Your Engagement Session
A photo & Video Guide for Engaged Bakerture Couples
Welcome!
Congratulations on your engagement! We are so excited to be a part of your wedding planning journey. Here at Bakerture, we're rooted in a deep connection with our couples to embrace and highlight their own personal story with photographs and film that are lucid, yet emotionally powerful. Our passionate team thrives on pairing genuine moments with the craft of creative storytelling to preserve the memories of your wedding day for generations to come.
Your engagement session is a great opportunity to get to know your photographer. The photos that come from it may be the first professional photos that you have as a couple, so they will certainly be something you cherish for a long time. We’re excited to help you on this journey and create a beautiful collection of photos for you to enjoy.
Locations
We recommend picking one location for the shoot. If another location is in reasonable walking distance that works! The reason we do one location is because we like to get into a rhythm during the session and we don’t want that to get disrupted with driving & parking.
For the Classic...
For the Adventurous...
Some locations require permits, which we can help guide you through the process to acquire. Our event coordinator is happy to provide galleries & suggestions upon request!
- Leesburg
- Lucketts
- Old Town Alexandria
- Bull Run
- Great Falls
- Family Farms
- Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
- Waterfalls/Overlooks (we can hike if it's not too far!)
- Your first date location
- Your proposal location
- Shared college/school
- Georgetown - Canal & M St.
- DC's H St. or Union Market (for an industrial look)
- DC Monuments (AM session)
- Tidal Basin
- National Gallery of Art
What to Wear
One of the most frequent questions we get is what to wear for your engagement session. While this fully depends on your personal style and the location of your session, we do have a couple of tips.
Most importantly - you should wear something that feels like you!
- Dress for the occasion & location.
- Avoid loud patterns, logos, and graphics.
- Our sessions are typically held outdoors, so dress with the weather in mind.
- Pull in accessories that show off your personal style.
- Wearing something that creates movement, like a flowy dress, creates some really cool shots.
- We recommend selecting something that coordinates in both color and level of formality.
- Avoid loud patterns, logos, and graphics.
- Guys can accessorize too! If accessories fit your personality, add it in!
- Wear boots or dress shoes to complete the look. Try to avoid sandals or flip flops.
- Taking advice from your fiancé is usually good practice.
What to Bring
While you don't need much for your engagement session, there are a couple of items we encourage you to consider bringing:
- Water Bottle - Especially in the summer, it's important for you to stay hydrated throughout your session.
- Sentimental Props - If there are any items that hold signifcance to your relationship that you would like to encorporate.
- Walking Shoes - Sometimes it's a long walk from Point A to Point B, if you're planning to wear heels, consider bringing a comfortable pair of shoes to walk in.
- Most importantly - Your Ring - We recommend getting your ring cleaned up to two days before your engagement session so it sparkles just like the first day you wore it! You wouldn't believe how much the sparkle dulls over time & wear.
Additional Tips
Some final thoughts before you schedule your session…
- Consider making your shoot evening a date night! You'll already be all dressed up, so it's the perfect opportunity to go out to a fun dinner after you finish with the photographer.
- If you're nervous, please let your photographer know! They will help you relax and feel comfortable. Once you get started, all your nerves will quickly disappear.
- Please be on time. We rely no the sun, and it dictates how long we can shoot for. Once the sun sets, we're out of time.
- If you want to bring your dog, be sure to let us know ahead of time. It's important to bring a firend or family member who can help manage your pup while you are shooting some photos without them.
- If there's anything unique to you that you want to make sure we capture, please let us know! We are ready to make your vision come to life!
It's Time to Schedule!
Engagement Sessions are typically shot at the golden hour for the best lighting, which is either right at sunrise or 1.5 hrs before sunset. If you are planning for a DC location, we only shoot sunrise sessions at the monuments to avoid masses of tourists. Lastly, we only shoot engagement sessions on weekdays, since we are out shooting weddings on the weekends. If you are ready to schedule your engagement session, please reply to info@bakerture.com.
Engagement Session Rain Policy
The final weather call will be made the day before your engagement session by the end of business (4pm). Our policy stands if there is a 30% chance or higher of rain as indicated by The Weather Channel, we will have to postpone to a new date. If there is any chance of thunder/lightning we will have to postpone.
Contact
As you think about your engagement session, please reach out with any questions and when you are ready to schedule your session! Our office hours are Mon-Fri (9a-4p) and our email address is info@bakerture.com. We typically respond to messages within 24 office hours.
