While winter isn’t everyone’s favorite season, it is absolutely beautiful, and there are so many great activities for an adventure engagement session or an adventure elopement that it makes it unreasonable to overlook winter.

But living in Alberta means that the months of November through to at least March can be unbearably cold. But that doesn’t mean you should not consider a winter engagement session!

Here are 5 tips for how to keep warm during a winter photoshoot:

1. Dress for the weather

While you might dream of sandy beaches and short shorts, the reality is that if you are having a winter engagement shoot, you are going to want to dress like it is winter! But that doesn’t mean you are limited to bulky jackets and ski pants.

If you want to wear a dress, throw on some fleece leggings underneath, and choose a long dress so that you can wear your fuzzy socks and winter boots. No one is going to notice your footwear anyway.

Bring a heavy shawl or blanket to wrap around your shoulders to help keep you warm. They can be super cute as well.

Leather or woolen mittens can give your hands a warm reprieve. While you don’t have to wear them the whole session if you don’t want to, they can look stylish and will help warm up those red fingers.

Toques, earmuffs, and scarves are also great accessories, that while you don’t have to wear the entire time, will greatly enhance your photo experience. No one has fun when they are freezing, and it will show in the pictures.

So even if you want to wear your favorite dress, t-shirt, or blouse, go ahead! But your winter engagement photoshoot will be much more pleasant when you are warm, and warm can look cute too!

2.     Bring hand warmers/toe warmers.

Those little packets that you can shake that bring almost immediate warmth, will be a huge blessing for your cold winter engagement shoot. Bring a couple sets for you and your partner, shove in your boots, keep in pockets to shove your hands into, and even just bring them out occasionally to hold to your face or your ears. We can take multiple breaks during the photoshoot to make sure you are warmed up adequately!

3.     Bring a hot drink.

Nothing speaks of a cozy winter session like a hot drink in a thermos. Bring your favorite hot beverage, such as a hot chocolate, apple cider, or tea, and your favorite mugs. We can sit around enjoying your hot beverage while we get some beautiful and intimate photos of the two of you together.

4.     Don’t be afraid to cuddle in with your partner.

As your photographer, we are looking for intimate, authentic moments to capture for your winter adventure engagement session! That means we want the two of you to be comfortable and interacting in a way that you normally would. So get close, cuddle up, hold hands, and share the warmth.

5.     Plan for a location that allows you to warm up inside a building or a vehicle if needed.

When planning a shorter engagement session, it is usually reasonable to stay outside the entire time, but depending on the temperature, and the length of the session/activity, you will probably want to go warm up. Pick a location that you are near a restaurant for a warm meal, your hotel/house, a lodge, or your vehicle you can run to warm up in.

 Just remember, your engagement session or elopement is all about ensuring that the two of you are having the time of your life, so don’t let it be marred by not having the “perfect” outfit, or freezing and being uncomfortable the entire time. And when you sign up for an adventure session or elopement, it is all about capturing the moments as they happen, so no one is going to question why you are bundled up while skating, or wearing winter boots to hike in. It’s not just the beauty of the picture that matters, it’s the moments that you are able to relive from looking at it.

Interested in knowing more about a winter elopement, or want to plan a winter engagement session?