How to Style Your Perfect Engagement Session

Engagement photos are such a great way of getting comfortable in front of the camera well before the Big Day. If you are having even slightest of hesitations about pulling off a gorgeous shoot, look no further than these tips from blogger and bride-to-be, Kaylee of The Blondielocks. She's offering up 5 ways to personalize your engagement session and truly make it shine à la these pretty images captured by Will Reid Photography.

From the Bride, Kaylee of "The Blondielocks"... Since getting engaged a week before Christmas, I had been dreaming up my fiancé James and my engagement session with our photographer, Reid. It felt like it took forever for the warm weather to arrive in Canada but as soon as late May hit, we were eager to shoot our engagement photos at The Sand Dunes, a beautiful beach with rolling dunes, a calm lake, and desert like vegetation, just a few hours outside of busy downtown Toronto. Being a blogger, I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself when it comes to being creative, but when it came to our engagement session, I wanted to make sure that neither myself nor my fiancé felt pressure to achieve “perfect photos” (re: one of my tips below) as this was supposed to be a carefree, memorable experience to share with the person I’m spending the rest of my life with.

We took a very calm and authentic approach to our engagement photos which I think alleviated the pressure of achieving the perfect photos and in turn allowed the love we feel for each other and the excitement about spending the rest of our lives together really shine through. Below I’m sharing 5 ways in which we styled our engagement photos to reflect us as a couple that will hopefully help you in the process of planning your future engagement session!

Make Sure your photographer Suits Your Style: Choosing a photographer before you begin planning your engagement session is one of the most important aspects to guarantee that you will be happy with the outcome of your photos. Most likely, the photographer you choose to shoot your engagement session will be the photographer who will photograph your wedding, so it is important to not only love the photos that they take but to also feel that you have a connection with them. My fiancé James and I love fine art wedding photography shot on film, so we knew immediately that we wanted Reid of Will Reid Photography (formerly known as When He Found Her) to shoot our photos as his body of work really encapsulated the type of photos we were looking to have for ourselves. Finding a wedding photographer can be intimidating, but if you know the type of photography you like, then it will be easier to scout a wedding photographer online, on Instagram, or through a friendly recommendation.

Pick a Location that suits you as a couple: Choosing a location is a huge part of what will make your engagement photos unique to you as a couple, as quite simply, it reflects the type people that you are. If you love being by the water, have a seaside engagement session. Or, if you flourish in the hustle and bustle of the big city, a skyline backdrop at sunset would be beautiful! James and I decided that we wanted something very calming, casual yet unique so we opted for a beach with rolling dunes at sunset which we feel reflected us as an easy going, carefree couple.

Rules of dressing: What you wear for your engagement session is probably one of the most important aspects of how your photos will be conveyed. There are a few rules that I followed when it came to choosing looks for our engagement photos and they are as follows...

Dress stylishly yet timelessly: Choose outfits that are stylish and that fit your personality but ultimately choose outfits that you will look back on 10 years from now and have no regrets about wearing. Try to stay away from anything that is too trendy or graphic, and stick to solid colours, or classic patterns like stripes. Wear clothing that you feel comfortable in as ultimately, you want to feel 100% you when your photos are being taken. Tip* If you can, change into your outfits when you arrive at your engagement photo destination as this will keep your clothing from becoming wrinkled. Coordinate but don’t match: Couples who match their clothing can be adorable but for your engagement session, I think that it’s best to go for a coordinating look as opposed to something too matchy-matchy. If you are coordinated nicely your photos will come across looking much more authentic than say matching his tie to your dress. Choose an outfit that matches the location: While I love to wear heels, I decided that because our photos were being taken on a sandy beach that I’d skip the pumps and opt for flat, lace-up sandals as they were more aligned (and more comfortable) for the location we were in; just as a tux on James would probably clash with the backdrop. Try to think about where you will be shooting your photos and what type of clothing would look best for the environment you are in. Ask for help When/Where needed: For our engagement session, I wanted to look the best I could and really didn’t want to stress over my hair, so I decided to have it styled professionally as well as asking my friend who is an incredible florist to create a flower comb that added a little something extra and very “me” to complete the look. Whether it’s your hair, makeup, or ideas for props (we had a simple, loose bundle of flowers used in some of our photos because I love flowers) don’t feel as though it’s wrong to ask for help. I think that pampering yourself a little bit before your engagement photos is a great way to relax and will leave you feeling your absolute best for the photos ahead.

Don’t overthink it:  Wedding planning can be overwhelming, so the engagement session should be a time where you can relax as a couple and just enjoy being together. For those that aren’t used to having their photos taken, I’d suggest that you lovely ladies let your partner know what to expect during the engagement session. By simply showing your partner what your photographers’ photos look like it will give your guy a good idea of the style you’re going for and some ideas for how he should pose and interact with you, his fiancé. Your photographer should also help you out if you need some direction, so don’t feel surprised or uncomfortable if they move your positions slightly, it’s all for the photo!