How to Survive a Summer Engagement Session

Well, well. Here we are again, friends. Summer engagement session season is officially upon us. (Try saying that three times fast!) Believe it or not, summer isn’t normally a frequently requested season for engagement sessions around here. Why? Well, probably because Kansas City summers go from 72* and beautiful to 93* with a heat index of 110 in the snap of a finger. Oh wait… that’s what happened this last week. And nobody, and we mean, NOBODY wants to have their photos taken when it’s that hot outside.

Nobody wants to be all hot and sweaty and .5 inches away from their significant other no matter how much you love each other. 

But this year? This year, will be different. Sure, it’s already hot and humid outside. But the big catch is, because of the Coronavirus, all of those nice spring month engagement sessions got pushed back to summer, whether any of us wanted them to or not. So what can you do to survive the heat, still have your engagement session, and still wind up loving your photos? 

Easy, friends. Follow out top 5 tips. 🙂 

How to Survive a Summer Engagement Session

1. Drink all the water.

If you’ve poked around here enough, you might recognize this first tip as a good way to survive just about anything. But it’s especially, especially true in the summer. When you know you’re going to be out in the heat for a few hours? Be sure to drink all the water in the morning. And don’t think that just because you’re going to have your photos taken that you can’t take something to drink with you. More often than not we have water in our camera bag during sessions too. And in the car. It’s okay to let your photographer know you need a quick break to grab a quick sip of H20 so you can keep going. Don’t want to drink too much because you’re worried you’ll need a bathroom break? Friends. We would much rather take a bathroom break than see you suffer from overheating and dehydration.

2. Don’t use highlighter or sparkles in your makeup.

Nope. Just don’t do it. Do you want the honest-to-god truth? Even if you don’t normally sweat when it’s hot outside, you’ll sweat during your engagement session. While we always try to keep our couples in the shade for  most of their session, it’s not like we’re just having you sit around. We love including MOVEMENT in our photos. This translates over to be prepared to sweat. Which means your face and skin may glisten, which means you don’t need to add the extra highlighter on your face unless you want to be super, super shiny. 

3. Dress for the weather.

Now is not the time to wear your new pair of skinny jeans or leather leggings (hello, have you seen that Friends episode?!). We’re not saying you should wear cut-offs (unless that’s 100% your jam), but take a few extra minutes to think about where you’re going. Casual dresses are great. Linen pants are phenomenal. Dressy shorts? Sure, why not?! But skinny jeans that are gong to stick to your legs and make you uncomfortable? No way, man. Instead opt for something cooler, looser, and flowy. Sleeveless is totally okay for your engagement photos, whether Pinterest says so or not. You definitely don’t want to be miserable in jeans on a hot summer day, which will then make you miserable while you’re taking photos, do you? Nope, didn’t think so. 🙂 

4. Stay away from concrete.

The thing about choosing a city for your summer engagement pictures? The concrete and buildings everywhere absolutely soak up the heat all day long. Which means that even if you’re out and about taking photos closer to sunset, that heat is still going to be radiating back up at you. Instead, opt for a location that provides some good shade and greenery to hang out in. Sometimes even just getting out of the city a few miles makes all the difference in the world. Heat doesn’t suck its way into grass like it does concrete. Or, if you HAVE TO HAVE that downtown KC location? See #5. 

5. Shoot in the morning instead of evening.

Yep, even us non-morning people will agree this is the way to go to avoid the heat of the day. We’re not morning people, and the idea of starting a photo session at 6:00 AM isn’t our cup of tea either. BUT to avoid 95* heat and humidity? And to help you feel more comfortable? You better believe our booties are willing to get up and photograph you and your boo at the break of dawn to make sure that you have a good time and actually enjoy yourselves. It’s totally, 100% worth it. And if you’re worried that the light won’t be as good in the mornings….. Well. Friends. Have you ever seen a beautiful KC sunrise? They’re just as good as the sunsets in all of your favorite spots so trust us when we say that you won’t be missing out on anything. 

Alrighty, lovebirds. That does it for our Top 5 Tips to Surviving a Summer  Engagement Session.

BUT, before we leave, we’ve got to share a sneak peek with you from Christina and Kyler’s engagement session last week. (You didn’t really think we wouldn’t share any pictures, did you?!)

Family and friends – we know you’re probably so excited to see more from Christina and Kyler’s engagement session! Feel free to go ahead and pre-register to see their full gallery when it’s released in jus ta few short weeks! We promise not to keep you waiting too long! 

Kansas City Engagement Session Location: Schwinn Produce Farm 

Christina, and Kyler – thank you so much for letting us create your engagement photos! We had such a blast with you both (and Faith!) and are so excited to share more with you so soon!