I often get asked if couples are allowed to do an outfit change at their engagement session- the answer is yes! I actually encourage it for a few reasons. FIrst, it’s an opportunity to show your style. Second, you may end up loving how one outfit photographs over the other (but not have clue prior to the session). Third, it gives you a bigger variety of photos with different uses. You may want to use an elegant one for a Save the Date, but use casual ones to frame in your home. Stacey and Jarrod went for an elegant look at the DIA and Detroit Public Library that ended up on their Save the Dates. They did a casual look downtown, too! If you don’t want to do a full on outfit change, a few quick ways to change your look are to add or swap an item you are currently wearing. For example, add a scarf, swap flats for heels, switch a sport jacket for a cardigan. No changing required, just a couple quick swaps to get a different look!

Here are a few of my favorites from Charlotte + Otto's engagement session at the Detroit Public Library! Charlotte and Otto wanted classic, and that’s what we tried to do with this location and natural posing. Their chosen outfits- a sport jacket/khakis/loafers and a navy wrap dress/heels- added to the classic look.

But I also wanted to talk engagement sessions in general today! The new thing is to have your proposal photographed and then take photos immediately after. With this new fad, occasionally I have engaged couples contact me looking for a wedding photographer, but tell me they don't need engagement photos since they had some taken at their proposal.

However, it's SUPER important to have your engagement photos taken by your wedding photographer! It's like a dress fitting, cake tasting, hair and makeup trial....you need a "trial/experience" with your photographer, too! Especially since we are the ones with you for 8+ hours on your wedding day (more than any other vendor except a wedding planner or videographer). We get to know each other, help you feel comfortable in front of the camera, find out if you have a good side or any imperfections you want hidden with posing, learn poses you love and don't love so we don't spend time on ones you dislike on the wedding day, and I could go on. Basically- an engagement session is a must do, and really should be done with the one who is shooting your wedding! All photographers work differently, pose differently, edit and light differently. It’s good to know how your wedding photographer works.

One question people sometimes ask when they are on the fence about an engagement session, is “I live out of town- how do I fit in the session when I only come in town briefly for visits?”. The answer is that many of my clients actually are not local! Since engaged couples who live out of state often have to come in for tastings, fittings and trials, not to mention bridal showers, holidays and friends’ weddings, it’s typically not a problem to squeeze a session in, and when I know you are in from out of town, I try to be more flexible with scheduling. Rarely does it not work. And if all else fails, there is always the week of the wedding when you’d be in town anyways! It really is worth making happen. And the bonus is you’ll have some photos of the two of you wearing casual clothes in a different location and possibly season, and some prints you can display at your wedding/showers or to make a guest book with. There isn’t really a downside to doing an engagement session! And I’m pretty sure most photographers agree ;) .