Wedding Wednesday: Engagement Sessions Part 3- Props for Thought

After talking about why engagement photos are important and what to wear for them, which you can read about here and here, the final installment of this Wedding Wednesday Engagement series answers the third biggest question I get asked about engagements: Should we bring any sort of prop? 

The answer: There is no right or wrong answer. I’ve had couples who bring lots of props, and couples who bring no props at all, and every session has been just as great! The key, however, is that if you’re going to use props, make sure you have a REASON to use them.

Props can be great because they give you something to do with your hands, they can add interest or action to the photos, and honestly props can be just plain fun. They can be anything from a bicycle, to celebratory champagne or wine, to an old polaroid, to a picnic basket and blanket, and anything in between. The sky is the limit! That being said, if you bring a prop just to have a prop, it can seem awkward and out of place. I believe it’s important to have some sort of connection between what you’ve brought rather than just having a prop for props sake. For instance, if the two of you never ride together, then it doesn’t really make sense to take pictures of you and your on bikes. However, if you both own beach cruisers and love riding together, those will make excellent props! Basically, props can be great… as long as they’re not forced. Here are some examples of props I loved from a few of my couples!

Colleen is super crafty and doing a lot of DIY projects for their wedding. She wanted to have her and Mark’s wedding date incorporated into the pictures, so she handmade this adorable banner! Loved it.

We went way up into the mountains for Alex and Andy’s engagement photos, so Alex brought a blanket along because it gets pretty chilly so high into the mountains. Very practical as well as super cute and cozy!

Liz and Charlie are quite the wine connoisseurs. They even had homemade wine at their wedding! So it only seemed fitting that they celebrate their engagement with a couple glasses.

So there you have it. Hopefully this series answers all your questions about Engagement Sessions! But if not, feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email :) Happy planning!!

Chris Manning - February 6, 2013 - 11:19 am

I love the banner! Great idea!