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Engagements

Engagement Session Tips| Arizona Engagement Photography| Mimi & Zach

I’m so excited to share some engagement session tips from my bride Mimi! I can’t think of anyone better to give advice than my past brides who have been through the engagement session process! Mimi & Zach’s scenic Mogollon Rim & Woods Canyon Lake engagement session in Northern Arizona was beyond dreamy, they put so much thought and effort into the details to make it a unique and beautiful experience. Mimi’s level of excitement for their engagement session matched mine and we had a text chain back and forth bouncing ideas off of each other before their engagement session. I love tailoring these sessions to YOU and YOUR love story.

Engagement Session Tip #1

Feeling comfortable in front of the camera

My advice for feeling comfortable and confident for your engagement session is to laugh it off and enjoy the time loving on your partner. Zach and I are very serious in our work lives but when it comes to our relationship, we poke fun at each other and make jokes constantly. For me, I was officially marrying my best friend. The guy who sends me stupid videos and makes fun of me in all of the cutest ways. Throughout our session in the middle of a serious, romantic photo; one of us would crack a joke or make a silly face to break the “tension” and it would reinvigorate our engagement session.

I also recommend choosing a location that is dynamic where you can change up the element. Within 100 feet we could go from the water bank to a field of greenery and trees. This allowed us to have multiple settings and change the feeling of our photos, which in hindsight/reviewing our photos I loved the most.

Engagement Session Tip #2

Choosing your location

I highly recommend finding a place that you feel comfortable and at ease. When Zach and I were talking about our engagement session, we spoke about wanting an outdoor element because we both love finding time to camp and just talk away from the hustle & bustle of the world. I knew that in our photo series I wanted to see multiple elements of nature. Water, greenery and the mountains. Because we were planning to get married in Montana, we wanted to find a place that felt like Montana but in our home state for the engagement session.

That’s where Woods Canyon Lake & the Mogollon Rim were the PERFECT place. With water like Whitefish Lake, the beautiful mountains like Glacier National Park, we had the feeling of Montana in our home state of Arizona.

Engagement Session Tip #3

Choosing engagement session outfit

With outfit choices I highly recommend choosing what you are most comfortable in and a look that embodies the style you envision for your photos. I looked through Instagram feeds and Pinterest to decide on what type of style I wanted to portray for our photos. I caught myself leaning two different directions. One was more outdoorsy: jeans, flannel. Something comfy but chic. On the other side was beautiful, flowing maxi dresses that would billow in the wind.

When push came to shove, I realized that this was a moment in time I wanted to cherish. Engagements are special and I want to look back ten years from now and fall in love with the photos over & over again. I chose to wear 2 dresses to feel that romantic vibe during our photos. For my now husband, I knew that he wasn’t going to be super comfortable in front of the camera so we chose two shirt options and kept him in jeans to keep things a bit more casual and in his comfort zone. He wore a nice long sleeve shirt for the first part of our session and then switched to a button down to dress things up a bit more. I loved having multiple outfit choices for both of us to change things up.

A huge thanks to Mimi for taking the time to share these engagement session tips, comment your engagement tips below or let us know if you have any questions!

Makeup: Court Montes

Photography: Mary Claire Photography

Engagement Session Location: Mogollon Rim & Woods Canyon Lake, Arizona

-Mary Claire
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