Hi friend! If you’ve landed here that probably means you are engaged and planning your own dream engagement session. You’re looking for a way to ensure you get absolutely stunning photos back afterwards! As a seasoned wedding photographer with years of shooting experience, I have seen and shot a lot of really dreamy engagement sessions. I have also heard some absolute horror stories from brides about their own disappointment with their engagement sessions.

Which is why 5+ years of shooting later, I truly do believe I have found the secret sauce to get all my clients not only dreamy engagement photos, but also a magical experience that sets everyone up for success! And today, I want to share HOW you can get beautiful images from your session. And what you SHOULD expect from the experience of your own engagement session! 

The Questionnaire 

The absolute first thing I love to do when starting to plan with my couples is send out their Engagement Session Questionnaire. This is a VITAL foundation for planning and executing your dream engagement session! The questionnaire is long, which is why I tell couples to sit down with some wine and pizza, and make it a date night! I really believe it can and should be fun to fill this out.

The questionnaire is full of questions about your love story, your love languages, your favorite things to do and places to go. This is not just so I can really know you more and plan your session, but also so YOU can spend time remembering and savoring all the things you love about each other! Ultimately, the engagement session questionnaire ends up helping everyone involved get in the perfect mindset to take some dreamy photos!

The Location Scouting

Next up, based on how you fill out the questionnaire, I take some time to do some research! I love to send my couples options for where we can shoot. And I choose these pretty personally based on the answers you gave me in your questionnaire! After choosing a location or two for your session, I get to do the fun part! 

LOCATION SCOUTING! I absolutely love location scouting for engagement sessions!! This basically means I walk around and find the perfect places, based on lots of factors (like light, background, colors, etc.), for us to shoot during your session!

I’ve found that this really helps everyone enjoy the session more because I can show up and really be invested in YOU, not constantly overstimulated (thanks ADHD brain, lol!) by all the shooting options.

Don’t get me wrong– we deeeefintely pivot or change things up if I see something/somewhere beautiful mid session. But ultimately, the location scouting beforehand just helps the entire engagement session run smoothly!

The Outfit Guide

I will die on the hill that the Outfit Guide is an absolutely essential planning tool for your engagement session. Why? Because what you choose to wear will not only affect photos, but also FEELINGS. 

What do I mean by that? You need to choose an outfit that you feel absolutely beautiful and absolutely COMFORTABLE. Which is where the outfit guide comes in!

I send this guide to all my couples before their sessions, and it is full of tips on style, color, seasons, patterns, and so much more. But the main thing I love to emphasize when choosing your outfit for your engagement session is that it should be something that makes you feel good!

It also gives tips on what to dress your MAN in, because let’s be honest– sometimes that can be the hardest part LOL.

The Outfit Guide isn’t a rule book, but it is a road map I like to give, girl-to-girl, to help make sure you have all the tools you need to pick an outfit that you feel absolutely beautiful in for your dream engagement session!

The Expectations

This is arguably the most important role I play in “pre-engagement session planning.” Why? Because the number one way for you to NOT enjoy your engagement session is to expect one thing and get another. What the heck does this mean? It could mean a lot of things. Whether it’s expecting the weather to be one way, expecting your partner to act or dress a certain way, expecting to take X number of photos, or anything in between. 

So what does it look like for me to set the expectations? It basically means in the planning process, I try to make it as clear as possible how exactly your engagement session will play out. 

Example:

Let’s plan to meet at this location at 6:45 pm! We won’t jump straight into shooting, so don’t be nervous! We can walk to our first shooting spot and chat a little before we jump into some easy prompts that won’t even feel like you’re being photographed! I’ve picked about X spots for us to shoot at, reviewed your questionnaire to help me with posing and prompts, and am so excited for the XYZ props you are bringing for photos! Oh, and by the way- you can expect about 75 photos per hour of shooting, and I’ll make sure to get you some sneak peeks within 24 hours!

This is just a small, short example of how I communicate with clients before their sessions. Because ultimately, my goal is to make sure I have done everything I can to set you up for success. 

Another very large part of setting expectations is making sure you aren’t holding your partner to unrealistic expectations. I know this may sound strange. But all I really mean is– expect your partner to act like he normally does! If that means he’s silly and goofy, let him be!! If it means he’s a little shyer, that’s perfectly fine!

Don’t overthink how personality may affect photos, because your photos are MEANT to reflect your natural personalities and relationships! Of course, we will get a wide variety of shots, but you can trust ME to make sure we get those. Don’t worry about trying to make sure your partner is acting a certain way!

The Experience

The fifth and final component for creating dreamy engagement photos is none other than the session itself. My goal as a photographer is to make your engagement session experience feel effortless, fun, and exciting! 

I always tell couples to make it a date day/night! It should feel easy- because even if taking photos doesn’t feel “natural,” spending time with your fiancé definitely SHOULD! The reality is, this session is meant to be fun. Which is why we don’t take pictures for two hours straight!! We talk, we laugh, we take breaks!

It’s also why we spend so much time planning– so I can truly know YOU as a couple and do everything in my power to cater the experience to you in a way that feels authentic to you and your relationship. 

Ultimately, your engagement photos are a big deal (because your relationship is a big deal!). But it doesn’t have to be full of stress and anxiety. In fact, it SHOULDN’T be full of stress and anxiety.  

And the truth– I really believe the deciding factor in that is the PHOTOGRAPHER. You deserve a photographer who is going to come alongside you and really get to know you, your love languages, ask about your first date, ask the things you love about one another!

You also deserve a photographer who is going to prioritize making you feel seen and comfortable at your session- someone who will come put the stray hair back in place, tell you when you have lipgloss on your teeth, or show you exactly where to put your hands for the photo! Trust me, this can be the difference in a “meh” session and a DREAM engagement session.

With that in mind- if you are a 2025 or 2026 bride, I would LOVE to chat with you about wedding photography! 

Inquire Here

I so hope this blog was helpful, friend. I’m so excited for you, and I am cheering for you in this season!

Xo, Maggie