How To Plan a Harry Potter Engagement Session
By Gary Pope
Photo by Love Long and Prosper Photography
Your engagement session is the perfect place to let the fandom out before the big day. From picking a Platform 9¾-worthy train station to a photographer who shows up with wands and robes, here is how to plan it.
How to Have a Harry Potter Engagement Session
Where Do you have these Engagements?
Engagement sessions are popular these days. These photos capture the joy and warmth of your new beginning as a couple.
Your future heirs can also feel that magical moment as they look at your engagement photos. Let's show off the bling now that you've got the ring!
Magical-themed parks combined with whimsical colors make the Wizarding World of Harry Potter the perfect location for your bewitching engagement photos. But just be aware that professional photography is typically not allowed, and you will usually have to book one of their onsite photographers for the shoot....so how can you get both fantastic photos and Harry Potter themed?
You accomplish this by picking a public local place and hiring a professional photographer to take care of you, that's how! Here are some suggestions of local spots you can have your engagement session at.
Train Stations
Train stations are probably the #1 location to have your Harry Potter engagement session at. Nothing screams starting a new chapter in your life, than the place that starts off the magical world for all of the character.
When looking for your train station try to focus on finding either old school train museums, or outdoor train stations with brick buildings. You may have to avoid cities and travel out to suburbs for these specific types of stations.
College Campuses
Naturally school grounds can easily match the look and feel of Hogwarts even if you don't have any nearby that resemble gigantic castles! Simply having the hustle and bustle of students around, plus the many academic buildings just give off that school-time vibe. Also the older the school the better!
Castles
While castles are not easily accessible everywhere, if they are then they make for fantastic backdrops for your engagement session! Even better, if the place acts as a wedding venue as well, I'd even consider hosting it there as well!
Picking Your Photographer
After choosing your engagement photo vision, the next step is picking the photographer who will bring it to life! Your photographer will be like Ron, who sacrificed himself to defeat the opposing King during their battle to guard the philosopher's stone in the Chessboard Chamber! Be sure to tell all the details on how your love story began to help your photographer visualize your magical engagement vision come true.
When it comes to picking your photographer there's a few factors you should consider that is super specific for your Harry Potter themed engagement session (and possibly wedding?!)
Props
While you and your spouse may have plenty of your own props for your shoot, it's also super nice if your photographer can provide various props. This includes everything from wands, robes of all the houses, even down to smoke bombs and how to properly use them.
Just incase if you was wondering, I provide all of these items at no additional cost!
Photoshop
If you want to add a magical element to your photos, your photographer needs to be capable of editing photos in Photoshop and have proof of this as well. This boils down to taste, but be sure to see past work to understand their capabilities, because many photographers will just tack on very basic edits and call it a day.
Planning for the session!
Consider the time of day when you plan to take your spellbinding photographs, especially since lighting plays a crucial role in setting the mood. As the sunrise makes a beautiful backdrop, the golden hour creates a stunning overlay, whereas the sunset creates a dreamy aroma as the twinkle in the sky hints at a glimmer, and the night gives uncanny wedding photos.
Lastly, be yourself! Like me (Gary), your photographer specializes in taking photos that last. Feel free to create a mood board and look for Harry Potter wedding engagement photos to help you set the mood and get inspiration! Let your photographer capture your enchanting love most inherently, and have your photographs reflect the spellbinding love that you have.
This post is part of our Ultimate Harry Potter Wedding Guide.