5 romantic poses to do for your engagement photos—Part 2
It’s officially engagement season again and I’m getting so excited for my 2025 and 2026 weddings! All of my couples are so in love and have such beautiful visions for their wedding days. It makes my heart so happy to have couples coming to me prioritizing celebrating with their loved ones, being present on their wedding day, and picking only the traditions that matter most to them. I love that they’re looking for candid, documentary photos that capture the love and joy of their day authentically, without making it into a production.
This trend is also in-line with engagement sessions! In fact, my couples are also coming with specific visions for these too. Right now, they’re especially wanting romantic, timeless photos that showcase their love in beautiful settings while remaining authentic to who they are as individuals and as couples. From urban locations to dreamy landscapes, I’ve been working to help my couples curate their perfect engagement session and bring their visions to life. This year alone, I’ve already been to downtown Los Angeles, San Francisco City Hall, and Big Sur!
Of course, it’s not just the locations that make the photos magical. It’s the love, the energy, the excitement that my couples bring to their shoots. As most have never taken professional photos before, I’m there to help give prompts and poses that match their vibe and highlight their love. But it also helps when couples have practiced poses in advance, that way they’re comfortable with each other and how it’ll feel in the moment.
5 poses to practice at home before your engagement session
Everyone and every couple is different! Some couples are super comfortable with public displays of affection (PDA), while others are more reserved and shy. In my experience, the best photos are when the couples are the most at ease and themselves. This is when their personalities shine and we get to see their sweet, loving dynamic.
Similar to Part 1 of this series, for those who may be a bit more on the shy end or just want to be prepared for their engagement session, here are five simple, romantic, and timeless poses that you can practice at home.
Pose 1. Chivalry isn’t dead
This pose is the epitome of timeless. When a romantic partner kisses your hand, it’s a sign of love, admiration, and—most importantly—respect. It’s an intimate gesture that quietly communicates your love for your soon-to-be-spouse. I love this pose because it’s not only romantic from a full-body perspective, but we can also zoom in and get detailed photos of the engagement ring and your hands together.
Beyond that, another reason I love this pose so much is because it is SO simple! There’s truly not much to it. It’s a natural gesture that you may have even done in your day-to-day life. For this pose, all you have to do is hold both your hands together. Then, one of you will bring your hands up and kiss them while your other hands remain down at your sides. The partner who isn’t kissing the hands only needs to look lovingly at the other while this happens. That’s it!
Pose 2. It’s all about perspective
This pose is equally simple and intimate! While my couples are up close and embracing, I like to have them bring their entwined hands up with the engagement ring and lean in for a kiss. During this moment, I can switch between focusing on the ring and their hands to their sweet faces as they go in for the kiss!
For this pose, you’ll want to keep your fingers loose and entwined while bringing your faces close together. You can start by just touching noses and looking deep into each other’s eyes, and then you can progress to closing your eyes and leaning in (still smiling) until your teeth almost touch, and finally you can go in for the kiss! All three stages provide a slightly different intimate perspective and between focusing on the ring and your faces, you can get a variety of different photos out of this one simple pose.
Pose 3. The rom-com kiss
If you’ve ever watched a rom-com before, you know they go hard for a dramatic kiss! This pose is inspired by those movies. It’s intimate, close, entwined, passionate, and timeless. It also requires very little from the two of you to bring it to life.
First, you’ll want to stand belly to belly. One of you will wrap your arms around the other’s waist, pulling in tightly, while the other brings their hand up to the other’s chin, pulling in for a deep kiss. To add a little extra to the pose, you can do a little heel pop or move from kissing directly on the lips to kissing along the jawline, neck, and collar bone. Again, this pose is so simple and easy, while also creating a sweetly delicate moment between you two.
Pose 4. Sway with me
Bringing in a little motion, this pose mimics a carefree, fun love! Whether you’re on a beach, in the mountains, or in a romantic bar, this prompt makes it look like you two are in your own little world where the only thing that matters is your love for each other.
For this pose, all you have to do is wrap your arms around each other and sway. One partner’s arms should be around the waist while the others should be over the shoulders. You’ll then want to lean into each other, bringing your heads together, and sway! Make sure your feet move—even just a little—while you relax your bodies and move together. You can elevate this pose with a foot pop, kisses along the side of the face and neck, and even a subtle dip. It’s meant to be fun and carefree, so don’t think too hard about it, just feel it out!
Pose 5. Love in motion
Saving the best for last—my favorite pose! This is a mix of Lead the way and Stand by me from Part 1 of this series. Instead of just walking hand in hand or standing still and wrapped around each other, you’re going to make the pose a little more romantic by entwining your arms and hands and leaning in for a kiss while walking! It’s a little more complicated because you’ll be moving, but it’s still relatively easy.
For this pose, one you will wrap your arm around the other’s arm and interlock fingers with your free hand. The other person will bring their free hand up to the other’s chin, delicately pinching, and pulling in for a kiss. Before kissing, take a moment to smile and look deeply into each other’s eyes. You also don’t have to hold this pose for the whole walk! I recommend starting wrapped around each other for the first few steps and then pulling in for the kiss. You can then resume walking arm in arm after kissing for a few moments.
Be yourselves and have fun with your engagement photos!
At the end of the day, the best engagement photos will always be the ones where you two are comfortable and yourselves! No matter what poses we do during your session, your love will always shine through if you’re having fun and being present in the moment together.
And remember, if a pose just doesn’t feel right to you two, let your photographer know! A good photographer will understand and adjust their style of direction based on you two, your dynamic, and your comfort level. I’m personally always watching to see how my couples respond to my prompts to ensure I’m creating an environment where their love is the focus. It’s the best way to create authentic, beautiful photos that will stand the test of time.
