One of the most fun parts of getting engaged is getting to do an engagement session with your partner. Hiring a trusted, professional photographer to take these (if it’s in your budget) is so important because these are photos you’ll get to keep and cherish for the rest of your life. I am so in love with the photos from my session that I am still staring at them often.
We are still deciding which ones to get printed to hang in our house, but we also plan to incorporate some into our wedding day decor because they are that dreamy.
So, what do you do first? — Choose a photographer!
You can and should shop around for quotes. Look at websites and portfolios to see which photographer most matches your style. Most wedding photographers offer a package of some sort that includes an engagement session and a bridals session.
I didn’t go that route because one of my best friends is a wedding photographer. She’s going to be in my bridal party, so she obviously can’t shoot my big day & I wanted her to enjoy my day as a guest. My alternative was to hire her to shoot my engagement session and my bridals, and Alex and I hired a different photographer for our wedding day.
On that note, Natalie Phillips Photography is affordable, extremely talented, and she loves to travel! She recently shot an engagement session in Lake Tahoe (hi, ours!), and she also recently shot a wedding in Chicago. Check out her website! I can’t recommend her enough.
Our engagement session even popped up on her blog.
Next up - Pick a Location!
Once you’ve got your photographer booked, you can start planning where you want your engagement shoot to take place. Natalie & I went to Banff National Park together in late September/early October of 2017, and when we were there, we made a pact that she would take my engagement photos one day - we were going to the mountains. I didn’t even know Alex when we made this pact, so the fact that I found a partner so willing to travel with us and make our dream come true was fate.
After that trip to Canada, I really fell in love with national parks - my love for state parks would come later when I moved to Texas with Alex. Naturally, Natalie shot our engagement photos in a state park. On the evening of January 23, 2023 around sunset, Natalie took our engagement photos in Sand Harbor State Park on the shores of Lake Tahoe. A wintry sunset photo shoot was absolutely MAGICAL.
Note: Your photographer is responsible for obtaining the proper permits to shoot - certain locations and cities require permits.
When Should You Do Your Photos?
You can do them as soon after getting engaged as you’d like! We are sending out our save the dates in May or June of this year for a March 2024 wedding, and we are using one of our photos on our save the dates. You can be flexible with your photographer’s schedule - just keep in mind you may want to use one for your own save the dates. Photographer turnaround time varies. Natalie got our entire gallery back to us in less than two weeks, but I think she was just overly excited about our session, so it can definitely take longer than that. Just ask your photographer what their own turnaround time usually is!
What Should You Wear!?
This is entirely up to you, but we chose one more casual look and then changed into a more formal look.
Casual Look: I wore jeans and an oversized coat from Maven Womenswear. This boutique is everything — They have so many different options for special occasions or even everyday wear. The store in Lafayette, Louisiana is so lovely, but if you’re not local, you can shop online if you’d like to support them as they have definitely become one of my faves!
My shirt & earrings were from Francesca’s, and my boots were from Target. My engagement ring is from Dianna Rae Jewelry (also a local Lafayette, LA business), and my nails were done by Daisy Nails in Collierville, Tennessee. The nail look was called Champagne Velvet. If you’re ever out that way, it’s my fave nail salon I have been to yet. They are especially incredible with design, and they are now promoting a new service called Gel-X.
Shop the Look:
Alex wore a men’s pullover from Mack Weldon with a button down shirt underneath and jeans. He wore his trail shoes because of the ice at the park.
Formal Look: The center stone of my engagement ring is a deep green tourmaline, and knowing the backdrop would be a wintry beach in the mountains, I chose to go with a velvet, emerald, floor-length gown and a beautiful white shawl. Both pieces were purchased from Lulus. I was going to wear cute boots from Maven, but it was so icy and slippery that I just kept my Target boots on for our whole session. Safety first, people!
Alex swapped his pullover for a sport coat for our formal pictures.
Shop the Look:
The Shoot!
You’ll definitely want a photographer you’re comfortable with. I put together an engagement photo inspo board on Pinterest for Natalie so she had some idea of the poses I was favoring. Your photographer will guide you on how and where to stand and what to do. They may ask one of you to whisper five vegetables in your partner’s ear, tickle each other, or to pick out a song to slow dance to. We had a blast, and we were laughing our whole session. Natalie sincerely captured the love that Alex & I have for each other. He’s my best friend, and he keeps me laughing and smiling every single day. I think that really comes through in our photos.
Key Advice!
Just remember to have fun with it! :)
***All photos in this post were taken by Natalie Phillips Photography.***