Show your loved ones how it all began Show your loved ones how and where your love story began with your own engagement photo session. Engagement sessions add so much to the story of who you are as a couple right now, and they are an ideal way to become more comfortable in front of my lens before your wedding day. Your engagement session can be as simple as a stroll through your favorite park, an intimate meal at your favorite café, or even a romantic return to where he proposed — anything you can imagine to share the imagery of your personal love story. Formal or informal, images from your engagement session are beautiful additions to your wedding album and make a wonderful signing book. They help to craft the whole story and can even be used for Save-the-Date cards, Invitations or Thank You cards. I am incredibly honored to be your wedding photographer, and I can’t wait to get to know even more about you! In order to give you the best experience possible, I request all of my wedding clients complete a photography questionnaire before their engagement session! Grab some coffee (or wine!), sit somewhere cozy with your love and have fun filling this out together! Do not hesitate to contact me with any questions!
The Basics Your Name: Address: Email: Phone: Your Sweethearts Name: Address: Email: Phone: Date of Wedding: Wedding Venue: Reception Venue: The next few pages are some personal questions to help me get to know you. There is no right or wrong answer. This questionnaire simply helps me determine what the best fit is for your engagement session. WHAT IS THE GOAL OF OUR ENGAGEMENT SESSION? We want your engagement session to be fun, unique, and leave you feeling more in love than ever! It is our goal to create an opportunity for you to escape the everyday craziness of life & wedding planning and focus on each other. Being engaged is such an incredible time of your lives and we want you to soak in every minute of it! Being able to share in this time with you and capture your love and excitement is definitely why we love doing engagement sessions! There are also a few other reasons we love engagement sessions so much! They give you an opportunity to see me in action while you get comfortable being in front of the camera! By the end of the session, it is my goal to make you forget about the cameras and just soak each other in! I also hope at the same time you feel like you are surrounded by your friends and not just a photographer named Mary! Everyone has a stereotype in their mind of what engagement sessions “typically� look like. We want you to remove that image from your mind. We want you to start with a blank slate as you plan your very own unique life {styled} engagement session! Think about what makes your relationship so special and so unique. What is it that makes you love each other so much?
As we plan your engagement session, we encourage you to think outside the box and help us plan a session that will leave you with huge smiles on your faces and in your hearts now and for many years to come! There is no such thing as a bad idea…. In fact, the “CRAZIER” the better! If we can make it happen, we definitely will!
Tell us about your love story! How did you meet?
And how long have you dated? Where was your first date? What did you do? What are your favorite things to do together? Any funny stories about yourselves? Do you have any pets? If yes, what are they? Do you want to bring your pet(s) to your engagement shoot? What kind of job do you both have?
Do you have everything in common or do you have things that you can't agree on but poke fun about? When did you know he was going to be your husband? Did he know before you? How did he propose? We
want all the juicy details!
Question for the GROOM: What things do you love the most about her?
Question for the BRIDE: What things do you love the most about him?
Do you have a location in mind for your session or want to ask about a location? Not every location is photo worthy so we will work together to choose the perfect spot. What made you decide on the time of year and venue for your wedding?
Describe your style as a couple. Check all that apply Modern
Eclectic
Shabby Chic
Urban
Fresh
Classic
Traditional
Country
Unique
If you checked other above, please tell me more:
Other
Do you consider yourselves to be: (check one) Outdoorsy? If you are a couple who loves the outdoors, we can consider your session at a park, garden, field, or woods. Artsy? If you both love books and the arts, we can consider a unique bookshop, cafe, or art area with murals and sculptures. Playful? If you are a fun-loving couple, we can consider a playground, candy shop, or theme park. Metropolitan? If you are trendier and love the city, we can consider a downtown area. Do you want your session to be: Casual
Dressy
Both
What will you be using your engagement photos for? Check all that apply: guest sign in book
newspaper announcement
display at reception
home wall portraits
gift prints for parents
wedding website
social media
other
Do you have a theme in mind for your engagement session? If not, no worries - not everything has to be themed. :)
Do you want to create a save the date photo during your session?
Anything else you want me to know?
Please give me some ideas of locations that sound appealing for an engagement session. 1. 2. 3. Another option would be your wedding venue. Most venues will allow you have your portrait session photographed without paying a location fee. Are you having a theme for your wedding? Example: rustic, glamour, city meet country, etc.* Okay, tell me more! What’s your wedding theme, style, colors, your must-haves?
When is the last time you both had professional portraits take? Tell me what you liked and did not like about that experience.
Do you have any props that you would like us to include (Save the date sign, champagne bottle?)
As you prepare for your engagement session, here are some pieces of advice that will come in handy! CLEAN YOUR RING! I will be photographing your gorgeous diamond! This means that this would be a perfect opportunity to have your ring cleaned so that it’s clear of dirt and other build up that may be visible through a macro lens! HAIR & MAKEUP: Splurge a little! If you were considering getting your hair and makeup done, this is the perfect opportunity to treat yourself! You will cherish these images forever and so investing in professional hair and makeup can be an extra fun way to celebrate the occasion and allow you to be extra confident during your shoot! Tip: If you’re worried about looking tired or just want a little something special for your portraits, getting false lashes will make the most impact in your portraits! There are all types of lashes that range from looking completely natural to looking like Beyoncé! I would lean towards the natural end of the spectrum! :) 3. THE TIMELINE: I am always a few minutes early to engagement sessions so that I can scope out the location and find light that will be flattering on our couples! Because we are racing the sun and cannot shoot after it has set, we recommend leaving 15-30 minutes earlier than you originally planned just to be safe! 4. HAVE A PREVIEW PARTY: In the past we have found that it is incredibly helpful for our brides to sit down and have a little preview party with their groom before their engagement session. Take ten minutes and sit down together to scroll through 2-3 of your favorite engagement sessions on my blog. This will allow your groom to be prepared for what he is about to experience! 5. TAKE A DEEP BREATH! You’re going to be amazing models! I always tell my couples that the BEST models are the ones who have never modeled professionally before! And I mean it! The couples who are usually most nervous are the couples who totally rock their session! So be encouraged! I have worked with EVERY personality type and EVERY body type, and I always create images that our clients love!! Get excited!
OUTFIT INSPIRATION: We recommend a maximum of 2 outfits for your engagement session to ensure that we have plenty of time to capture both looks before sunset! During your one outfit change is when I will photograph your rings while we wait! We have several resources for you to browse through for inspiration: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/virginiaphoto/engagements/ If you’re not a pinner it’s okay, but I do suggest going to my board and look for some inspiration. Pin a few posts so I can see what your ideas are and what you’re looking for. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cherishedmemoriesstudios/ If you’re in need of some outfit inspiration! I recommend the following for your engagement session attire: - Neutrals such as blush, tans, link pinks, faint blues and teals, creams, grays, and whites will always result in more of a light and airy look to your images. These colors photograph softer and more romantically! - If you are really looking for a soft, feminine look, I recommend a flowing, maxi-length dress or skirt! The movement of this type of fabric photographs beautifully! - Don’t forget to accessorize! I love scarves, belts, necklaces & earrings! They can add so much to an outfit. - We recommend a more formal outfit and a more casual one, so that you have plenty of variety to choose from later! - The goal is COORDINATING outfits instead of MATCHING! We also recommend avoiding both of you wearing WHITE as a top. White does not allow for any contrast in your images. - Guys, we recommend that you avoid patterns that are smaller than a dime! These small patterns can create strange visual effects in a digital camera. Close-toed shoes photograph well, and we recommend avoiding graphic tees and tennis shoes! - Gals, we recommend that you wear attire that is flattering to your figure and your skin tone. Wear something that flatters the parts of you that you love the most and also allows you to be extremely confident! If you are uncomfortable when you look in the mirror (having to suck in and only like the way you look from one angle), then that probably is not the best outfit choice for you. We want you to be really confident in your outfit because we know that you will love your portraits so much more if you are not worrying about how your clothes fit!
We all know that everyone has certain things that look GREAT on them and certain things that are not really made for them. For example… I am pale… because I’m a blonde. I have accepted it… I know that is never going to change… and because of that, I also know that wearing a strapless, pale yellow sundress for a portrait session is NOT IDEAL! I also know that I personally never LOVE the way I look in pictures in sleeveless shirts. Why? I do not know! I am fine with my arms…. but I just do not like that look! So, if I were to have a portrait session with someone… I would not wear a sleeveless shirt. It is a compliment to say “Oh, well Mary will make it look amazing” …. but the truth is, if you do not like the way you look in stripes on a normal, dayto-day basis, you’re not going to love the way you look in your images that I take. If you are self-conscious about your legs, don’t wear a mini-skirt. If you are self-conscious about your arms, it’s probably not smart to wear a tube top…. not that those are even “in” anyway (thank goodness). Bottom line: make sure you wear something that you are comfortable in. Sure, I am going to teach you how to pose in super flattering ways, but you’ll love your images so much more if you wear an outfit that you’re comfortable and CONFIDENT in!! Confidence photographs well!! ;) - And last, I know this may sound strange but do not wear sunglasses for an hour prior to your session. We do not want red marks on the sides of your nose.