HOORAY! You’re engaged!! This is SUCH an exciting time, and a busy one too. Between the planning and preparation for the wedding, and the seemingly constant barrage of questions you’ll receive from friends and family, it can be a little overwhelming. So is it really worth it to spend time having an engagement session? The short answer, YES! Engagement sessions are so important, which is something we’ll cover to a greater extent in this blog. More importantly though, having your engagement photos taken by your wedding photographer specifically can be a huge benefit for you in SO many ways! In this blog we’ll cover ten reasons why having your wedding photographer capture your engagement session is a must in my opinion!

Why Have an Engagement Session

During a relationship the wedding usually gets most of the attention and excitement, both from the couple and their friends and family, and it makes sense. It’s the BIG moment where everyone gets to come together and celebrate this love the couple discovered and the relationship they’ve built together. I’m by no means diminishing the importance of a wedding day (I am a wedding photographer after all!), but there’s a part of a relationship that I feel is too often overlooked, the engagement! It’s such an exciting and important time in your relationship. This is that in between time when you’ve fully committed to being together forever, but you still have yet to say your vows. It’s a time of planning and preparation for your wedding, but also a time of celebration as you’ve found that person that makes you whole.

Having your engagement photos taken is SO important as it lets you capture this moment in time. All the emotions, excitement, and anticipation as you both prepare to journey through the rest of your lives together is something that deserves to be documented! It’s why I feel an engagement session is a must as part of the lead up to your wedding. But how about the importance of having your wedding photographer be the one taking the engagement photos?

10 Reasons Your Wedding Photographer Should Take Your Engagement Photos

1. Get to Know One Another

The first reason why you should have your wedding photographer take your engagement photos is a BIG one, it gives you the chance to get to know one another! Your wedding photographer is someone who you’ll be spending a LOT of time with on your wedding day, usually even more than your soon to be spouse. This means that getting to know one another prior to your wedding day is key to enjoying the day to the fullest. Your engagement session is the perfect opportunity for this as it lets the three of you break the ice, and get to know one another so that when your wedding day does come around you are comfortable and excited to see one another!

2. Your Photographer Can Figure Out What Works for You

Along with getting to know one another, having your wedding photographer take your engagement photos means that they’re able to figure out what works for you. Everyone is different in front of the camera, and for a lot of couples the engagement session is their first real photo session together. Having the same photographer for your engagement session and your wedding means they’re able to try things during your engagement photos where the stakes are a little lower. Your photographer will be able to find out which prompts do and don’t work for you, your general feelings towards PDA, and your overall feel and flow in front of the camera. Things that come VERY much in handy when your wedding day rolls around!

3. Makes PDA Less Awkward

Let’s be honest, making out in front of a stranger that’s taking photos of you can be a little awkward at first! Especially if you are a couple that hasn’t really done professional photos together this can be a BIG hurdle to get over. Having your wedding photographer take your engagement photos is a great way to get past this barrier as your photographer won’t be a complete stranger to you on your wedding day! You’ll be able to get all the awkwardness and jitters out of the way during your engagement session and fully enjoy each and every moment on your wedding day!

4. No Awkward First Photos to Start Your Wedding

Going off of making PDA less awkward, having the same photographer for your engagement session and wedding leads to an easier and more natural start to your wedding day. If you haven’t met your wedding photographer prior to your wedding day there’s going to be a period of time at the start of the day where things are a bit awkward, like we talked about. These feelings show through in your photos. You’re more stiff, and the moments captured look and feel less natural. You can avoid this by having your wedding photographer take your engagement photos, that way you get the awkward first photos out of the way during your engagement session!

5. Consistent Photography Style

Another benefit of having your wedding photographer take your engagement photos is that it gives your photos a consistent style and feel to them. Every photographer has a different style to their photos, both in the way they’re taken and the way they’re edited. While having consistency between your engagement photos and your wedding photos isn’t necessarily a must, it can add greatly to the experience, especially if you plan to use your engagement photos for your save the dates! To get an idea of a specific photographer’s style be sure to check out their Instagram and their portfolio to get the general feel of their work. If you find a photographer whose style you like, ask if it’s possible to see a full wedding album for a look at their work in different lighting situations and settings.

6. We Get to Talk About Your Wedding!

Something I LOVE personally about taking my wedding client’s engagement photos is that we get a chance to talk about their wedding day in person! I love getting to chat about and hear your excitement for all the different things that you have planned for your wedding day. I of course still talk with my clients prior to their day via Facetime, email, or text, but there’s something about an in person convo that gets me bubbling with anticipation!

7. Builds Trust

Your wedding day is often a once in a lifetime event, and as such it deserves a great deal of care and respect from your vendor team. You’ve had this vision of your wedding day in your head for a while, and you should be able to experience that vision to the fullest! Having a vendor team that you trust to make your day a reality is a must, and one vendor you REALLY need to trust is your photographer. We already talked about how they’re the one you’ll be spending the most time with on your wedding day, and having them take your engagement photos is a fantastic way to build that trust!

8. Lets You Relax

The last thing you want to be worried about on your wedding day is whether or not your photos are going to turn out. Having a photographer you can trust to provide not only a fantastic experience on your wedding day, but also photos that capture the emotion and the energy of your day is a MUST. By having your wedding photographer capture your engagement photos you’re able to get a firsthand look at their work in the context of your love. This ensures that you’ll love your wedding photos and in turn let you relax and actually enjoy your wedding day. Speaking of enjoying your wedding…

9. Celebrate!

All the benefits of having your wedding photographer take your engagement photos that we’ve covered in this article so far have led to this point! It’s the day of your wedding and it is time to enjoy yourself! Not only should you not be stressed out on your wedding day, it should be one of the literal best days of your life. All the benefits of having your wedding photographer capture your engagement session are a huge aspect in allowing you to actually celebrate your wedding and this wonderful love you’ve found in life!

10. A Strong Foundation for a Lifelong Friendship!

Last but not least in terms of benefits of having the same photographer for your wedding and engagement session is the relationship you’ll build with them. Both your engagement and your wedding day are deeply personal and emotional moments to capture. For me at least, this leads to a strong and meaningful connection between me and my clients, one that lasts a lifetime! Whether it’s capturing an anniversary session or just keeping in touch after the date, having this connection for life is one of the things I love most about being a wedding photographer! 

My hope for you after reading this article is that you see just why having the same photographer for your wedding and your engagement photos is SO important. As you can see the benefits just go on and on! If you’re looking to book me for your wedding AND engagement session be sure to send an inquiry to my contact page so that we can reserve your date today!