the engagement
SESSION guide
located in HARRISBURG, PA
let's do this!
Doing an engagement session with the photographer that is shooting your wedding is so very important. During this time, you will have the chance to get to know me, my shooting style, how I pose people, and how I handle lighting. More importantly, it gives me a chance to get to know you as a couple as well!
On your wedding day, the last thing I want is for you to feel unsure about what I’m doing or second guessing if I’m making you look like a total babe. That is NOT the day for second thoughts or reservations! Your engagement session is the perfect trial run for your wedding day and gives you confidence in not only yourselves, but in my ability as your photographer, too!
are you ready?
the logistics
when
I photograph engagement sessions on weekday evenings, Monday-Thursday. I can occasionally squeeze in a weekend date during nonpeak months (Nov-March).
time
Our start time revolves around sunset time. We usually meet one hour before sunset. However, I can shoot anytime of day! If we are shooting in a city, we will shoot a little earlier since the buildings block the sunset often times.
where
Engagement sessions take place in the Harrisburg, PA area. If you are not local, I can find a location for your session based on the desired aesthetic you’re looking for. I generally do not travel outside of the Harrisburg area for engagement sessions.
bad weather
If the rain chances are over 50%, I usually prefer to reschedule. I don’t like to call it any earlier than one day before because the forecast is so volatile. If we can wait until the morning of, that is great. If you’re local, we can wait to call it as long as you feel comfortable waiting! However, if you're having your hair and makeup done, we should plan on calling it earlier.
Do You Want to Use These for Save The Dates?
Save the Dates usually go out 6-8 months before your wedding day. With that in mind, try to schedule your session 2 months before you want to send them out. That way I have time to do the editing, we have a little cushion for rescheduling if need be, and you have time to order them!
what to wear
• Avoid shirts with graphics or large logos
• Remove your wallet, phone, and keys from your pockets!
the guys
• Clean your ring
• Don't forget about your nails!
• You do not need to be tanner. This is the biggest misconception! Fair skin photographs way better than orange skin. We always recommend skipping the spray tan.
• Shapewear eliminates all the lines + smoothes everything out.
• Be honest with yourself: If you don’t love your arms, don’t wear a tank top. Get what I’m sayin?! Wear what makes you feel lovely and comfortable. Dress to your strengths!
• Accessories: Fun shoes, jewelry, hats, and jackets/cardigans add great depth + dimension. It’s also easy to remove them to switch up your look if you want.
• Hair & Makeup: This is the perfect time to try your hair + makeup artist! It allows you to get to know them and gives you a chance to see what you look like photographed with professional hair and makeup.
**OUR FAVS: Unfading Beauty by Kristen + MKUP Beauty Studio
the girls
How many outfits should we wear?
Most of my couples wear 1-2 outfits. The general rule of thumb is if you change, you will have greater variety with less imagery since we will have to stop, change, begin shooting again. However, if you stay in one outfit, you have less variety simply due to wearing one look, but more images! I’m fine with either…the choice is yours + both are lovely options.
tell us what to do?
are you going to
YOU BET I AM. I know my photos look natural, candid, and unposed. Let me let you in on a little secret: that doesn’t happen on it’s own.
I am secretly guiding all of my couples into those moments! I will absolutely run the show and tell you what to do. I like to keep it fun and light. All you need to do is get out of the car with a positive attitude, ready to snuggle on your person, and I will do the rest! I promise we will take those traditional “smiling at the camera” photos for your parents and refrigerators all over the land. But I promise to do much more than that, too.
1. Review engagement sessions on my blog the night before as a preview for what to expect!
2. Plan some extra travel time: it’s the worst arguing over not being able to find parking then having to get out of the car all frustrated + having to hop into lovey photos. Also! The sun is only out for so long so if you’re late, we may not have much daylight left. If you arrive late, we will photograph the session with whatever time remains from our originally scheduled session time.
pro tips
after the session
what to expect
You can expect your full gallery via email 4 weeks after your engagement session date.