3 Tips on preparing for your engagement shoot
You’re newly engaged, CONGRATULATIONS! I am happy that you found my page to help you plan for your photo session. In this post we will cover tips on how to get ready for your photo session ranging from exercise recommendations and some of the things that I learned prepping for my own engagement shoot. Maybe you're planning to have your photos taken a month from now or 12 weeks from now. Either way, you’ll find the information you need to feel confident inside and out the day of your shoot.
Pick a location Colin and I opted for an adventure session out in Joshua Tree because we wanted something that reflected our personality as a couple. We love to travel and one of our bucket list goals is to visit every national park. It also had some western vibes to it which was a throwback to the roots in which we met. I mean, his pick up line was “hey, I like your boots” as he commented on the cowgirl boots I wore to psych class. When we started looking at locations and photographers in was early April. We knew that Joshua Tree would be more tolerable in the fall/winter giving us ample amount of time to prep to look and feel our best for it.
What to wear We were lucky in that our photographer let us have 3 outfits for the engagement shoot but let me tell you that this was NOT the case as I was researching photographers. I knew wanted a long dress, short dress and a casual outfit. I was also able to sneak in a second short dress option (Thank you Christine!). When I was picking out outfits I thought about what I wanted to show off. What is your favorite feature about yourself? Do you have an outfit that makes you think “Dayyyyum, I look extra fine today”? Close your eyes, take a minute and think on it. Do you have that picture in your mind?
Maybe it’s in great condition and you can wear it for the shoot. If not totally ok. Take note of the colors, cut and style of the outfit that already came to mind. Now you have some information to find something similar to it. I did my shopping on Amazon and Lulu’s and used an outfit I already had in my closet for the casual outfit.
Exercise This is where I had the most fun tweaking my own training program I knew I wanted this photo.
That meant that I needed to have the core strength and stability to sit on Colin’s shoulders. It also meant that Colin needed to have the back/core/shoulder strength, balance and stability to hold me and the leg strength to get me up there. We started prepping for this 12 weeks in advance. Technically, we started a little late and did 81 days but what I want to point out is that we didn’t force/rush it last minute. We progressed slowly and safely so that both of us wouldn’t get injured before the photoshoot. The last thing you want is to try to cram in 2 a days to lose extra weight or be able to do a cool pose you saw on Pinterest only to get hurt and have to put your workouts on pause and be in pain for your shoot.
Regardless of if you want to do this or just be radiating strength and confidence the day of your shoot. I recommend starting on an exercise program 8-12 weeks before your scheduled date. The longer time you have to prepare the better especially if there are any features that you want to tone up. For myself, all my outfits showed off my arms and two of my dresses were backless. I gave myself ample amount of time to steadily increase the weight that I was lifting so that I could have the tone that I was looking for. Increasing the load too quickly without having stability (in any joint, not just arms) can lead to injury. If you haven’t already started incorporating it into your routine Pilates is a great way to strengthen while also building stability. Click here for 3 quick and easy exercises to improve shoulder stability and decrease pain.
What location are you thinking of for your engagement photos?
