Engagement Session Guide

How to Plan for your Engagement Session

Whether you’ve booked Emma or one of our fabulous Associates, your engagement session is a time for us to hang out, get to know each other, and celebrate your love. By the end of it you’ll be pros – and realize being photographed isn’t scary at all! We want to personalize your session as much as possible, so we could start at your home, your favorite coffee shop, or the place you got engaged. Think of things that make your relationship unique – and let’s incorporate that! We have so much freedom with your engagement session, so let’s take advantage of it.

Sessions last up to two hours and I recommend scheduling around either sunset or sunrise. These are the times when light is the softest and most flattering, and will give your photos that romantic glow. Weekdays are also preferable to weekends! The iconic locations will be much less crowded during the week, giving us more flexibility and helping the session run smoothly.

See our list of location ideas at the bottom of this page! Please note: some locations require photography permits. Reach out any time if you have questions about this!

WHAT TO WEAR

First things first: Dress comfortably for the weather. If you’re too cold or too warm, it will show on camera! Plus, we want you to be able to stay in the moment and focus all your energy on each other.

Second, wear something you can move freely in. Layers are great for spring and fall! Feel free to incorporate an outfit change, but let’s keep these to a minimum. Extra items like signs, props and clothing tend to get in the way if we’re moving around a lot (which we will be!).

Avoid distracting patterns like stripes or zig-zags, and please – no words or logos! It’s also a good rule of thumb to keep the scenery in mind. Meaning, if you wear green to a summer session in a forest preserve, you might blend in with the background. Most importantly: wear what makes you feel your very best!

FURRY FRIENDS

It’s always a popular choice for couples with pets to include their fur babies. Because animals can be unpredictable, I always recommend starting at your home for this. We could stay in or go for a walk, then head to our next location with just the two of you.

Another option is to have a friend or family member tag along so they can be responsible for your pet while we take couples-only photos. Your pet can join us for as many locations as you’d like! We’ll get a variety of photos with and without your pet wherever we go together. Our team is great with animals, and we love when couples choose to include theirs!

Have human babies? Of course we can incorporate them, too! Same principle applies: start at home, family photo time, then travel elsewhere so we can focus on the two of you.

TREAT YOURSELF

If there’s one good time to schedule a manicure (besides, say, your wedding day), this is it. It’s more than likely your engagement ring will be the subject of some close-ups, which means you’ll want gorgeous-looking hands, too!

Some people use their engagement session as an opportunity to try out a hair and makeup team for their wedding day. If a messy bun, at-home session isn’t your style, feel free to go all out! If you do this, consider whether you’ll be okay with having the same “look” for both your wedding and engagement photos. If you’re not too worried, or have short hair like me, I say go for it! Let’s use this as a practice round for more than just your photos.

Mom-mode alert: make sure to get plenty of rest the night before and stay hydrated the day of our session. If there’s any prop you should bring to a hot summer photo shoot, it’s a bottle of H2O.

HAIR + MAKEUP

Want to feel like your VERY best self during our session?! Below are a few of our favorite Hair + Makeup artists in both Chicago and Wisconsin.

CHICAGO

Diem Angie
Bianca Sansosti Artistry
Pin Me Up Chicago
Makeup by Aga
Hair by Juan Jose
Revolution Artistry
Lerin Johnson
Erin Graham Hair

WISCONSIN

Melissa Ann Artistry
Nadiya Mashkina
Jennifer Janssen Makeup Artistry
Freya Salon
Salon E’lan

LOCATION IDEAS

Need a little inspiration? Happy to help with location ideas! Below are a few of our favorite spots in both Chicago and Wisconsin.

CHICAGO

Downtown Bridges
Riverwalk West Loop
Lincoln Park
Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool
North Avenue Beach
Chicago Board of Trade
Chicago Theatre Museum Campus
Michigan Avenue
Garfield Park Conservatory
Humboldt Park
Olive Park
Art Institute + Gardens
Breweries and Coffee Shops