How to Prepare for your Bay Area Engagement Photos
Congratulations! You just got engaged and are super excited for your engagement photos. Yay! We are super excited too! We are so happy to be the Bay Area engagement photographer that you chose to capture this incredibly special and exciting time in your relationship. We want to make sure you get the most out of your engagement photo experience, so we created this guide to help you prepare for your Bay Area engagement photo session.
Choosing your Bay Area Engagement Photo Location
The Bay Area has unlimited amazing options for engagement photo locations, which could make choosing one a difficult task. We recommend thinking first about what is most important to you for your photos and then narrow locations down from there. Some questions to ask yourself:
Do you want a stunning backdrop?
Ex: The Golden Gate Bridge, a beach at sunset, a botanical garden in full bloom, or a majestic redwood forest?
What type of location best reflects you as a couple?
Ex: A hiking trail if you love the outdoors, a busy downtown if you dig the city life, or maybe an at home session would be more your style.
Do you want the location to have a special meaning to you?
Ex: the place where you first met, the place where you had your first date, the place where he proposed, or maybe the place or activity that you most enjoy together.
Once you have narrowed down what type of photos you would like, it’s time to head to Google or Pinterest and search for some inspiration. And don’t forget, you can always ask us for recommendations…we are happy to help! If you are consdering San Francisco for your engagement photos, check out our picks for the Best Places in San Francisco for Engagement Photos.
What to Wear for your Bay Area Engagement Photos
Now that you have an amazing Bay Area location picked out for your engagement photos, it’s time to think about what you will wear. Here are some of the tips we always give our couples.
What Looks Best
Dresses
Long, flowing skirts
Collared shirts for guys
Jackets for guys
Solid colors
Think Wedding Guest Look!
What to Avoid
Bold patterns
Busy florals
Logos
Super bright colors
Colors that match your location (ex: brown and green for a park or forest)
10 Tips for your Bay Area Engagement Photos
Bring 2 or 3 outfits to your engagement session to change up your look.
Do one casual look and 1 or 2 dressy looks.
Layers make a great and easy way to add variation to your look.
Consider a second nearby location for some more photo variety.
Include something that shows your personalities (like the matching shoes below)
Have your hair and make-up done. Engagement photos are a great time for a trial run of your make-up artist.
Have your ring cleaned so it’s nice and shiny for the close-up photos.
Bring a pair of walking shoes to wear in between photos. Your feet will thank you.
Bring a jacket for in between photos to stay warm in Bay Area locations that tend to be on the chilly/windy side.
If it suits your personalities, bring along some props like cute signs, wine, champagne, balloons, etc.
Have Fun!
The MOST important thing to do to prepare for your Bay Area engagement photo session is to remember to have fun! You are in good hands with your photographer and your photos will come out natural looking and beautiful, we promise.
Consider turning your engagement session evening into a date night. You will look and feel amazing already, so go ahead and continue celebrating together after the photos are done :)
We hope these ideas and photos help you prepare for your engagement photos. If you need some more Bay Area engagement photo inspiration, check out our post of Engagement Photos to Inspire You from Real Couples.
We can’t wait for your engagement session!!!
Here’s a little cheat sheet we put together to help you choose what to wear for your engagement session. Go ahead and save it to your phone or Pinterest board. Happy planning!!!
Hi! We’re Breanne and Fernando, husband and wife wedding photographers from Vivo Photography. We photograph weddings and engagements all over the San Francisco Bay Area and San Jose. Are you currently planning your engagement photos or wedding? We would love to be part of your team. Click the button below and Let’s chat!