Congratulations to all the engaged couples reading this! This is an exciting time to share with your significant other, family, and friends. But your mind is also likely racing with all of the things you need to do to prepare for your wedding.

 

Don’t forget to make time for an engagement photo session during your wedding planning process. It’s best to do this once you’ve chosen your wedding photographer, as many offer engagement sessions as part of their wedding photo packages (I do). If they don’t, it’s still a worthwhile investment to do with one.

 

As a photographer and bride-to-be myself, I’ve been on both sides of the camera during engagement sessions. I love directing couples, but I’m not a natural when the camera’s on me. Even if you aren’t the most comfortable in front of the camera, do an engagement session. I’m so glad I did one, and your photographer will be there to guide you every step of the way. I sure will be, and I can’t wait to work with you!

Here are five reasons why you should do an engagement photo session.

 

Celebrate your engagement together

When you got engaged there was likely lots of celebrating with family and friends, but why not do something for just the two of you? Engagement photos are something you and your fiancé will have forever, and they make a fantastic keepsake of this special milestone in your relationship. An engagement session is a memorable experience (you’ve likely never done a professional photoshoot together), and you can turn it into a fun date. Treat yourself to hair and makeup, put on a nice outfit, pop some bubbly (I like to gift clients with a bottle), and even incorporate dinner plans into the mix. 

 

It’s great practice for the big day

As I mentioned above, you and your partner likely haven’t done a professional photo session together. An engagement session is an opportunity to get comfortable in front of the camera together—especially with some of the more intimate posing prompts used in engagement and wedding photography. Your photographer will guide you through posing to get a varied selection of more formal and candid moments, and they can also get to know which poses work best so your photos are a true reflection of your personalities and style. There are lots of standard engagement prompts that photographers use, but they don’t always work with every couple. It’s better to figure that out during your engagement session than on the wedding day. 

 

You can get to know your photographer

On your wedding day, you’re going to be spending the majority of the day with your photographer. They’re there for all the moments, and it’s important that you feel comfortable and trust them. You also want to be able to have some fun together! Your photographer will be there to hype you up, make you feel your best, and capture photos that remind you how amazing your wedding day was. You’ll feel way more comfortable and relaxed on the big day if you’ve already met and worked with your photographer. 

 

You can test your wedding hair and makeup

Your engagement session is also a chance to test-run some of the hair and makeup ideas you’re considering for your wedding look. If you can line your engagement session up with your hair and makeup trials, even better. You’ll get a feel for how the makeup photographs and whether you want to make any adjustments to the look before your wedding.

 

Or, your engagement session can be an opportunity to try a different look. If you want a more natural look on your wedding day, for example, you could try something bolder for your engagement session. 

 

It provides photos for so many uses

You’ll need photos of the two of you for different pieces in your wedding. Your engagement photos can be a great choice for your save-the-dates, for example. They’re also useful for filling out your wedding website or even printing a few of your favourites out to use as decor at the wedding.