The Importance of the Engagement Session

Engagement sessions are just about as important as wedding day pictures. That’s a bold statement, I know, but let me explain myself. Over the last year or so, a lot of couples have asked a very similar question: “If we don’t want the engagement session, can that be taken on the package price?”. The more it’s been asked, the more I’ve developed a passion on the importance of engagement sessions. Engagement sessions are trendy, but they’re not equally valued by all. I want to share with you the top 3 reasons  engagement sessions should be a top priority.

1. Engagement photos capture a time in your life that only happens once; it’s a season of life that is simultaneously the most exciting and the most fleeting.  When I look back on the 9 months that Greg and I were engaged, I remember the unique feelings that don’t necessarily carry over into married life. Don’t get me wrong – marriage is the biggest blessing and I’m SO glad we’re on this side of the wedding. When you get engaged, the excitement is probably the most overwhelming emotion. There’s also some nervousness, lots of adrenaline, and a heck of a lot of happy. My favorite part of the season of engagement? People. When we got engaged, we both heard congratulations from friends we hadn’t from in awhile. I had bridal showers (yes – I had two bridal showers!) and saw friends and family members I hadn’t seen in awhile. Greg and I had a lot of quality time together as we planned the wedding, and also as we sought refuge from the craziness of wedding planning in the form of dinner dates. I would sit on the couch next to my mom or my sister and we’d talk through wedding plans and life. The season of engagement was full of people we love.  Engagement photos documents that special time in your life, and they can bring back ALL the feelings you felt when you look at them. It’s a season of life you won’t want to forget. 
2. The engagement session could be considered a “trial run” for your wedding day. Let’s face it, most people feel awkward in front of a camera. I know I sure do, and I’m a photographer! Doing an engagement session with your wedding photographer allows you to feel out the portrait part of your wedding day. Chances are, your photographer will make you feel way more comfortable in front of the camera then you thought you ever would. Come wedding day, you’re comfortable and won’t feel nervous about what it will be like. I think of the engagement session as a trial run for myself, too. Sometimes theres a pose that is just pure magic for one couple, but may look uncomfortable for the next couple. It’s all about what comes natural to you. The engagement session is a chance for me to find what works and what doesn’t, so that come wedding day, I’m prepared to get a ton of flattering images in a short amount of time!
3. The engagement photos can be an heirloom just as wedding photos are. One of my favorite things to do as a kid and a teenager was to climb the bookcase and get my parents wedding album down. I still love looking at my parents wedding pictures. You wanna know what I love just as much? Seeing pictures of my parents in other photo albums; seeing how they dressed day to day, seeing the different environments they were in, and seeing pictures that weren’t “perfect”. I have a lot of wedding photos hanging on my walls. Can I be honest, though? I took some of them down and replaced them with engagement and anniversary photos. Wedding photos are amazing. But they shouldn’t be the only pictures your kids or grandkids ever see of you. One of our engagement photos is the screensaver on my phone right now, and another picture from our anniversary session is on my nightstand. I love having pictures from different seasons of life. So do the engagement session. Have pictures taken for your anniversary. Celebrate the life lived before and after the wedding, as well as the actual wedding!

These three reasons are why I always encourage couples to do an engagement session;  whether I’m your wedding photographer or not, just do it. You won’t regret it.

 

XOXO,

Julia