When you first get engaged, engagement photos sound like a great idea! Who doesn’t want pictures of their love captured for the world to see?! Then, as planning sets in full swing, things tend to get very busy. Balancing life and work and planning consumes you, budgets start to get pushed, and time seems to evaporate through your fingers. At that point, it’s easy to think that skipping out on engagement pictures is a good way to save a little time and money. I mean, they’re just for fun. They’re not important, right?
Well, I’m not going to come at you with a big fat WRONG. (Or did I just do that?) Kidding. Seriously though, there are more reasons than you might think as to why engagement pictures are important! This summer I seemed to get asked that question a lot. Why should we do engagement pictures? So here are the biggest reasons why I think getting engagement pictures is great idea!! And fortunately I’m blessed to work with lots of wonderful clients who agree with me, so there are some pretty pictures to go along with it :)
1. It gives you experience in front of the camera! Some people are more comfortable being in front of the camera than others. But regardless of how comfortable you are smiling for a point and shoot at dinner with your friends, being in front of a camera where the focus is completely on YOU and capturing your LOVE, it can be a little nerve wracking! Engagement photos gives you a chance to loosen up and get comfortable being in front of a camera, without the pressures that come on your wedding day (a.k.a. time constraints and all your family and friends watching and snapping photos as well). Because the best photos come when you can just let go and simply be. Be in the moment, be in love together. If the first time you’re in front of the camera is on your wedding day, it can take a bit of time to get to that place and be comfortable. The problem is, by that point it’s usually time to get back for the ceremony or reception. If you take engagement pictures, you’ve already been to that place and it’s verrry easy to get back there, and get tons of amazing pictures on your wedding day!
2. It gives us time together! Getting to know your photographer plays a massive part in how your pictures turn out on the big day! For me personally, when I have that un-pressured time at an engagement session, I can really get to know who you guys are as a couple and how you interact, which in turn helps me figure out the best way to capture your love. And I come to your wedding with a better game plan :) It also gives YOU a chance to see how I work and get comfortable in front of ME! As I mentioned above, being comfortable in front of the camera is key in getting you the sweetest pictures together, and you’ll see how I work, which means you’ll know what to expect when portrait time comes during the wedding. Knowing what to expect always eases nerves, especially for those grooms who don’t exactly love being in front of the camera ;)
3. It gives you non-wedding pictures!! Don’t get me wrong, you want LOTS of lovely pictures from your wedding day, and we’ll be sure to get them! BUT, you’re probably not going to want to cover your house in only wedding pictures… Engagement pictures give you beautiful photos of you and your love that can fill in places where you might not want wedding photos, instead of blowing up and printing that underexposed iPhone photo you took on vacation a few months ago. I mean, no disrespect to the iPhone (I do have a bit of a love affair with mine), but there’s a reason professional cameras are more expensive ;)
4. It’s an awesome date night excuse! It’s SO easy during your engagement to get wrapped in planning. Anytime you guys have a moment together, it becomes a conversation about what color the linens should be or where Aunt Margaret should sit during the reception. Engagement photos are all about the two of you and your LOVE, not your wedding. Sure, we might talk a bit about your wedding during the shoot (because I love all things wedding), but on the whole my goal for engagement sessions is for you guys to disconnect from all the craziness of life and planning, and simply be. In Love. And have fun. Together. So going out to dinner, or grabbing take out and cuddling on the couch with a movie, and NOT talking about anything wedding for the rest of the night, is not a bad idea :)
Now, all of that isn’t to say that if you don’t get engagement pictures, your wedding day pictures are doomed! Haha. That’s not at all what I was going for. Because I know some people are just unable to do them, whether it’s a distance thing, a time thing, a money thing, etc. This is more to show why they are a good idea and, if you can do them but you’re on the fence about it, jump in and go for it!! You won’t regret it :)
Happy Wednesday!
