Should We Get Engagement Pictures Taken?

Many couples ask the question – Should we get engagement pictures taken?  I absolutely, whole-heartedly believe that having the best Wedding Photography experience possible starts before the big day even arrives. Every couple DESERVES an Engagement Session with their wedding photographer.

After having my very own engagement session two weeks ago with the lovely and incredible Katelyn James – I felt inspired to share my opinion as both a photographer and a bride!

Why Every Couple Deserves an Engagement Session – Photographer’s Perspective:

1) Getting Comfortable In Front of the Camera:
There is a little piece inside of each and every one of us that is camera shy. Even the most confident models have moments of anxiety when it comes to having their lives captured on camera… And having an engagement session is the perfect opportunity to get comfortable in front of the camera. I want the first time you step in front of my camera to be outside of the wedding day chaos. I want you to pick a location that you love or a place that is sentimental… I want you to dress up in your favorite clothes, to be yourselves. And having a chance to genuinely open up, feel confident and comfortable comes with practice!

Photograph via Ashley & Bill’s Engagement

2) Getting to Know your Photographer + Her Style:
Having an opportunity to bond and build a friendship with your photographer is absolutely crucial to an amazing wedding photography experience! My photographic style aims at capturing a couple’s emotions, their laughter, the intimate details of their lives… and getting a chance to know them better over an engagement session, allows me to arrive on their wedding day as an old friend rather than a hired professional.

Engagement sessions give my couples the chance to get to know me and my shooting style. It builds trust between us. It creates a safe space to be goofy, to laugh, and to love. By the time their wedding day arrives, they have already spent an hour or two in front of my camera – they know my quirky jokes, my hopeless romantic streak. And I know how they met, their love story… And this makes me even more excited to capture the next step in their journey together!

Photographs via Natalie & Eric’s Engagement | Colleen & Phil’s Engagement

3) Documenting this Special Time in your Lives:
You have found your soul mate… You are in love with your best friend and you can’t wait to get married! This special time in your life will fly past in the blink of an eye and I’m a big advocate of documenting each and every moment! Whether you are looking for photographs to use in your Save the Dates, to hang in a frame, for your engagement announcements, or just to share with family + friends… An engagement session is the way to go!

You deserve beautiful images of this special time! You deserve to show off your gorgeous engagement ring and celebrate being engaged to your best friend!  This is one of the main reasons that so many of my couples (at least initially) want to book an engagement session and I couldn’t agree more!

Photograph via Amber & Alex’s Engagement

Why You Deserve an Engagement Session – Bride’s Perspective:

1) Spending Time with your Best Friend:
After weeks of wedding-related conversations, stress, and the toils of daily life, Huey and I hadn’t taken a moment to simply be together. Our engagement session was the first time in weeks where we really slowed everything down. We walked the streets of Annapolis together holding hands. We whispered sweet nothings. We were goofy and silly. And by the end, I realized that I was falling even more in love with my best friend. Those two hours together were exactly what we needed in the midst of wedding planning!

Photograph via Frank & Julie’s Engagement

2) Learning How to Look and Feel Confident in front of the Camera:
Like many other photographers, I absolutely hate being on the other end of a camera. I feel awkward, a bit self conscious, and I know that so many of my friends + clients share in this sentiment!

Having an engagement session was precisely what I needed to gain confidence in front of the camera and learn how to rock a flattering pose. After a few minutes had passed in the session, I could literally feel my nervous energy fading away! I’m so happy that I could get the pre-camera jitters out before my wedding day! I know that when the big day arrives, I truly have one less thing to be nervous about!

Side note: Hiring a photographer that you click with is very important! Our photographer’s amazing personality and down to earth nature truly put us at ease! By the time our session was over… We both felt so much more comfortable in front of the camera and excited for our wedding day to arrive! I believe that in addition to an engagement session, every couple deserves a photographer that they absolutely love!

Photograph via Christina & Robert’s Engagement

3) Images to Cherish Forever: 
I realize that I am sort of using this point twice, but I wholeheartedly believe that everyone deserves gorgeous photographs during their engagement! Huey and I can’t wait to frame our favorite images from our session and I know that we are going to cherish these photographs forever. The past seven years of our relationship have flown by so quickly and I know that the next seven will disappear in the blink of an eye… I can’t wait to look back in fifty years and remember the way it felt to be young and engaged. Life is so quickly fleeting… and we feel so blessed knowing that we have photographs of this special time to carry with us for the rest of our lives.

Photographs via Cee Cee & Jake’s Engagement | Jackie & Craig’s Engagement

If you have been on the fence about booking an engagement session with your wedding photographer, I hope this post inspires you to take a leap of faith and do it! I absolutely love capturing engagement sessions for my clients and I recommend it to every bride that inquires!

If you would love to see a few images of my engagement session, be sure to stop by Katelyn’s Blog!
To view even more images of my sweet couples at their Engagement Sessions – Go Here!