Dreaming of the perfect Fall field? Picturing a golden field during golden hour? Or blossoming Cherry Trees in early Spring? Determining which season of the year you would like your pictures taken in is a huge first step.

2. Date and Location

Once you have your season nailed down, it’s best to start determining a date. For location, I provide a comprehensive list to all of my couples of my favorite locations to shoot at in the Nashville area. I love when couples pick a location that is special or sentimental to them in some way! If you cannot think of somewhere you would like to shoot, I can help you decide. I always aim to shoot my engagement sessions near sunrise or sunset depending on the lighting scenario and the time of year.

3. Schedule Hair and Make-up Appointments

There is no denying it – when you look good you feel good! I always encourage my brides to treat themselves to a nice “self care” day before their engagement session. Professionally done hair and makeup can elevate your engagement photos to a whole other level. This is a great time to test our your wedding day look as well. If your HMUA offers a trial, see if you can schedule it for the same day. This gives you a chance to see how your hair and makeup photographs before your wedding day!

4. Get Your Nails Done

We all know the iconic ring shots that take place during an engagement session. My favorite piece of advice to brides that are planning their engagement session is to get your nails done at least three days before your session. This makes such a huge difference in your images and it will help you feel more confident and put together!

5. Clean Your Ring

Speaking of ring shots, make sure you get that rock cleaned so it is nice and sparkly for it’s close up! This is something that often gets overlooked, but it really does make a big difference. You can easily give it a quick scrub at home with an old toothbrush, warm water, and Dawn dish liquid or take it to your jeweler for a professional cleaning.

6. Pass on the Spray Tan

Coming from the palest girl to ever exist, this one hurts. Skip the spray tan, friend. I recommend that you do not get a spray tan before your session. Spray tans tend to photograph orange even when applied subtly and by a professional. Your actual skin tone will always photograph the best!

7. Pack A Bag

Here are a few things to include in your engagement session bag:

• Additional outfits (my engagement sessions allow for two outfits)
• Spare shoes for walking between photo locations
• Make up
• Water
• Jacket (cool weather)
• Something personal – flowers, wine/champagne, blanket

8. Plan a Fun Date Night

You’re already going to be all dolled up! Completing your engagement session and having one more thing marked off the to-do list is a reason to celebrate!

Planning your engagement session should be a fun and exciting time for you and your fiance! I hope this brief guide of tips and tricks helps with your engagement session planning!

If you haven’t already hired your dream wedding photographer, I would love to talk more with you! Feel free to inquire with me here!

Planning your engagement session, but need some inspiration? Check out more of my work below!

Gina + Collin’s Retro-Style Nashville Engagement Session

Hannah + Alex’s Springtime Western Engagement Session