Here are a few ideas for great engagement photos:

Go outside
If you live in Colorado, like most of my brides do, take advantage of the naturally beautiful scenery as your background or make it the focus of your session. Are you a super active couple? Get shots of you doing your favorite outdoor activities together. You love the outdoors as a backdrop? Go on a picnic for some romantic outdoor photos.

Make yourselves at home
People tend to be the most comfortable in their own homes. It is an enviroment that reflects who you are, and that makes for great photos.

Relive a special moment
Revisit the scene of your first date, your first kiss or your engagement. Going back to these special spots will put you in a romantic and nostalgic mood, and that will be reflected in your photos.

Involve others
If you have pets or kids, get them in on the action.  It’s a special time for the whole family, so include them in a few photos as well.

No matter where you decide to hold your engagement session, make sure you relax, have fun and enjoy the moment.

This is especially true if you are getting married during peak wedding season (May through September) or on a holiday weekend. Photographers book up quickly during these peak times. The busy booking season for photography is from Christmas through then middle of March…with the holidays and Valentine’s Day, lots of couples are getting engaged and beginning their wedding planning for the upcoming summer.

So while it may seem like your wedding is so far away, don’t hesitate to make your plans as early as possible. You will reduce your stress, be able to focus on the fun of being engaged and have time to get to know your photographer.

Videography is an amazing way to capture the emotions and excitement of your day.  Admittedly, it is also a major expense.  When deciding on videography, think about how you will want to remember your wedding…not just in the first few years when the memories are fresh, but on your twentieth anniversary or with your grandchildren.  Imagine that you were able to see the wedding of your great, great grandparents.  While the expense can be significant, a wedding video will be a family heirloom for lifetimes to come.

That said, videography isn’t for everyone.  Some people are uncomfortable being on camera.  Other just don’t see themselves watching the video after the wedding.  For some, it is a decision between a videographer and a wedding album.  If you don’t choose to use a videographer, my advice is to ask a friend or a relative to bring their home video camera.  Every wedding has unexpected surprises, and you don’t want to miss the opportunity to capture those.

At my wedding, that suprise was the “speech” from our best man.  Stefan’s speech is one of the funniest things I have ever experienced…I still watch that video every couple of months and it cracks me up.  I’m so glad that we were able to capture it on video, because the pictures and my memory would just not be enough to do it justice.  Take a look for yourself…

Either option has its pros and cons.  If you are ok with seeing each other prior to the actual ceremony, taking formal pictures ahead of time can help the day flow more smoothly and give you a nice transition between the ceremony and reception. 

From my experience at my own wedding, we took our formal shots right after the ceremony at our reception location.  I found myself counting the minutes until the formals were done, because I felt like I was missing out on the fun that everyone else was having!  That said, waiting until the ceremony to see each other is also fun.  It creates excitement and anticipation and makes for a very special moment when you start your walk down the aisle.

But the real answer is to do whatever makes you the most comfortable.  If you want to get your pictures out of the way before the ceremony, do it!  Don’t worry if people tell you that it is bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other.  It’s your wedding, not theirs.  If you would rather wait until after, just come up with a good plan and communicate that with your photographer.  The photographer can help coordinate your formals to make it a good experience and get you to the party as soon as possible!

One of my favorite things from our wedding is my wedding band from C6 Diamonds.  My good friend Jerad, who owns C6, had this wedding band custom designed for me.  Not a day goes by that I don’t get at least one compliment on it! 

My husband also bought my engagement ring from C6 Diamonds.  I love it almost as much as I love him.  Almost.

When my husband, Chris, and I got married, we didn’t want to do any engagement photos but it was part of photographer’s package. The pictures from that day, which were taken in our back yard, are some of my favorite photos of the two of us…and our dogs! It gave the photographer a chance to get to know my husband’s “interesting” sense of humor. Even better, it gave Chris (who HATES! getting his picture taken) an opportunity to get comfortable with the photographer and the camera.

One of the question I am asked most frequently is “how many posed pictures should I do?”

When determining the flow and number of posed pictures, keep in mind that everything tends to take longer that you think it would.  Depending on the size of your wedding party and family, a few quick poses can turn into an hour or two of wrangling everyone together.  To assist, make sure that everyone involved in group posted shots is aware of the details of the photo session – where, when and how long has been allocated.

Think about what you are going to do with the photos after the wedding.  It might seem like a good idea to have every variation of siblings, parents, grandparents, etc. but which photos are you really going to look at down the road?  The less time your photographer spends on posed group shots, the more time available for capturing candid moments of celebration.

I’ve been working with brides since 2008 to match them with wedding photographers that is right for both their style and their budgets.  I was also recently a bride myself, married in Boulder, CO in February 2008.  From these experiences, I’ve picked up a lot of tips about wedding photography that I want to share with other brides to be.

I’m starting with some tips for great wedding photos.  Let me know what you think….