Engagement Picture Ideas

Capture the excitement of your engagement in one meaningful image

By Debby Mayne

Photo by iStockphoto.com

One of the happiest times in a person's life is during her engagement. Capture those joyful moments with a meaningful and creative photograph that you can use in online engagement announcements, as well as your wedding save-the-date card. Have enough shots with different poses so that you can find the perfect ones that reflect this unique time in your life. Determine a momentous location for your photo shoot and decide what mood, look, and style you're aiming for in an engagement photo.

The-Place-You-First-Met Engagement Pictures

Return to the location where you first met each other and try to recapture the first moment you felt the attraction. If you still have the outfit you wore that day, include it in at least one of the shots. Find angles and positions to capture your initial feelings for each other.

First-Date Engagement Pictures

That first date will be special for the rest of your lives. Return to the location and bring back the early heart-fluttering time when you both knew something was special about the other person. For a more romantic look, ask the photographer to use sepia tones in some of the quieter, more subdued shots.

Proposal-Reenactment Pictures

Sometimes, the best way to capture the feeling of an engagement is to reenact the proposal. Go back to the site where you said, "Yes!" and ask a friend or bystander to take photos with the groom-to-be on bended knee. You can also relive the excitement of trying on the engagement ring for the first time.

Engagement Pictures With a Fun Background or Common Interest

Choose a setting that reflects the personality of your relationship. If you like art, stand in front of a mural or your favorite painting. Hikers may want to go to a state park or favorite trail. Garden lovers can show their personalities as they stand in the midst of a sea of flowers. If you share the love of a pet, include Bowzer or Kitty in the photo. Show your personality through action shots, such as a joyful jump or during a dance. Silhouette poses can be fun for some of the pictures.

Engagement Pictures at Home

Take a series of pictures in the home you share or plan to share after the wedding. Start in the front yard, work you way through the living room, kitchen and on to the back yard. Don't forget to use props. When you're in the kitchen, you might both want to hold spoons and stir something in the kettle. In the back yard, you may choose to relax in a lawn chair, or perhaps you can toss a horseshoe. Make it real, according to what you do around the house.

Historical-Period Engagement Pictures

Choose your favorite time in history and play the part. If you're a fan of the 1950s, dress in a skirt, blouse and apron for the bride and a business suit for the groom. Going further back in time, you might even want to wear Pilgrim or Wild West attire. These shots will look more authentic when finished in sepia tones.