Turn Your Engagement Shoot Into Date Night!
Engagement photoshoots are becoming increasingly more popular with our newly engaged couples and we can certainly see why! Not only are they the perfect way to get to know your wedding photographer and great practise for the big day – but they can also be a new and exciting experience for the two of you. So to help all the lovely couples out there, here is how you can take your engagement shoot from awkward to awesome in 5 simple steps!

Include Food, Drinks, And Your Favourite Activities – Make It A Real Date!
Why not plan to go to your favourite restaurant before or after your shoot? Or if you’re a hopeless romantic like us, then why not head to where you had your first date? This is both a perfect way of having fun and making the occasion super personal to each other which in turn should make you happy. Perhaps the two of you have a special place where you like to go for long walks together? Date night is entirely up to you – so whether it is a picnic in your local park, a beautiful beach stroll or your favourite restaurant for dinner, get it planned – we promise you won’t regret it!

Get Creative With The Location!
Pick a location that means something to you both! Maybe this is where you got engaged? Your first date? Maybe even your Wedding Venue? We have had plenty of photoshoots in the past here at Coombe Lodge and our picturesque scenery and versatile venue offers the ideal location whatever the season.
The location is completely your choice – Just make sure it is somewhere that you can fundamentally be your complete self. Why not chat it through with your photographer as your relationship with them should always be a collaboration of creativity!
Pro Tip – Think of the timing for the shoot…Golden Hour here at Coombe Lodge is pretty hard to beat! Sunsets capture the perfect shots and guarantees the best lighting.

Dress In Something That Feels Super Comfy For You!
Stumped on what to wear for your engagement shoot? You’re not alone. We totally agree that these sentimental photos will most likely appear on everything from your save-the-dates and wedding website to the walls of your first home, so it is important to put together looks that feel 100 percent you.
The key to all of this is to wear clothes that make you feel like you! If you’re a strictly a T-shirt and jeans kind of couple then go with that style. The only way you are going to feel comfortable in front of the camera is if your comfortable yourself, so just do you. The photographer will thank you for it and the images will speak for themselves!

Great Way To Get To Know Your Photographer
This is a great way to build your relationship with your supplier and lets face it, they are pretty important! This is a perfect way for them to get to know you, to see how you both interact with each other, what your best angles are and what you work with best. Are you the type of couple that feel super comfortable in front of the camera and can strike a pose? Or do you prefer a more documentative style for your day? This is a great time for the photographer, and yourselves for that matter, to work this out.

Have Fun & Relax!
Above all else, just remember to have fun! At the end of the day, this is supposed be a great way to get you both nice and excited for the wedding! Your engagement shoot can essentially be a little test run for the big day, so goof around and have a laugh while practising posing with each other, after all it doesn’t want to be a chore! By the time the big day comes around, you will be complete pros! So simply focus on each other and forget about the camera. Enjoy yourselves, trust your photographer and have a great time!

Photographer: Adam Barnard
Coombe Lodge is a beautiful wedding venue in Somerset, just outside Bristol. To come and explore please contact our team on 01761 463 355 or email us here.
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