Engagement photos are an incredible opportunity to capture you & your fiancé in your happiest moments, and to share those images across your save the dates, your wedding website, holiday cards, and as decorations throughout your wedding celebration.

The thing is, choosing the perfect outfits, getting hair & make up just right so that you look incredible but still natural, and posing effortlessly can be much easier said than done!

Choosing what you’re going to wear and struggling through a last minute hair and makeup session an hour before you meet your photographer is not a great idea, to say the least.  

Neither is waiting until you show up to find out that your fiancé has the worst stage fright, and looks like Chandler from "Friends" (season 7, episode 5, The One with The Engagement Picture) because they suddenly can’t smile.  

Today on the WPP I have a handful of tricks and tips to make sure your engagement photo shoot is smooth, seamless, and yields those perfect shots that you’ve been dreaming of sharing with all of family, friends, and friends of friends.  

Tune in for so much more, and head over to the blog post for today's show for a full written recap & links:

www.weddingplanningpodcast.co/engagement-photos

A huge thank you to this week's show sponsors:

It's not just videography - it's cinematic artistry.  Get in touch with Shutter & Sound Films at shutterandsound.com, and let your wedding day be a cinematic masterpiece you'll revisit time and again.

Now that you've got your engagement photos back, it’s time to share them with the world on gorgeous, high quality save the date and holiday cards from Minted Weddings.  Save 25% off Save The Dates and 15% off ALL wedding stationary when you visit weddingplanningpodcast.co/minted and use code WEDDING23.  Hurry, offer ends 10.30.23!

Get professional help planning your dream honeymoon when you email susan@susanstravelservices.com . Don't forget to mention the Wedding Planning Podcast for $50 off your honeymoon OR $200 off your destination wedding!

Today on the Wedding Planning Podcast, we're exploring your top wedding questions, including:

• Ideal number of wedding party members / pro’s & con’s of larger vs. smaller group?
• What are your thoughts on doing a first look vs. waiting for the more traditional moment when I walk down the aisle?
• Inviting kids to the wedding - does it have to be “all or nothing?”  Babysitting options?
• OK to assign seats for the ceremony?  Divorced parents on my side and want to keep them separated.
• Do you have a good resource for a full wedding planning countdown / timeline? 
• Best resource for planning our honeymoon?
• Easy & convenient tuxedo / suit rentals?
• Including family & friends who want to help, but I don’t really know what to ask them to do.  What are some easy items to delegate?
• Etiquette involved w/ planning at the same time as my close friend?  Things are already overlapping and I’m feeling really frustrated

Please consider our valued show partners when selecting services for your special day!

My husband John is already loving the look & feel of his skin after just a couple of weeks of using "The Regimen" from men's skincare line, Caldera Lab.  Use code "WEDDING" for 20% off!

Visit Generation Tux, where you can build your suit & tuxedo looks from home, get free color swatches, a free Home Try-On, AND manage your entire wedding party online.

Get professional help planning your dream honeymoon when you email susan@susanstravelservices.com . Don't forget to mention the Wedding Planning Podcast for $50 off your honeymoon OR $200 off your destination wedding!

Today we break down everything you need to know about speeches & toasts at your wedding reception. 

We'll cover:

• Who gives a speech / toast at the reception?
• Should we give direction about topic, tone, & length?
• When should the speeches take place? 
• In what order?
• I’m worried about inappropriate content - what should we do?
• How many speeches is too many?
• What if someone has paralyzing stage fright & is terrified to speak?
• And stick around until the end for a quick convo on first dances!

 A special thank you to today's show sponsors:

• Get in touch with Shutter & Sound Films at shutterandsound.com, and let your wedding day be a cinematic masterpiece you'll revisit time and again.  It's not just videography - it's cinematic artistry

• Would you LOVE to take advantage of expert honeymoon planning services for your all-inclusive, cruise, or exotic honeymoon AND get $50 off when you book?  Simply email susan@susanstravelservices.com to get started!

Today you’re going to meet the lucky couple who was chosen to star in “Say Yes to the Venue", a multi-part video series that highlights their process of choosing the perfect wedding venue in Southwest Louisiana. 

The premiere season features Lake Charles couple, Eloise and Grant, who visit 5 breathtaking venues, and they’re here this week to share their wedding venue shopping insights with you!

Your wedding venue is a huge decision that’s going to set the scene for pretty much every other wedding element and decision that you’ll make over the course of your engagement.  

Eloise & Grant are a lovely couple, and they have some pretty incredible insights to share with you - not only about their venue shopping process, but also their top advice on cutting the overwhelm factor as you plan, managing relationships with your family & friends, creative ways for finding the best vendors, and lots more wedding planning gems.  

So, which venue did they choose???

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL SERIES

PS - Thank you for supporting our valued show partners:

• It's not just videography - it's cinematic artistry.  Get in touch with Shutter & Sound Films at shutterandsound.com, and let your wedding day be a cinematic masterpiece you'll revisit time and again.
• My husband John is already loving the look & feel of his skin after just a couple of weeks of using "The Regimen" from men's skincare line, Caldera Lab.  Visit www.calderalab.com and use code "WEDDING" for 20% off!
• Get professional help planning your dream honeymoon when you email susan@susanstravelservices.com . Don't forget to mention the Wedding Planning Podcast for $50 off your honeymoon OR $200 off your destination wedding!