Bay Area Locations for Engagement Sessions

Great Bay Area Locations for Engagement Sessions

When planning your engagement session, a big consideration is the locations you will choose. It can be tricky because have so many wonderful options!  What’s your style as a couple or where is your happy place? San Francisco has an incredible variety but we can also head to a more rural Marin spot or even Half Moon Bay. I’ll often suggest choosing two locations or more and wear a variety of outfits to create a rich and varied gallery of images. If we end your portrait session at the beach, it’s always best to plan that location close to sunset for the beautiful light. Let’s start your engagement session with your most formal outfit and end the day together with your most casual clothing. In addition, here are some other tips to help with this memorable portrait session.

 

1. I always suggest booking the session at least six months before your wedding date. In the San Francisco Bay Area, our weather is rather consistent and mild, so you can always pull off a beautiful formal look and a more casual one. Even if the day is chilly, it’s fine to warm-up in a coat over that beautiful dress and then toss it off while you strike a pose. The only time we reschedule is with rain.

 

2. Please contact me as early as you can to get your ideal engagement session date. I photograph lots of weddings on weekends so weekdays often work best.

 

3. Remember that you and/or your fiancé may need to take some time off of work for the session. We may not have any availability when you’re available because, even though we try to be accommodating, we don’t shoot every day or may already be booked on your day off.

 

4. Book early enough to use your photos for Save the Date cards, etc. Don’t forget about editing, printing, and mailing times. Allow enough time for the whole process and still have them to your guests on time.

 

5. If you’re doing a slideshow at your wedding and want to use your engagement photos in it, don’t wait until a month before your wedding to take your engagement photos and then stress and worry as you try to hurry to get them back and into the presentation. You have to allow editing time in your schedule.