The Value in an Engagement Session
congratulations, you’re engaged!
Or at least that’s likely the reason you’ve found this blog post.
If you are in fact engaged, congrats! Finding your special someone is worth celebrating and deciding to spend the rest of your lives as partners? Amazing. So when your person says “I do” — let the celebration begin! Hell yeah.
they said yes; what next?
There is a lot that goes into planning a wedding; venues and photographers and florists oh my! So it tends to get overwhelming (and expensive) very fast. Thus you might be tempted to cut corners with your funds, and one of those things you might be tempted to skip is an engagement session with your photographer.
I’m here to tell you why you should definitely not skip out on an engagement session.
Engagement sessions are the perfect opportunity to celebrate your engagement!
Maybe I’m just a hopeless romantic — maybe I’m biased — but finding your forever human and getting engaged is a big deal. REVEL IN IT. Soak it all in. If you have the extra wiggle room in your budget, it is such a treat to get your engagement photos done.
Make it a date night and I’ll be the third wheel! You can get dressed up, you can explore somewhere new, or just enjoy being away from the hustle and bustle of life for an hour or two.
Being engaged is very short-lived, so take the time to soak it in and treat yourselves. Treat yo’ selves.
Practice being in front of a camera.
Odds are, you and your partner are not professional models. So you’re likely not super comfortable getting your photo taken.
I don’t even like getting my photo taken most of the time.
Chances are, you haven’t had professional photos done in a while! A lot of my clients report having never had professional photos done, which is absolutely and totally normal. But, that might make your future wedding photos feel awkward when you’re focusing on getting married and your photographer is following you around.
Having an engagement session helps you get comfortable with a big fat camera pointing at you.
Not only that but it helps you get comfortable with the photographer holding that big fat camera. After about 10 or 15 minutes, you’d be surprised at how not-terrible it is being photographed. And I promise, you’re more photogenic than you think.
Get to know your photographer.
I think this is the most valuable reason you should have an engagement session. Of course, you want to get comfortable with your wedding photographer — they’re going to be with you your entire wedding day.
Not only that, but also your photographer will certainly be up close and personal for a lot of the intimate stuff on your big day (aka during your first look, gift exchanges, hugging mom and crying, etc). So it’s extremely important that you’re comfortable with your photographer, and engagement sessions are the best way to get there.
Engagement sessions are also a great representation of how your photographer will pose or prompt you on the wedding day. Maybe you like a more posed, directed type of photo. Maybe you prefer more documentary, candid style (like mine). Everyone has a preference and you might not even know what yours is until you have photos done!
Not only that, but engagement sessions will also help you get an understanding of how your photographer edits. Sure you’ve seen their portfolio or their Instagram, but it feels different seeing yourself in how your photographer edits photos. It helps build trust with your photographer so that on your wedding day, you know exactly how amazing your wedding gallery is going to look!
Document this special time in your life.
Maybe I’m repeating myself but hear me out. It’s likely you’re only going to be engaged once (and if it’s your second go-around, no judgment here! It’s still such a special time) so document these meaningful days before they’re gone!
Being an engaged couple flies by, so having someone intentionally document this time in your life is like freezing a special moment. In the future when you look back you’ll be glad you did.
Bring the dog to your Engagement Session!
Engagement photos are also a lovely time for adventure, and I always encourage bringing the dogs along. Or if you’ve got a kiddo, bring the babe! Engagement sessions are all about YOU + YOUR PARTNER and that means making it special however you see fit. Most engagement sessions I photograph end up having a dog or two along for the shoot and I’m all about it.
If you’re anything like me, your dog is your favorite companion, your fur baby, your adventure buddy! It’s only right that they get to come along too. Which brings us back to my previous point — this is a special time in your life and it’s worth documenting! Having your furry companion there will make it even more special looking back a decade from now.
Use the excuse to go somewhere new.
I personally think that an engagement session is a super great excuse to go somewhere new and exciting. I have a lot of clients who make the trip out to Bend for their engagement session and it gives them a reason to explore the area!
Maybe you’ve been dying to have a winter wonderland picnic in the woods? Engagement sessions are a great reason to do that. Or maybe you really want to hike Smith Rock? Why not get your engagement photos done at the top? The possibilities are endless!
Engagement sessions are also a super great reason to do something super fun together, like canoe around a new lake, go to a vintage arcade bar, or rock a snazzy new outfit!
Your photos don’t have to be stiff, super formal, or awkward. We’re beyond the days of going into Sears or Walmart for studio photos. You can make your engagement session fun as hell, and it’ll be way cooler to look back on when you’re showing your family the photo albums.
overall, an engagement session is totally worth it.
But if you’re still not convinced, you can read more about sessions and why I love them by clicking the link below. And if you’re ready to get your engagement session on, fill out my contact form and let’s lock it in!