The Real Reason(s) You Should Consider Engagement Photos

There's no one reason why a couple might decide to get engagement photos. For some, it might seem mandatory, like it's part of the experience they're after. For others, it's as simple as the fact that it is included in the wedding photography package they've opted for. If you’re still stuck wondering why you should have engagement photos done, read on.

Chances are you’re on the fence about it right now for an array of reasons. Perhaps you’re team camera shy, maybe your life just got extremely busy with planning, or you think it’s a money grab on top of every other wedding expense. Whatever your reasoning, engagement photos are something I truly recommend. They are important for so many reasons, but here I have listed my top three reasons as to why you SHOULD take engagement photos.

Consider this your moment to get comfortable in front of the camera

Are you a model? Probably not. Have you and your spouse had your photos professionally done before? Probably not. Most of my clients tell me how nervous they are before our session. They’re camera shy, they’re awkward, their spouse hates having their photo taken, etc. When you’ve never done something before, it’s so easy to build up a scenario in your head on how things might go. The unknown makes your mind wander, and I totally blame this for making people nervous come time for engagement photos! Imagine having your first interaction with your photographer (and feeling all of these unsettling feelings) on your wedding day?!

This is why it’s so important to have an engagement session. It eases any worries you might have. It gives you a chance to learn what it’s all about – how it feels to pose (whether candid or not) in front of a camera. You’d be surprised at how fun it is. It’s also a great opportunity to see how your photographer works, and how you both work together. Do they direct well? Do you feel comfortable being yourselves around them? These are super important things to iron out before the wedding day! Which brings me to my next point.

It's a chance to get to know your photographer

Again… can you imagine having your first interaction with your photographer on your wedding day? Don’t even tell me that you’d be comfortable with having someone you just met shove a camera in your face on one of the most heartfelt, intimate days of your life. It happens all the time, but I can confirm that wedding days with couples who have had engagement sessions are always much more laidback (from a photography standpoint). The preestablished relationship puts any worries at ease on the wedding day – you’ll trust your photographer because you already know what to expect from them, and they’ll know what to expect from you.

I always take note of how my couples interact with each other – do they love loud, or are they softer in their approach? Are they extroverted lovers, or introverted? What is their love language and how to they show it most? These are all questions I ask my couples as we work together to plan your engagement session. Knowing these little quirks is so important to help document your day as it unfolds, in a way that matters most to you.

Being engaged is a chapter that should be cherished on its own

Have you thought about that on its own? Being engaged is a unique time in your relationship. It’s such an important in between chapter of your lives that, in my opinion, almost always gets overshadowed by the wedding itself. You’re engaged. Celebrate that by documenting it. I’m sure you have a ton of selfies together. I’m sure you have some nice photos from that time you dressed up to go to a friend’s wedding. But do you have any photos of you two, that are truly representative of who you are? You’re going to want to look back on these photos, trust me. I love looking back at my own and thinking how much we didn’t know, how young and in love we were, and just how fleeting life really is. It goes by fast.

You said yes to marrying your best friend. You’ve been through so much together already, and now you’re committing to a lifetime of memories to be made and adventures to be had. A lifetime! That’s forever. Pretty incredible, isn’t it? Soak in this chapter, breath it in and document it so you can look back on it before life passes by.

In conclusion…

Here I’ve just listed a few (very) important reasons as to why you SHOULD get engagement photos. But there are so many more. Are engagement photos necessary? Not absolutely. But if I can speak candidly, why wouldn’t you get them done? Because you don’t want to pay a few extra hundred? Maybe this is too blunt but money comes and goes. These chapters in our lives... they just go. They fleet, way too fast. And if we don’t consciously choose to document these moments, what will we ever have to look back on?

What it really boils down to is celebrating the things that are most important to you in life. The milestones, the small moments, the important gestures. Life is too precious not to document this chapter, this moment of time that represents exactly where you two are in life as you are right now. I would love to do that for you, encapsulate this moment in time for you. And while we’re at it, why not get comfortable in front of the camera and get to know the person who you will likely be spending more time with on your wedding day than your spouse? I promise I’m a pretty cool third wheel.