Engagement Session Guide

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ENGAGEMENT SESSION

PLANNING YOUR

choosing the perfect time, location, outfit & More!

Welcome

A NOTE ABOUT THIS GUIDE

First let me say, it is totally normal to be a little nervous about your engagement session. Prior to getting engaged for married, most couples have not had professional photos taken together, and that is totally normal! I created this guide to help calm those nerves and help us plan for an amazing shoot.

I'm a huge proponent of engagement sessions for a few reasons. First, they allow you to get comfortable in front of the camera. It takes time for most couples to warm up to being photographed and understand how I pose. Timelines can be more strict on a wedding days and 30 minutes may be all we have for portraits - which is why I’ve found that wedding day portraits turn out so much better when couples do engagement sessions ahead of time. You walk into the wedding even more confident and excited to be photographed!

Second, you can showcase your personalities in a more casual setting that is signficant to the two of you (and even include pets!). While they’re great for save-the-dates, we’ve taken engagement photos anywhere from 18 months in advance to the week before the wedding.

There is a lot to think about when it comes to planning a session and since I get many of the same questions from couples, I thought it would be the most beneficial to put together a guide that walks you through everything you need to know.

We’ll cover what to wear, whether to bring pets & how to manage them, location ideas and more!

- SAMANTHA

We get it. Having your picture taken for 1-2 hours is not your usual evening activity as a couple. And at first you might feel sort of awkward being in front of the camera. But I think you’ll find that by the end of the session, it’s a lot easier than you thought, and you even had fun! I look forward to it because it’s a great opportunity for us all to hang out a bit before the wedding day.

The Nervous

A NOTE TO

Engagement sessions can take place anywhere from immediately following a proposal to just a few days before the wedding. We’ve found that there isn’t a “good” or “bad” time to take your photos. We normally plan sessions based on a particular “look” a couple has in mind, spring flowers for example, or based on schedules.

Sessions typically last about an hour and a half and when we can—we love to begin sessions about two hours before sunset. It's best to shoot when the sun is lower in the sky to avoid harsh shadows and bright sun patches. The first two hours after sunrise is also an ideal time to shoot.

We schedule sessions during what we believe will be the best light of the day - which means that it’s super important to be on time. If you’re late to an evening session, we could run out of light before we’ve finished shooting and if your session takes place in the morning, the sun gets more harsh as it rises.

Is there a "good" time to take photos?

TIME & LIGHT

While we shoot most of our engagement sessions between April and late November, sessions can take place all year. Most of our couples choose a season based on the location where they want to shoot.

A few things to keep in mind during each season:

Seasons

Winter

snowfall, hot cocoa and cozy coats

If you’re planning to take your engagement photos during the winter, keep in mind that if your session takes place in the evening, we could begin shooting as early as 2:30pm to catch the sunset. We recommend dressing in layers so that in between photos you can warm up. Make sure you bring a little extra makeup and tissues in case your nose begins running.

Spring

fresh flowers and sunny days

Even though Spring begins in March, we typically don’t begin shooting for another 6 weeks because the weather in Pennsylvania is still pretty chilly. When we schedule spring dates, we occasionally schedule both a primary date and a backup rain date.

Summer

walks on the beach hand in hand

In spite of the heat, we’re big fans of summer sessions! Because of the later sunset, sessions sometimes begin as late as 6pm. If you’re taking your engagement photos during the summer, we recommend bringing extra makeup and a few towels to make sure you stay fresh throughout your session.

Fall

colorful leaves and snuggling close

Fall is one of the prettiest times of the year on the East Coast and because of the perfect weather, our schedules typically book up quickly! If you have your heart set on a fall engagement session, we recommend scheduling it as soon as you book!

If your wedding is local, save the dates should be sent between 6 and 8 months before the wedding. For a destination wedding, you’ll want to send them out 8 to 10 months before the wedding.

If you’re hoping to use your engagement photos for your save the dates, we recommend scheduling your session at least two months before you plan to send out your save-the-dates. Between inclement weather, editing, designing your save-the-dates and printing, two months is generally a safe amount of time to make sure your images and cards are ready.

Save-the-dates

Locations

Pennsylvania and Delaware LOCATIONS

We love when couples choose a location for their session that complements their wedding. For example if you’re planning a romantic, nature-inspired wedding, it may be fitting to take your engagement portraits at a local park with flower-filled fields rather than if you are having a chic city affair something downtown may make more sense. The best session locations are often meaningful places to the couple; however, we’re also happy to make recommendations. From secret gardens to lavender fields to apple picking and college campuses, the options for engagement session locations are endless!

Longwood Gardens
Hunting Hill Mansion
Marian Coffin Gardens at Gibraltar
Glen Foerd on the Delaware

Romantic & ELEGANT

Philadelphia Museum of Art
Old City
Rittenhouse
Kelly Drive
Washington Square
Magic Gardens
Spruce Street Harbor Park

Philadelphia

Rehoboth Beach, DE
Cape May, NJ
Avalon, NJ

BEACH

A Vineyard
Valley Forge
Tyler Arboretum
Peace Valley Park
Morris Arboretum
Maple Acres Farm Market
Bartram's Garden

Organic

Cooking class
Hiking
Sailing / Boating
Apple Picking
College Campus

ADVENTURE

The above locations are all beautiful but we also love exploring meaningful locations with our couples!

Destination Engagement Sessions

While we take most of our engagement sessions in the PA/DE area, we’ve photographed sessions everywhere from Washington, D.C. to New York City to Oahu, Hawaii to Paris! If you have a location in mind that is significant to the two of you, let us know because if our schedules align, we might be able to take your engagement photos outside of our normal area.

Travel fees may apply depending on the location and our availability.

Outfits

TIPS FOR LOOKING YOUR BEST

When picking outfits I recommend keeping in mind the word “complement” rather than “match.” For example, if the groom-to-be is wearing a blue jeans and a sage green henley shirt, the bride-to-be may want to choose a long, soft floral dress with sage and cream tones. It can also be a great idea to choose “color-families". We always love a good neutral palette with some soft accent colors. They photograph so beautifully.

Generally couples pick two outfits for an engagement session: a more "date night" outfit and a casual (but still special) outfit. We recommend saving your favorite outfit for later in the session, when couples usually feel more comfortable in front of the camera.

for the gents

find it fast

Taylor Stitch
Madewell
ASOS
J. Crew
Zara
Frank & Oak  
Nordstrom
Urban Outfitters
Boyds Philadelphia

Wardrobe

WHERE TO SHOP

Outfits

for the gents

Inclement Weather

what to do if it rains

One of the benefits of the engagement session is that if the weather is calling for rain, we have the ability to reschedule. We are more than happy to reschedule if the weather is looking less than ideal.

We’ll check in the week of your engagement session to confirm the time & location we’re meeting and the weather. We know it takes a lot of time to get ready for engagement session and it’s the worst to get dressed up and drive out to your session only to have it rain. Let us know what works best for the two of you - but if the weather looks like it won’t be great, we typically try to make the call at least 12 hours in advance.

Our pup, Scout, is huge part of our family, which is why I love when couples choose to incorporate pets into their session. Keep in mind that bringing a pet along often means that we’ll need to choose a pet friendly location.

I recommend planning for your pet to be at the first part of your session and then having a friend take them home. We won’t use the pet in every single photo so it’s also nice to have a friend available to hold him or her in between shots.

If you’re going to bring a pet, we recommend exercising your pet before the session and bringing your pets favorite toy or treats! Depending on your pet’s fur type, it might also be a good idea to groom them before the shoot.

Pets

When we can, we always try to take a photo of your ring during your engagement session - so it’s a good idea to have it cleaned or clean it yourself before your shoot! To clean at home, soak your ring in warm water with dishwashing soap for 20 to 40 minutes. Then gently brush the stone with a soft toothbrush, rinse and repeat if needed.

Ring Cleaning

Props

champagne is always a good idea

If you’re planning to bring props to your engagement session, we recommend including them only if they’re meaningful to you. Shots of drinking coffee at a local coffee shop where you met, a walk through the park you hike often or simply toasting with some champagne are all amazing ideas! Just be sure it feels authentic to you two as a couple.

When it comes to posing for your engagement session, you don’t need to worry about a thing! We’ll guide you through the entire process beginning with “poses” that are super easy and natural. If we tell you to do something that feels a little funny, it’s probably because we know it’s going to make the two of you laugh - and that’s the photo we’re actually looking for.

Throughout your session, we’ll keep an eye on your hair, makeup and outfits to make sure things stay in place. We want you to feel as relaxed as possible and enjoy your time together!

"What do I do with
my hands"?

"What do I do
with my hands"?

POSING

Date Night

If you’re anything like us, you probably don’t get dressed up all that often. Which means that the day of your engagement session is the perfect occasion for a date night (or brunch if your session is in the morning!)

The engagement session is another part of celebrating your love and heading off to dinner is a great way to end the session!

As soon as possible after your session is complete, we’ll ship your film off to our lab on the west coast. It normally takes them about 18 business days to send the digital files back to us - and then it takes us about a week to edit your images. Unless we have a holiday closure, you can expect to receive your engagement photos between 4 and 6 weeks after your session.

When to Expect Your Images

We know that this guide is long and hopefully it covers everything you need to know to prep for your engagement session! However if there is something we missed, or you need a recommendation feel free to email
samanthajayphoto@gmail.com