Engagement portraits have gained a lot of popularity in the last decade thanks to social media, sites like Pinterest, and the desire to send out more creative save-the-date/engagement announcements. That begs the question: Do you really need them? Should you book an engagement portrait session? What is the point of these engagement photos, anyway?
Engagement sessions can be held anytime from within the first few weeks after becoming engaged up to a few weeks before your wedding. The session is likely to be your first professional portrait session together as a couple and is a great time to get to know your photographer.
I personally recommend having an engagement session as soon as possible, preferably with a photographer you're considering hiring for your wedding. Many photographers, myself included, give a free engagement session with each booked wedding. This helps the couple and the photographer get to know one another and learn about each other's styles.
But what exactly is the point of an engagement session anyway? I mean, do you REALLY need it? Well, yes! You do! Okay, that's an exaggeration. Nobody NEEDS amazing photos to survive, but the engagement session serves so many purposes. Many couples announce their engagement officially on social media and in their local newspaper with an image from their portrait session. As soon as a wedding date is picked, a save-the-date can be sent with a favorite photo. I had a client that sent save-the-date magnets using one of her engagement photos. Such a clever idea, and because it included a photo of the couple, recipients were more likely to keep the memento.
Engagement portraits are about being yourselves in your comfort zone. A great photographer will be able to capture your personalities and the love you share. Your wedding photos will be gorgeous, but it's also important to have less formal images to share and treasure. The engagement portraits can be used on holiday cards, in your wedding programs, on your wedding website, as port of your custom guest book at your wedding, and a small print can be tucked into each invitation as a small token for each potential guest. Often you can incorporate locations and props that have some kind of sentimental value to you as a couple.
To ensure a successful session, research your photographer and look through their online portfolio. If they have a Facebook business page it is a great resource to see recent work and decide if you like their style. Work with your photographer to choose a location that YOU love. Choose clothes that reflect your personalities and style and bring more than one outfit for a range of options to choose from during your sales session.
When done right, engagement photos provide fond memories to look back on in years to come. You can even hire a photographer to capture your engagement! Speak to your potential photographers to discuss all of the options they offer and create a session perfect just for the two of you.
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