The deeper into wedding season I get, the more and more questions I get from brides, and I love using my blog as a resource for brides!! One of the questions I got recently was “when should I do my engagement session?” and it got me thinking about this blog post! There’s a few things to consider when trying to figure out WHEN to do your session, so let’s jump in!

What Are You Doing With Your Engagement Photos

This is a big thing to think about. What are you planning on doing with your engagement photos? Do you just want them to hang on your walls, share them on social media, and have them to remember such a fun time in your relationship? Or are you planning on using them for a save the date? Or even on your wedding invites? These are all things that would affect when you want to schedule your session. If you want them for your save the dates, you should probably do them at least a year out from your wedding, depending on when you plan on sending those out! If you want them for wedding invitations. it could be closer to your date, but not too close! Keep in mind that depending on your photographer, you may have to wait a month or so to get your photos back. I try to get my engagement sessions to my clients at most 2 weeks after their session, but others may have a different delivery time frame. If you’re planning on just using them for personal things, you have more leeway as to when you can schedule your session!

Seasons Change

This might be common sense, but another thing to think about when it comes to when to schedule your engagement session is to think about the seasons. I know for a fact that my husband HATES being hot, and it would be even worse if I made him take photos in the heat in something he probably doesn’t want to wear. If that sounds similar to your fiancee, i’d recommend NOT shooting in the summer. It can be SO hot in our area, BUT a plus about shooting your engagement session in the summer is you can start super late! I like to shoot my engagement session 2 hours before sunset, which is usually around 6:30-7:00 PM in the summer months! Usually it has cooled off a bit by then so it’s not AS hot!

If you’re wanting to get your engagement photos done in a field with pretty wildflowers, you should probably plan for spring time! Flowers tend to come and go around here pretty quick, and if you wait too long, everything starts to die and turn brown. Be aware of when things bloom, and plan accordingly!

Fall is also a popular time for your engagement session! The trees are all the colors, the temperature is cooler, and the light is always DREAMY in the fall! One thing to keep in mind about the fall is the weather can be temperamental, and if you wait too long, those said pretty colors on the trees can end up dead colors on the ground.

I always try to steer my clients away from winter engagement sessions if we can get around it. Sometimes there ISN’T a way around it, though, but we always make the best of it. I recommend that if you HAVE to do your engagement session in the winter, to make it a themed shoot. Find something fun to do! Go ice skating, drink some hot cocoa, go sledding! Do something that makes you not think about how freezing you are. 🙂

It’s About You

When it’s all said and done, your engagement session is really about you. If you guys go to the lake every weekend in the summer, do that for your engagement session!! If you love to snowboard together, make it happen! If you like hiking in the mountains in the spring time, do it! Your engagement session doesn’t have to be awkward, or weird! You can make it something that you feel comfortable doing, and you’ll get photos that mean something to you, and that you can use to remember such a short, but important, time in your relationship! 🙂