Having your pictures taken should be FUN! And it should feel like YOU. Here are 5 ways to plan for & create a personalized engagement photoshoot!
Let’s talk about how to plan for a personalized engagement photoshoot!
If you’ve never had your photos professionally captured before, it can be nerve-wracking for sure.
“What do I do with my hands?” “How should we dress?” “What if we look awkward together?” “How can we make sure we actually look like ourselves in our photos?”
So many thoughts can rush through your minds, but I’d love to assure you of 4 things:
I never know what to do with my hands when I’m having my photo taken either. Luckily, I’m way better behind the camera than in front of it, and I can help you feel natural!
If you dress in what you’re comfortable in, you’ll certainly feel your best.
You don’t look awkward. I promise. Everyone says this and it’s true for exactly nobody. 🙂
And finally – let’s chat about ways to personalize your fall engagement photoshoot to make sure your photos feel like you.
Are you ready to plan your engagement photoshoot? Here are a few tips we want to share to help you make sure it your photos feel completely like YOU.
Coordinate your outfits.
The ultimate prop – what you’re wearing! I really only try to steer couples away from big logos on clothing, but aside from that, wear what makes you feel like you! Is that a button up & sweater? Bright colors? Your favorite dress & his newest tie? Cowboy boots, UGGS – whatever it may be. Coordinate your colors & come knowing that you won’t be uncomfortable in something you’d never otherwise wear.
Bring along a matching blanket.
What better to snuggle in, right? I loved this Pendleton one June & Sean brought along!
Don’t forget your favorite drinks!
A favorite drink or two can calm the nerves a bit, AND be really fun for photos! Think champagne pop or a beer explosion. And remember – of course they don’t have to be alcoholic. We can mix up you fave mocktails, too!
Consider something extra – like a picnic with your customized charcuterie board!
It makes for the cutest photos AND ensures you don’t get too hangry halfway through. 🙂
Let yourselves be silly!
Julie & Sean are so much fun together – and not at all afraid to laugh & be silly. This is who they are, so it only makes sense that their photos together reflect it!
What fun engagement session personalization idea would you add to the list?
Crafting really beautiful films + photos for the wild at heart, Basecamp Visual is a Breckenridge, Colorado based videography and photography team run by us, a husband and wife duo, Dave & Shanna. Are you on the hunt for a creative storytelling team for your upcoming Breckenridge (or other amazing places) engagement session? Interested in a session just because? Let’s talk about it! Contact us today to learn more.
Tessa + Tyler love books. We love books. And whether you love books or not, you’re sure to love their library themed winter wedding at the gorgeous Manor House outside of Denver!
Tessa & Tyler (affectionately known as T&T) are total book nerds. Which obviously means they’re the best kind of people. They went all in for their library themed winter wedding and we are still obsessing over it!
Neither one of us are good at the whole “just pick something and move on,” and one of the things that we have in common is that when we choose to do something, it has to be meaningful and it has to be done “right.” So, when the two of us, old souls and type-A personalities both, a teacher and a lawyer, came together to find something that was meaningful to both of us, we immediately knew literature had to be a part of it. Books were one of the very first things we connected on, and we spent countless dates in coffee houses reading, or reading in the outdoors, or just hanging out reading together wherever. Libraries were our favorite places- both of us had early memories of days spent in libraries and being read to by our parents. And, for both of us, books had a profound impact on the people we became.
We knew this was the correct choice because when we started talking about having a literary themed wedding and brainstorming how we would do it, it was something that we would discuss with giddy excitement, fantasizing about how we could share our love of literature with friends and family, while still conveying a creativeness that was uniquely ours.
Tessa & Tyler
They found the perfect locations for their incredible vision.
We won’t claim to be experts in indoor church weddings. In fact, we so rarely ever photograph ceremonies indoors at all! BUT, if we’re going to book a church wedding, we might as well go all out with the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Downtown Denver. Such gorgeous architecture. The photos truly speak for themselves.
The rest of Tessa & Tyler’s library themed winter wedding day was hosted at The Manor House. A gorgeous venue on 6 acres in the foothills, there isn’t a more ideal venue for the style of wedding Tessa so perfectly planned! Highly recommend if you’re looking for something super classic & timeless.
Would you consider a themed wedding?
T&T went all out with the library theme – stamped library cards for their place cards & invites from Posted Fete; books (the classics & some newer titles!) from their personal collection; a different set of book ends on each table. It was magical. We made sure to get a series of portraits in the Manor House library – it was completely Vogue.
Here’s how T&T created their program & invites, as well as their amazing table themes! They even included extra “something’ something’s” for their wedding party – Shakespeare themed!
So, after establishing this, we went all in, pulling out all the stops. We even selected a wedding venue that had a small library in it! Our wedding program was a Plot Diagram, our wedding invites were library card inserts, and our tables and guests would be organized according to (an adapted version of) the Dewey Decimal system. Because we had such a specific vision, we didn’t feel comfortable handing it off to a wedding planner, so we devoted every weekend for about six months to the planning and preparation of it. We knew we would have around 140 people, so we each got to pick 6 table “themes,” and some we created together- for example, both Tyler and I have a deep and abiding love for Shakespeare, so the head table would obviously be a Shakespeare themed table called “To Thine Own Spouse Be True.” We found Shakespeare book ends and trinkets and picked out a specific Shakespeare play to gift to every member of our wedding party. We scavenged countless secondhand book dealers for unique versions of his plays, so the books could also serve as center pieces (we worked with the florist to get flowers that would complement the books displayed on each table). Then, we wrote a note to every member of the wedding party in “their” book, and finished it off with our own library due date ink stamp that said “From the Library of TnT.” And so, this continued for months. Every weekend we would try to knock out one table. Once we got the books home, we wrote messages in the books explaining their significance for whomever brought the book home and finished it off with our library stamp.
Tessa & Tyler
We loved spending their beautiful library themed winter wedding with them, and we are so happy to FINALLY share it with you!
Obsessed with their film!
In conclusion, here’s what Tessa & Tyler had to say about perfectly executing a themed wedding day.
What was most special about this process were two things. First, we had so much fun together. I feel like often weddings can bring out the worst in people, and can be the cause of disagreements and arguments, but for us, every weekend was like we were setting off on an adventure where we would get to know and fall in love with each other even more. Inevitably, we would return home with more than 10 books, books just for our own library, and to this day, I am not sure if the wedding or the book hunt is a more special memory. Second, we love sharing books with people we love, so to be able to give our wedding guests a unique, meaningful gift at our wedding was our dream come true. No two books were the same, and we encouraged our guests to walk around from table to table, browsing as if they were in the library, and to take home a book that looked intriguing to them. So, if they were sitting at the “Ice (nine) Ice (nine), Baby” table (or a table devoted to Kurt Vonnegut who we both love), they didn’t have to pick one of his books, and were instead free to take home a book from any table. It warmed our hearts when we saw how our loved ones jumped in with such enthusiasm, for example, when we saw my 90-year-old grandfather toting around the enormous Truman book by David Mccullough, even though he had not been seated at that table. In the end, only two books were left even though we had 140 books all told, and only 120 people showed up. We were so happy we could share something so deeply personal by gifting each guest a present that would (hopefully) become more than a trinket on a shelf.
To this day, we reflect on our wedding and say how amazingly perfect it was, and how we wouldn’t change a single thing. We still have people that tell us how incredible our wedding was because it was such a reflection of who we are, or we even have guests reach out for photos or ideas, because “I told my niece about your wedding, and now that’s what she wants to do!” Now, I love to look back at that day through the beautiful photos Dave and Shanna took, always silently blessing them for capturing all the little details, so I will never forget that day. My only regret is that I can’t live in that day forever.
Tessa & Tyler
What an amazing winter wedding! Take a look! Manifesting even more days like this. Ya hear, Universe?
Crafting really beautiful films + photos for the wild at heart, Basecamp Visual is a Breckenridge, Colorado based videography and photography team run by us, a husband and wife duo, Dave & Shanna. Are you on the hunt for a creative storytelling team for your upcoming Colorado (or other amazing places) intimate wedding or elopement? Interested in a session just because? Let’s talk about it! Contact us today to learn more.
Abbey & Mike (and the sweetest boi Bode!) joined us for their playful mountain engagement photos in Colorado! You’ll wanna slow your scroll for these!
Abbey reached out just a over month or so before their wedding saying they were considering an engagement session after all. Our response was a resounding: “HECK YES! You need some mountain engagement photos!” She said they trusted us to pick a spot, and we immediately knew where to take them.
Where’s your favorite place in the mountains?
Let’s back up a minute. Abbey & Mike’s gorgeous August wedding day was planned at Piney River Ranch. The views & the vibes there are INCREDIBLE. Second to none. Picking another beautiful location in Colorado that wasn’t dwarfed by Piney was a tall order, but we were up for the challenge.
We met at Hoosier Pass, just south of Breckenridge, for their mountain engagement photos in Colorado!
Hoosier one of our local-to-us favorite spots. It’s an easy hike up to get gorgeous views of Quandary Peak to the Summit side and Mount Lincoln to the Park side. It’s typically very quiet and the perfect spot for a variety of vibes – mountain views, wooded trees, Montgomery Reservoir in the distance – you can get it all!
It was also important to choose a spot they could bring their best boy, Bode. Hoosier is dog friendly (just make sure you pick up your pup’s waste & pack it back out!).
Can we all agree Bode stole the show?
He was the sweetest and most well-behaved. Scroll to see the engagement ring on his nose! Fluffy pup aside, I just need to share that Abbey is very likely the most joy-filled person I’ve ever met. Being in her presence can perk up any bad mood. It was truly an honor to photograph a bit of her & Mike’s love story. Take a look!
Crafting really beautiful films + photos for the wild at heart, Basecamp Visual is a Breckenridge, Colorado based videography and photography team run by us, a husband and wife duo, Dave & Shanna. Are you on the hunt for a creative storytelling team for your upcoming Colorado (or other amazing places) intimate wedding or elopement? Interested in a session just because? Let’s talk about it! Contact us today to learn more.
Are you planning a family trip to the mountains? It’s the perfect time to schedule your family photos in Breckenridge!
Since becoming parents, we’ve realized even more the importance of documenting all of life’s fleeting moments. Photographing families has become something so special to me, so when my college friend, Mel, reached out and asked about scheduling family photos in Breckenridge during their summer vacation, I was elated!
We met in the mountains with the plan to dance & play, and if everyone happened to look at the camera at the same time, great. If not, maybe even better. 🙂
We believe your family photos should be real. They should feel a little chaotic, too – because that’s life, isn’t it?
We captured bows & tiny toes. There were some tears & even more giggles. The wind blew our hair & gave us goosebumps on our arms. We saw mountain goats & waterfalls & found some really great rocks.
That’s it. And that’s enough.
Let’s schedule your family photos in Breckenridge, Colorado!
Crafting really beautiful films + photos for the wild at heart, Basecamp Visual is a Breckenridge, Colorado based videography and photography team run by us, a husband and wife duo, Dave & Shanna. Do you want to schedule your own family photos in the mountains? Let’s talk about it! Contact us today to learn more.
After you get engaged, it’s easy to wonder: how do we make sure we take amazing engagement photos? We’re sharing 5 easy tips to help!
You’re officially engaged & eye-balls deep in your wedding planning. You might be thinking about scheduling engagement photos (you totally should – here’s why!). But first…
So, how do you take amazing engagement photos?
There’s no one answer to this. But, luckily, there are some things to consider that can help!
Here’s what to keep in mind to make sure you get amazing engagement photos!
Location. This isn’t everything, but it’s a great place to start. Talk with your photographer about your vision – they’ll surely have some beautiful recommendations for you.
Which brings us to: choosing the right photographer! Research photographers. Look at their public reviews & style (websites & social media are great for this!) – you can even ask to see full galleries. If you love their style, reach out to see if you love them! You want to feel comfortable & have fun together. You’ll know quickly if you vibe! Maybe this will help.
Attitude! Show up ready to play. To laugh, to cuddle, to HAVE FUN. That’s the whole point of your engagement session, after all – to have fun. If you can shake off the nerves and just let yourselves be together, you’ll get amazing engagement photos!
Plan something special! What do you love to do together? Include it in your engagement session! Your favorite board game, a stop for beers, a small picnic, your beloved Jeep. Whatever it is, make it you!
Finally – get amazing engagement photos! It’s really as simple as that. When all the pieces come together, it’s a beautiful thing!
Does this help?
Let’s review:
1. pick the right photographer
2. let them help you pick the perfect location
3. show up ready to have fun
4. make it personal
5. get amazing engagement photos!
We are SO EXCITED for Annika & Luke’s Breckenridge wedding day next summer. We’re headed back to the gorgeous Ten Mile Station & partnering with the incomparable Distinctive Mountain Events. Lucky us.
Annika & Luke’s engagement session was the perfect chance to get to know each other ahead of the big day, and we’re confident they walked away with some amazing engagement photos!
Take a look!
Send this link to your engaged best friend!
Photo: Us! Basecamp Visual
Crafting really beautiful films + photos for the wild at heart, Basecamp Visual is a Breckenridge, Colorado based videography and photography team run by us, a husband and wife duo, Dave & Shanna. Are you on the hunt for a creative storytelling team for your upcoming Colorado (or other amazing places) intimate wedding or elopement? Interested in a session just because? Let’s talk about it! Contact us today to learn more.
