Preparing for your engagement video shoot-adventure session
First of all, what is an engagement or adventure video shoot?
Simply put, An engagement video is a short clip (1 -2 minutes) that tells the story of your love. It can create a unique save the date, a keepsake that shows your journey and joy before getting married and allow the two of you to do something fun in the wedding planning mania that’s just the two of you. It’s also a great time for you to get to know your videographer ahead of the big day. It can be super helpful to you videographer when retelling your love story on wedding day as they will have additional footage to grab from. Think about it, you are essentially taking your engagement session to the next level and bringing those photos to life with video!
Prepping For Your Engagement Video
To start, don’ over complicate it. Keep things casual and fun. Think of it as a date day together! How fun is that?
Choose a Location:
Often times couples will select their location based off somewhere beautiful. Nothing wrong with having stunning scenery as your backdrop. I recommend Picking a location that holds some meaning in your love story and that can add to the complexity of the session. For instance, the park where you had your first date, the neighborhood where you first shared a home in, a brewery you frequent for date night – these places tell something important about your relationship.
Choosing your Activity:
Having an activity to do can be super helpful to calm your nerves as well as take away the pressure of feeling like you're on camera. When deciding your activity, it can be as simple as taking the dogs for a walk, sipping a beer, sharing an ice cream sunday, wondering around your wedding venue or even just sitting on a picnic blanket together. All of these can create a simple yet dynamic approach to your final video.
For those of you who are a little more adventurous, this can be your time to shine. You could go for a hike, go paddle boarding, floating down the river or skateboard around town.
Think outside the box! What activities do you two like doing together in your free time? How did you meet? Decide if you guys are the more playful type or the more intimate type?
Props:
While you are the star of your engagement video shoot, your videographer is ultimately the visionary and creative director of this shoot. So do not be afraid to bounce some ideas off of them. For instance, maybe you or your significant other is really into cars and want to showcase that. A car can make a great and super easy prop. Something you guys can lean on, sit in and so much more! Your props do not even need to have a significant meaning. They could just be there for fun. Like a simple bottle of champagne that you guys pop together to celebrate the moment.
Clothing:
What you wear should be an important aspect of your shoot but you shouldn’t worry about going out and getting a whole new wardrobe. You want to wear something that makes sense for the scenery as well as for the activity you end up choosing. If you decided to go snowshoeing and then wear a ball gown, probably not going to make sense when retelling your story. You want to dress how you normally dress. That way you feel comfortable throughout your shoot. Ever notice that when you try and wear something new or “on trend” it just doesn’t fit your style? And then you end up tugging at your clothes and constantly fidgeting because you aren’t comfortable. Ya, well that will show through on your footage.
Do choose one of your favorite outfits or styles. Discuss clothing options with your significant other. A bit of visual consistency is necessary to give the video beautiful aesthetics. Think similar colors schemes, not “matchy matchy”.
