Are you still debating whether you should have an engagement photography session? Here are five important reasons why you might strongly decide on booking one!
1) You will be able to capture the magical moment of being engaged before all the wedding planning begins. These photos will be a forever memory that you will be able to show to your children and your grandchildren for generations to come.
2) You will be able to get a feel of your wedding photographer.
The best way to know if you are a good match with someone is to work with them. So, what a better way than to start prior to the wedding through the engagement session? To be honest, I did not do engagement photos, and I regretted it. Why didn’t we do them? Because my husband and I were in a long distance relationship, and it felt too chaotic to organize. To the day of the wedding, we had only talked on the phone with the photographer and exchanged emails, but that didn’t take away from my nervousness. We were very lucky to have hired a super professional photographer, and she over delivered in every sense. Sometimes you don’t get so lucky, and it’s always good to work with the photographer, or at least get to know them beforehand. You always have the story of that friend who never received her wedding photos from the photographer, and you don’t want to find yourself in a similar situation. So establishing a good relationship with your photographer is always gold.
3) You can try out the hair and makeup artist you have in mind!
You might be thinking why even do that if you have already seen their portfolio and everyone’s makeup and hair look amazing?
Well, let me tell you a horror story. For my own wedding, I arrived to Oahu seven days prior to the ceremony, and I did a makeup and hair test only five days before the wedding. What can go wrong right? Well, not only did the makeup /hair stylist have the wrong address in her website, but we ended up having to do the trial at her friends ice skating shop because moving locations would’ve meant that we wouldn’t have enough time for the trial session. I’m a super adaptable person, through wind and storm, but having to use mirrors and lights that were not meant for putting on makeup made me feel very not special. It also ended up being that even though I was showing the makeup/ hair stylist photos of what I wanted, and explained over and over that I wanted soft makeup with photos to explain; which I had already communicated when we exchanged messages, I ended up looking like a 70s prom doll on the first try.
I wanted to cry when I looked at the mirror. Yep, the changing room mirror that is. I had to take a deep breath and very politely explain if I could just show her with half of my face first what I wanted. At this point why not hire someone else to be the makeup/hairstylist right? Well, we were holding our ceremony and reception at the beach mid summer, so I wanted the hair and the makeup to be done by a professional, so that the makeup would last the whole day. I told myself over and over that it was ok if it didn’t work out and that I could find someone else. We went down to the basics. I removed all the makeup, and step by step, I would stop her and check on the mirror, and whatever I did not like I would correct it and show it to her how I wanted it to look.
During the wedding day, assuming you are going to get ready in the morning, you don’t want these kinds of surprises even if the makeup artist is the bff of a close friend. So, if you can try out your makeup artist/hair artist before, such as for the engagement session this is your golden ticket to avoid stressful situations. Make sure that if you do this, that you give at least 2-3 hours prior to starting the photography session.
4) You will be able to use the photos for save the date, wedding invitations as well as the wedding.
Are you still debating on how to design your save the date and wedding invitations? Your engagement photos might come at the perfect time! Even if you decide to go more modern with a digital invite, having a picture of the future bride and groom will be golden. The guests will be able to also see a story through those images, and the love that you have for your significant other, and how much it will mean to share this special day with the your loved ones.
5) With the instructions and tips from the photographer you will be able to get a feel of posing in front of the camera and throw your shyness out of the window.
Let’s get honest. Most of us don’t go through life through photoshoots and getting dressed up with fancy makeup and a hair do. And the thought that we would have to pose for a photographer with our significant other as you are told to look deeply into each others eyes as someone is clicking away makes anyone a little bit nervous. Having the engagement session will help you get a good practice for the communication you will have on your big day with your photographer. And don’t stress! If you have a good photographer they will know how to make you both feel at ease by giving you easy to understand pose tips. So, just relax and show up as your authentic self. If you want to also try some silly poses or anything that is more representative of your relationship, just request it!
This is your love story and no one else’s!