I often get asked “What’s the point of shooting an engagement session?” or “Why do you include engagement sessions in all of your wedding packages? We don’t want/ need one.”
Great question! Here are just a few reasons why we think Engagement sessions are SO important that we basically include them at no cost for each of our couples.
Engagement Sessions are really just practice for the big day. I always tell my couples when they show up to their session- “There is NO way you can screw this session up. It’s just for fun and it’s just practice so that on the day of your wedding, you are a pro at all of our poses.” That means that they know that there is no pressure at the session. It’s just to enjoy being together and showing off your new bling. Plus, by the time they leave the session, they will be pros at all of our poses so that when we show up and start shooting the day of their wedding there is no time wasted teaching them poses. They know what they’re doing and that helps to calm their nerves. Let’s face it- wedding day is scary! If I can reassure them that they are already pros at something- who wouldn’t feel better??
Grooms. A lot of you I never get a chance to meet at our initial wedding consult. That means that if we didn’t do an engagement session, on your wedding day I would walk in, have to figure out who you are in a room full of guys, introduce myself for the very first time and then you get to hang out with me for the next 8 hours. Can we just say AWKWARD! Let’s be honest- I am a pretty unique personality and it takes guys a little time to warm up to my level of crazy, I mean professionalism. If we are having to tip toe around that the day of their wedding when they are already surrounded by crazy that will just add to the stress. I want my couples to go into their wedding day knowing me and knowing my personality. I want to have a relationship with you to where you know- if something comes up the day of your wedding you know to trust me. I cannot tell you how many times at a wedding I have heard a couple (or their wedding party) say “Don’t worry about it- Nowelle will take care of it!” There is literally no better compliment in my book! Knowing that you trust me to make sure your day goes according to plan is HUGE! And that level of trust is established at your engagement session.
Save The Dates! Generally about 6 months before your wedding you are going to want to send out Save The Dates and what better way to do that than with a cute photo or 2 of the happy couple?! Your guests are much less likely to throw them away if they have your pretty little faces on them! We can work together to make them as unique as you are as a couple.
Décor! Let’s face it- you are going to have at least 1 if not a few wedding showers coming up as well as the fact that you have to decorate your venue. Why not do that with some amazing images from your engagement session?? Create a custom album for your guests to sign as your Guest Book instead of a boring one you get from Hobby Lobby. Print some canvases of you together and maybe that killer ring shot that you know I’m going to take at your engagement session. Let’s be honest- what girl wouldn’t want a huge canvas of her bling hanging for everyone to see? He worked hard to pick out just the right ring for you- show it off in style!
Last but not least- Engagement sessions are a way to celebrate this amazing season of life that you are going through together. You will never have another photo session that is truly just about the 2 of you as you start your lives together. Even the day of the wedding it can become more about the event than it is about just the 2 of you and your unique bond. Celebrate that! Capture that moment for your kids to see. And then once we’ve captured that moment, please, please, PLEASE print some of the images off and put them up in your home. I have a 9 year old son and let’s be honest- the majority of the walls in our house are filled with his face. However, I still have images of just my husband and I at our engagement session and on our wedding day hanging because I want Ben to see them. I want everyone that comes into our home to know that, while our son might take center stage, Paul and my relationship is still important. Celebrate you.
Okay, so hopefully this has helped you to better understand why we strongly encourage engagement sessions. In the next week or so, I will be posting a part 2 of this blog that is all about what to wear and bring to your engagement session so that you are fully prepared.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!