Getting professional photos taken is so exciting, especially if it doesn’t happen often! If you’re anything like me, you want everything to turn out perfectly. But unfortunately, things don’t always go according to plan!
In fact, the night before our engagement shoot, my fiancé and I tried on the outfits we were planning to wear and the strap of my formal dress BROKE! I’m glad it happened at home because I was able to fix it beforehand, but if I didn’t try on the dress it likely would have broken at the photoshoot.
Point being—you can’t expect everything to go perfectly because it most likely won’t. So, here are a few things I recommend you bring with you if you’re getting professional photos taken in case of a hair, makeup, or wardrobe malfunction.
1. Nipple Pasties
There is nothing worse than looking at a photo that someone took of you and noticing that your tatas are a bit… excited… if you know what I mean. Not that your nipples showing is a bad thing by any means, because let’s face it, we all have ’em! But when you’re spending your hard earned money to get professional photos taken, you don’t want your nipples to be the center of attention. I recommend bringing some silicon nipple pasties along just in case they decide they want to make an appearance at your photoshoot.
2. Double Sided Fashion Tape
I can’t stress enough how much I love double sided fashion tape! It’s come in handy so many times. This one is especially great for wardrobe malfunctions, like puckering on a button down shirt, a hem that’s out of place, or taming any nip slips that might happen with a low cut shirt.
3. Nail Polish
If you paint your nails, bring the nail polish to the shoot! There’s nothing worse than having a beautiful manicure and then noticing a big chip on your thumb shortly after. Do yourself a favor and fix the chip before you begin shooting. If you’re getting engagement photos taken your hands will likely be in a lot of the photos and not every photographer will be nice enough to Photoshop your nails in every photo. Trust me on this.
4. Panic Panties
If you haven’t already heard of Panic Panties, allow me to enlighten you… Panic Panties are ready-to-wear thongs for life’s unpredictable moments. I mean, have you ever been out and about and gotten an unexpected visit from Aunt Flo? Yeah, same! And for all you jet-setters out there, how many times has your flight been delayed and find yourself stuck at the airport without a shower or fresh undies? And single ladies, don’t even get me started on unexpected sleepovers have a night out at the bar! This is where Panic Panties really come in handy. You never know when you’re going to need a fresh pair and Panic Panties are completely sanitized and ready-to-wear undies in discrete packaging, so you don’t have to worry about flashing your drawers to people by accident, or losing a used pair of your own!
5. Adulting Kit
I didn’t realize how helpful an Adulting Kit was until I got one. They are fully stocked with emergency items like a sewing kit, stain and static remover, a lint roller, and MORE. One of these kits would also be perfect for brides on their wedding day!
6. Smudge-Proof Lip Stick
If your photoshoot is going to include kissing your partner at all, you need to get smudge-proof lipstick. I recommend the NYX Shine Loud lip color and gloss combo because they DO NOT bleed, smudge, or transfer and the color lasts for HOURS! This was perfect for our engagement shoot since so many of our photos were of us kissing.
7. Teasing Comb
You know the saying, “the camera adds 10 pounds”?, well, the camera can also make your hair appear flatter than how it looks in person. I like to back comb my hair at the crown of my head and along the side of my head to give me a little bit of volume all around.
8. Wide Tooth Comb
If you plan to wear your hair down, you should definitely bring a wide tooth comb with you to your shoot destination. If it’s windy on the day of your shoot (which it was for us when we had our engagement photos taken), you’ll likely need to brush your hair multiple times throughout the shoot. The wide tooth comb is great for removing tangles without flattening any curls.
9. Makeup Bag
This one should be obvious, but in case you haven’t thought to bring your makeup bag, bring it! But only bring the essentials. There’s no need to bring your entire collection, but definitely bring things like foundation, powder, blush/bronzer, mascara, and under eye concealer.
10. Weatherproof Hairspray
Fly-aways are such a pet peeve of mine because sometimes they pop up out of nowhere, and they are so frustrating! Bringing weatherproof hairspray can help tame these fly-aways or any frizz that comes with humidity or rainy weather.
11. Emergency Sanitary Items
I feel like this is a must have to keep in your purse every day, but bring a tampon, panty liner, or pad with you just in case Aunt Flo decides to come early!