Let’s continue our 2018 Year in Review series, shall we? We’ve already shared our favorite wedding cakes and our favorite bridal party fashions. Next up are our favorite engagement photos! We love engagement sessions for so many reasons- they’re fun, they’re laid back, we have plenty of time, we can schedule them during the best light of the day, we can go to the most amazing locations, they allow us to get to know our couples even better, they are a great practice run for our couples so they’re pros when the wedding day comes, and we can get a great variety of images during each session (from posed to edgy to romantic to funny to sweet. . .). We also truly adore when our couples personalize their engagement session! Bring your pet! Choose a location that is meaningful to you! Wear your grandmother’s pearls. Guys, bring your fiancé a bouquet of flowers as a surprise that day & we can incorporate them into the photos. Engagement sessions are also really great for our brides because they can use their engagement session as a trial run for a hair & makeup artist that they are considering for their wedding day. All in all, we LOVE engagement sessions & we are so excited to share our favorites from the past year with you today! We’ll share a few tips & tricks along the way for maximizing the potential of your e-session and for enjoying yourselves the most! 
Engagement session tip number one is to HAVE FUN! We know it can be a little awkward at first being in front of a professional camera and we will do our best to help you both feel relaxed and have a blast. We have plenty of goofy material and we are weird sooooo it works. haha. We want you to come to your session with the mindset that it’s going to be a fabulous time to celebrate your love & your engagement. So relax & enjoy each other.
Engagement session tip number two- don’t forget to make dinner reservations for after your session. You’re already going to be enjoying your night together so making it a date and continuing the celebration simply makes sense, right? Plus, “modeling” works up an appetite. 
We know this is cliché as far as engagement session tips go, but don’t forget to get your nails done before your session. And have that new bling sparkly & clean. 
We’re always getting questions about when a couple should have their engagement session. We honestly say it depends. If your wedding is on a holiday weekend or you have a guest list with a large amount of out-of-town guests, sending your Save the Date at least six months in advance is ideal. If you are getting married in the off-season and your guest list is mostly local, you can definitely get away with sending Save the Dates out around six months from your wedding date or even a little less than that. It also depends on when you get engaged, when you book your photographer, and when your wedding date will be- if you have a long engagement, you will have your choice of which season you want the engagement photos taken in, but if your engagement is shorter, you’ll have less of a choice. The season doesn’t matter as much as your connection with each other, though! So don’t stress if you get engaged in the Winter and want a late Summer or early Fall wedding the following year! Spring or early Summer engagement sessions are beautiful, too. No matter when the session is, it will be a fond memory and you’ll have photos to enjoy forever.
Another tip- when you’re considering which outfits to wear, make sure that you’ll be comfortable. Now we realize that yoga pants, sneakers, and a t-shirt is the most comfortable outfit & you’re probably not going to wear that to your engagement session, but we just mean that you shouldn’t feel self-conscious or too exposed in your outfit. If you do, that trepidation will come through in your photos. Choose a flattering silhouette that’ll make you feel confident and that won’t have you pulling or tugging at it. 
Always feel free to incorporate your personal interests, too. It makes your session unique & personalized. 
Even if you think a location may be off-limits or members only, it never hurts to ask ahead of time. You might be pleasantly surprised.
Your fur-children will probably try their best to steal the show.
Spontaneous dance parties are always encouraged. 
And we’re definitely down for traveling to a special location for your session. This was NYC this past October!
Guys, don’t forget to accessorize, as well.
Breakfast Club freeze frame fist pumps are obviously always a great idea.
Even if it rains a little, your photos will be stunning. . . promise.
Waiting a couple of minutes for us to set up our off-camera flash during sunset is worth it.
Looking back through these sessions was such a delight. We are so grateful to each & every couple who chooses Menning Photographic for their engagement and wedding photography! We hope you had a great time looking through these engagement photos & if you are engaged, please feel free to reach out to us HERE about your photography.
Since you loved this post, you’ll also enjoy:
Breathtaking Engagement Session in the Hills of West Virginia
October Beach Wedding in Darlington, Pennsylvania
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