Italy is the home of beautiful things. Hundreds of loving couples visit Venice, Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast every year. Italy is an open-air museum in a garden! Here, day after day, fabulous wedding proposals, fashion photo shoots, as well as portrait and pre-wedding sessions take place.
The engagement session is nothing more than a photo shoot sometime before the wedding. The goal is getting lovely couple portraits to celebrate that particular moment before the marriage, when you’re sooo genuinely in love and excited! Many benefits are coming with the engagement pictures. These can be done almost anywhere anytime. Also, this is a great way to establish a relationship between you and your wedding photographer, so he can understand your expectations about your wedding photography.
If you are planning an engagement session in Italy, some things are worth considering. Monuments, archaeological sites and parks are just some of the fantastic locations of the Bel Paese where you can be portrayed. In such a beautiful setting, you cannot go wrong!
Here are some things to consider in order to look great in your Italian engagement photos!
What to wear
Many of the best designers in the world are Italian, so keep in mind that elegance is always welcome here. Clothing depends on your taste, but you should always consider your partner’s outfit for the best possible combination.
Summers are warm and humid almost anywhere, so you should dress as light as possible. Girls can wear light and soft dresses, long or short, with heels. Boys should wear a shirt and long trousers. Especially for men, beautiful classic shoes always make a difference.
In winter, wear dark clothes. Many Italian girls wear an over-the-knee skirt, stockings and a fancy heel. A long coat is needed, both for him and for her.
What to avoid!! Sportswear or jeans, sophisticated textures and fluo colours. Have a look at the Pinterest board below to get inspired.
The Shoes
The most spectacular spots are often unreachable by car, so you must walk a bit on the cobblestones. In modern cities, such as Milan, you can wear your heels without any problems. In historic towns, such as Florence, Venice and the Cinque Terre, it’s almost impossible, especially if you are not used to it.
Therefore, you need to wear a pair of flat shoes to move quickly around the narrow streets and wear heels just for photos. Should you need tips for the 5 best brands in trend, visit this!
Make-up
Excellent makeup is essential – and often underestimated – to get gorgeous photos. If you haven’t hired a good make-up artist yet, feel free to email me, and I’ll be happy to suggest you the best professionals nearby. Here’s one of the best.
Time of the day
Sunset is the best time of the day of pictures. Period. Also, it’s the only time you won’t melt and sweat under the hot sun of Italy in summer. Please be informed that sunsets are very late in summer months – mostly after 8:30 pm. Think about that if you’re planning romantic dinners in your fav restaurant in town.
Poses
Most of my photography is spontaneous and casual, and I love to shoot couples naturally, with little direction during a walk, in order to take many candid and organic pictures. You should consider that, in some places, this is impossible due to the crowd and the tiny spaces. Therefore you must pose for a few shots. Nothing complicated or kitsch; laughter is always welcome!
Props & Accessories
Any accessory can make your photos get out of fashion quickly. Picnic blankets, frames, balloons and modern fancy cars could be trendy now but out of fashion in a few years, especially in the old sceneries of Italy and Tuscany. I like keeping the setting clean and simple, so it’s best to include in only the essential. Hats and flowers are welcome.
Children & Pets
Should you have kids and want to include them in the session, please keep in mind that they get bored very fast, so portray them for a long time might be difficult. Schedule the photos with children at the beginning and then entrust them to the nanny – or a family member – for the rest of the time.
Pets are welcome only in large spaces with no people around and if trained. I don’t take photos with dogs in the town centre.
Transportation
Here’s the elephant in the room. Transportation is a big deal because every municipality has its own rules and there are many restricted areas. Road signs are in Italian only and not very clear. Therefore you must be careful if driving around.
Generally: in Florence, better to get a taxi to move throughout the spots. Cinque Terre villages are well connected by frequent trains, Tuscany is better by car – you can rent it almost everywhere. I can arrange transportation to Florence & Tuscany by Mercedes vans on request.
In some places, you can rent old-fashioned Fiat Cinquecento, that would be useful for some shots – beyond that picking up some Italian boys or girls in case something goes wrong! 🙂
Anything else should I add?
An engagement session in Italy will give you memorable photographs that your grandchildren will gladly see. Thanks to these suggestions, you won’t fail! For any questions, send me a note. I’m happy to help!
