What is an Engagement Session?
What is an Engagement Session?
What Is an Engagement Session | 4 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Skip Your Engagement Session!
Your engagement session can be a break from the wedding planning chaos, and a chance for you and you’re hubby-to-be to spend time and have a little fun!
If you’re anything like me or Erik a few years back, you might be wondering “what is an engagement session?”. You may also be considering if it’s worth having engagement photos taken. In the words of my wonderful husband “that’s a thing?!” may have crossed your mind. If you’re already all-in on the idea, you can just skip right ahead to our blog post Engagement Photos | How to Prepare for Engagement Photos. If you need a little more convincing, then this is just for you!
As a wedding and engagement photographer, having engagement photos taken just seems like the natural order of things. Get engaged, take engagement photos, plan wedding, get married, happily ever after. But as a bride or groom, you don’t often give these things much thought. That is, until you’re face to face with the questions that need answers and decisions that need making. Here are a few reasons why we think engagement sessions are such a vital part of the wedding planning process.
Your Engagement Session Is Not Just Fun, It's Practical!
Your engagement photos aren’t just another thing cluttering up and taking space on your phone or computer. They have a purpose, people! The images you get from your engagement session are not just pieces of art to hang in your home as a daily reminder of your love for each other. Although we think that’s reason enough for an engagement session! They can also be used during the planning process up to and including the big day.
Your engagement images can be used to formally announce your engagement to family and friends. In the age of social media, this could be as simple has having beautiful professional images to share on Facebook or Instagram to tell the world “Hey! We’re doing a thing”. However, I’m betting you probably want to be a tad more formal than that.
Your engagement photos are a great way to completely customize the save-the-dates you send out to your anticipated wedding guests. They can also be used to create and customize your wedding website where all your invited guests can RSVP, see and read about your love story, and find important information about your wedding (date, location, expected attire, etc.).
On the day of your wedding, it’s also nice to add little pieces of your story throughout the guest experience. Including your engagement photos next to the guest book or seating arrangements can be a great way to add some extra personality to your décor.
Meet and Greet Your Photographer During Your Engagement Session
Your engagement session is basically a trial run for you and your photographer. This is your chance to really get to know each other and get comfortable working together. During your engagement session you can see your photographer in their element and really get a feel for how they work. This will give a much clearer idea of what to expect on your wedding day. Your engagement session allows you to see how your personalities work together. This is a huge deal because this is the person you will be spending most of your time with on the wedding day.
From the moment you reach out to your photographer through the delivery of your engagement photos, keep an eye out for any red flags along the way. Although an unfortunate possibility, the photographer you’ve chosen may not be the best fit for you. Your engagement session is a good opportunity to address any areas of concern or maybe re-evaluate your working relationship if necessary. We can’t stress enough how important it is that you feel completely confident in the photographer you choose for your wedding.
Your Engagement Session Can Be Great Posing Practice!
Think of your engagement session as a rehearsal for your wedding day. You and your photographer will be running through a variety of poses during the engagement session. That doesn’t mean you’ll look like a mannequin in all your photos, I promise. Instead, your photographer will be guiding you and your honey through different sequences of positions that are most flattering for you and your body types. As you go through the session, you’ll start to get familiar with the different poses and your photographer’s verbal cues. It will feel that much more like second nature on your wedding day, saving time and allowing for extra fun shots throughout the day.
We know getting in front of a camera can be a little uncomfortable for some people. As you go through your engagement session, you’ll work with your photographer to get those posed and candid shots. Along the way you’ll develop rapport with your photographer and you’ll feel the tension begin to fade. Most importantly, you’ll end up with final images that make you look and feel amazing!
Being able to wake up on your wedding day and know with absolute certainty that your photographer is going to capture amazing images that you’ll love, tends to bring a sense of peace to a bride, and it radiates in the photos! Your engagement session is great a chance to work through all the nerves and shyness in front of the camera. Now, those wedding photos you were dreading of taking, are something you’re excited about!
Your Engagement Session Is A Great Bonding Moment With Your Honey
We know planning a wedding can be hectic and stressful. Been there, done that! Your engagement session can be a break from the chaos. Think of it as a chance for you and your hubby-to-be to spend time and have a little fun together. Get creative and think of locations or activities that represent your relationship and have your engagement session reflect those. It’s a great excuse to get all dressed up for each other and have fun.
Your engagement photos shouldn’t feel like a chore. We can’t imagine a day-date or date night with the person you’re marrying would feel like a chore at all. The only difference between a date and your engagement session is there’s an extra person there to capture those memories for you instead of you having to snap it all yourself for your Insta-Stories (aside from quality of images, of course!).
Final Thoughts
If you were unsure about having an engagement session, we hope these reasons helped sway you towards a resounding “YES!”. We would hate for you to miss such a fun experience because you weren’t sure or didn’t think you need it. Being engaged is such a fun part of being in a relationship. We want you to take advantage of all the experiences that come along with it.
When you’re ready to jump into the engagement session planning process, check out our planning guide! It will help you navigate through some of the most common questions and concerns when it comes to engagement sessions.
If you have questions about our Engagement and Wedding Photography, please feel free to contact us anytime. If you’re in Miami let’s grab a coffee, if not let’s hop on a call to chat about your Engagement or Wedding!
Be sure to check out our Wedding Planning Resources page for more tips and insights for planning your big day.
About Ashley and Erik Photography
We are a family of like-minded creatives in Miami serving South Florida and various destinations, who wish to be a spark in the lives of the clients and families we serve. We are dedicated to loving and serving our clients as if they were our own family, and elegantly preserving their stories to be shared with future generations. We’d love to grab a coffee with you and discuss any questions you have about our Wedding Photography Experience. Please feel free to contact us anytime.
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If you would like to learn more about the Ashley and Erik Wedding Experience head over to our Experience Page!
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South Florida & all destination weddings
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