Originally published Jan 8, 2016

Good morning!

Engagement season is here!  This is one of my favorite times of the whole year because it's when the bling starts to make it's appearance on social media!  From around Halloween all the way to Valentines day, couples are getting engaged all over the world!

To you I say, CONGRATS!!! Being engaged is such a wonderful time for a couple because of the excitement and emotions that go into being more than just a boy/girlfriend.  The whole idea of creating a home and a life together is pretty darn exciting!

Then... the pressure kicks in.  Wedding date, wedding planning, the children talk with people everywhere, and so on!  I get it, I was there!  And I'm here for you :).  I'm going to share some links with you that will hopefully take a little bit of that pressure off your shoulders.  

Rock your engagement session
http://www.jackielamas.com/blog/201585-tips-to-rock-your-engagement-session

Real Wedding Inspiration P. 1
http://www.jackielamas.com/blog/20157real-wedding-inspiration

Real Wedding Inspiration P. 2
http://www.jackielamas.com/blog/20159/real-wedding-inspiration

Should you plan for a destination wedding?
http://www.jackielamas.com/blog/201512/why-its-a-good-idea-to-have-a-destination-wedding

Why do you need to invest in quality photography for your wedding?
http://www.jackielamas.com/blog/20159/investinphotography

Kate Moss’ wedding - For inspiration
https://jackielamas.com/blog/2011/08/holy-mario-testino-kate-moss.html

Martha Stewart Weddings Blog, seriously this lady thinks of it all!
http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/382131/wedding-planning

and, if it weren’t enough that her blog is magic, here is a PDF of her workbook for all of your wedding planning needs!
http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/web/pdfs/pdf3/wedding_workbook.pdf

If you have any additional tips or links that would help, share them in the comments below! We gotta help our newly engaged couples really be excited, not stressed :).  I'll be doing another post soon on the Do's and Don'ts for your wedding day.  Gonna be loaded with a ton of info, so stay posted!

Below are recent engagement sessions I've photographed... click on the photo to view more from each session :). 

I love seeing families grow.  I photographed Sergio and Karla's wedding 3 years ago! Little did I know that I would be photographing Sergio's sister's wedding now.  It was so great to see the family, meet Joel, and photograph another beautiful wedding for this family.

Jessica and Joel are sweet natured and so, so, so in love!  We decided to shoot their engagement session at the Campestre Golf Club in Chihuahua, Mexico.  Such a gorgeous venue!  

Usually during this time, Chihuahua is a hot mess with temperatures in the high 90's, however, I was greeted with rain!  I can't complain, I'm 7 months pregnant and welcome rain over sunny any day!  It was such a fun shoot, we got rained on and then the sun peeked out for a little bit before setting.  

Jessica and Jordan had such a beautiful wedding and since they had not had formal engagement session done, we decided to do it a couple days after the wedding.   It was such a perfect day and the ocean looked absolutely gorgeous and blue! 

It was fun to take some casual photos of the two of them and with such a beautiful backdrop it hard not to keep shooting!  

Hello beautiful and fun couple! Brittany and Gabriel were gifted a mini session because, well, they're awesome and getting married next year.  Duh, that's what great friends do - they gift one of kind engagement sessions! 

They were so fun to be around and even though a little camera shy, they totally rocked it by being themselves.  That's the best part of my job, that I get to capture the essence of a person that makes up their personality... that is magic.

We walked around downtown and found great spots to create images that reflected who they are.  And can we just say how gorgeous Brittany is?!?! 

I don't think I ever tire of photography my beautiful and growing family!  Cristy is my cousin and sister to Yessenia, who's wedding I shot last year! I'm so happy for them both and excited that I was able to photograph Cristy and Julian's engagement session in beautiful downtown Riverside.

They are super cute together and had a great time! 

It's no big surprise that couples are nervous about having their photos taken.  I totally get it as I once had to be in front of the camera.  However, with time I have come to understand what can make your engagement session a hit and how to have fun during the session.  

Here are some tips that will help you to rock your session and love your photos!

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1.  HIRE A PHOTOGRAPHER YOU GET ALONG WITH

This session is a great way to fall in love again, have fun, and get some amazing photos of the two of you.  Which can only be achieved by making sure you hire someone who gets you, watches the same shows as you do, likes to go on hikes or loves Doctor Who just as much as you do.  In turn, hiring someone who you get along with makes for a new friendship to foster and after sometime, you won't even notice the camera.  Helping get those genuine photographs of the love between you.  

Of course, style, experience, and budget come into play when looking for a photographer, just make sure you factor in their personality too.  This can be the difference between a fun experience or an awkward one.  

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2.  MAKE-UP, HAIR, AND WARDROBE STYLING

Another great way to rock your engagement session and love your photos is to have your makeup and hair done by someone you trust.  This is mostly for the ladies, but goes for the men as well.  Go for a look to match your wardrobe or styling of the engagement session.  If you are going to ethereal and earthy, go for a bohemian bride or loose curls.  If you're going for urban glam, perhaps a chignon and some red lipstick.  Whatever the style, make sure that it goes hand in hand with your styling.  Men: please don't get your haircut the same week as the session! This is super important because you may not like the way they cut your hair and now you have weird hair for the entire session... not fun!

Now here is a tip that probably not many photographers will dish out.  

DO NOT WORRY ABOUT YOUR MAKEUP COMING OFF.

Avoiding to kiss your partner because you don't want your lipstick to come off, or not wanting to hug them because you won't want the blush to come off... this only creates weird expressions and will make the session stressful.  Instead let the moments unravel naturally! That makeup isn't going to go anywhere, trust me.  So kiss, hug, and have fun! 

As for wardrobe, take as much as you can! Having more outfits is better than not having enough.  Also, make sure you are comfortable wearing the outfits.  It is noticeable when something is uncomfortable or something isn't right. 

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3.  LOCATION

Where should you have your session?  I get this question more often than not and it's a tough one to answer.  Here is what I usually ask my clients when trying to figure out the location:

• Is there a location that holds a special memory of the relationship?  Maybe the place where you had your first date, or where he proposed, or your first anniversary.  
• Do you like urban (city, cars, people, downtowns, high buildings) or more earthy (fields, gardens, green, pasture, barns)? 
• What are your favorite colors?

Sometimes, there is more than one location you would like to photograph in.  Ask your photographer if this is something they do.  I've done up to three locations because my clients wanted something different.  And I love giving them that kind of variety to show off their love!

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4.  PROPS + ACCESSORIES

From vintage cars to lanterns, to big letters and suitcases, props and accessories can help set the stage for the entire session.  They can be themed to what you have envisioned or simply add to the session.  You can also incorporate items that mean something to the both of you as a couple.

Ask your photographer if they have any props too and what ideas you have.  These helps the photographer find inspiration and really go after what you're thinking. 

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5.  CHILDREN + PUPS

Anytime you do an engagement session, it is equally important to include the whole family.  Ask your photographer if they are okay with photographing your children during the same session or if you have pups you'd love to have come with you.  Of course, you could make the session just the two of you as well.  All depends on how you want your session to unfold and what you would like to have photographed.  

If you are going to bring your children and/or your pups, make sure you take an extra pair of hands to help when they are not being included in the photos.  Someone to look after them while you are hamming it up for the camera.  

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Well, that's all I have for you today!  I hope that these tips help you have an awesome experience at your engagement session!  I would love to hear your own personal tips if you've already experienced an engagement session.  Post a comment below! 

Over the course of the wedding planning process, I like to sit with my clients and really get down to what they are looking for as far as photography.   What styles they like, what look they're going for, and most importantly, what compliments their personalities.  All of this mixed in with with my style of romantic, intimate, and classic photography.  

A lot of the time, this can't be captured with just one session or one location.  And therefore we schedule two days in different locations! I love when my clients choose different locations and looks because it gives me the chance to create something different with each session.  Perhaps one more classy with interesting lighting, and the other with fun accessories full of light.  

This is exactly what we did :).  This is part 2 of Abril and Daniel's engagement session with a more urban feel.  To see part 1 click HERE.  Enjoy!

The clouds were gloomy but we ventured into the session any way.  We never thought that with the rain a double rainbow would appear in the backgroud with the sun hitting their faces creating such unique images! We had to work fast to capture the moment but I think we did a pretty good job.  After, it kept raining but Cristy + Lalo didn't even flinch.  They kept going with energy and laughter.  It was a fun session :).

Can't wait for their Cancun wedding in November!!! 

Oh these two.  The love just radiates out from their heart-to-heart connection.  When their eyes meet, you can see the flame burning ever so brightly!  I loved every second of getting to know them and having them in front of my camera.  They were naturals and loved to laugh.  They are adorable!

I can't wait until their wedding in October! I know it's going to be beautiful!

One of the best parts of my job is being able to go to places that hold a special place for my clients.  To show them familiar places in a different light.  We had big gloomy clouds above us and I was able to experiment with a little bit of flash.  Which, if you know me, I have a love-hate relationship with flash.  Engagement sessions allow for this kind of experimentation.  Helps to try new techniques without the pressure of making any mistake you can't take back, like on a wedding day.

Anyway, these two are really in love and I had such a great time photographing them in their hometown, where they met and fell in love!

Just wait until I post their wedding from Mazatlan!  *Soon*