Brides. I’ve been here. I vividly remember stressing out about mine and Spencer’s engagement session because it was the first time we were ever having professional pictures taken. I needed my hair to be perfect, I wanted my makeup to be flawless, and by God, I wanted to make sure that I was not AWKWARD in front of the camera!

Trust me – even as a photographer, I know what it’s like to stare into someone’s lens and have no earthly idea what the photo on the other side looks like. I’m just in my head, praying that my squinty eyes are open enough and that my core is engaged! That’s why I wanted to write today’s Tuesday Tips: 5 Things You Need to Know for Your Engagement Session

NUMBER 1: You cannot mess it up.
You LITERALLY cannot do anything wrong to mess up your engagement session. Your number one goal for your engagement session day should be to smile and love on your fiancé. That is it.

NUMBER 2: Low-stress, baby.
This is an opportunity to be in a low-stress scenario with your wedding photographer. There is no pressure of a timeline, no stress of a lost bridesmaid earring or groomsmen’s tie, and only two sets of eyes on you – your fiancé’s and your photographer’s! Enjoy this time as you get to know your photographer, his or her style of posing, and getting to connect in real life! Some of my favorite engagement sessions have been where my clients and I chatted the entire time during transitions… and one where we even stopped and got a drink at the bar for some photos!

Not only do I want you to use this time to connect with your soon-to-be husband or wife, but I want you to have a good time! Everyone feels awkward in front of the camera for the first 15 minutes of their session, but after that, you’ll be all warmed up and ready to let your personality shine! Let the stress melt away and enjoy your time together.

NUMBER 3: You do not need to know how to pose yourself.
Your photographer will direct and pose you. Personally, I use an engagement session as almost a trial day to find a couple’s perfect pose. To be completely honest, some of my favorite poses just don’t work on some people and that is TOTALLY OKAY. Your fiancé can’t reach your forehead for a forehead kiss because he’s a solid foot taller than you? TOTALLY FINE. There are a MILLION other poses we can do!

This is also a time where I will ask if you have any preferences to a particular side or anything I should be made aware of. I’ll tell you mine: I like being photographed on my left side which is where my part is AND please be conscious of my too-cheesy smile when I get super happy. I lose my eyes and give myself a double chin… HAHA!

NUMBER 4: Color coordinate your outfits.
Some of my favorite images from engagement sessions are when my couples color coordinate! The goal is to compliment each other, not completely match! Y’all, don’t both show up in red shirts and khaki pants unless we are doing an engagement session in Target because that’s how you met. A couple of suggestions that I send to my clients are:

• There is NO such thing as being too dressed up when it comes to your engagement session! I think suits and long dresses photograph BEAUTIFULLY!
• That being said, most of my couples choose two outfits – one fancy, one casual. I love to work with both sides of your personalities!
• If one of you is wearing something with a lot of color and pattern, sometimes it’s best to have the other wear a neutral to tone it down a bit. Accessories are also a wonderful addition to help tie colors together!
• Now, this depends on your skin tone, but I think the colors that photograph really well are jewel tones and light blues/blushes/ivories. Super bright colors can actually cause a color cast on your fiancé! For example, if you are wearing bright red, sometimes the color will reflect on to their shirt or their face!

NUMBER 5: Getting your nails done is a good idea.
I know that not everyone is a girly-girl, but getting your nails done before your engagement session is highly encouraged. After all, we’ve gotta show off that bling! You don’t need anything fancy – just a simple polish to complete the look.

BONUS TIP! NUMBER 6: Have fun and be YOU!
Listen, this session is about YOU and your relationship. Don’t be afraid to get creative or showcase who you two truly are! Remember, it’s more about your connection and your story, not someone else’s Pinterest page.

And that’s that! I hope these tips helped you!

If you missed last week’s TUESDAY TIP, you can read it HERE!