After the shock of the proposal has subsided, it’s time to consider the details of your wedding and engagement. After calling your family and friends to tell them the good news, you should call a professional wedding photographer to set up an engagement session. An engagement session with a professional wedding photographer has numerous benefits beyond the pictures being taken.

Your engagement session serves as a trial run with your wedding photographer. After the initial interviews are over, your engagement session gives you first hand experience of how your photographer works. You’ll be able to get a feel for him and his professional style. You can see his style and post-production techniques before the big event. You’ll know well in advance if this is the photographer you want entrust with your wedding.

The photos from your engagement session can be used in fun and creative ways before and during the ceremony. They can be used in the save the date mailing, guest book, programs, menus, and decorations. You can use them as a slide presentation during the toasts, or just playing in the background at the reception. Make sure you know what is included in your contract for the engagement session. Some photography studios price the cost of the digital negatives into the session, but most charge for them separately.

These are the photos that allow the world to see the love you feel as a couple. They should express your personalities and your desire to be together. An engagement session with a professional wedding photographer lets your friends and family see you as perfect a couple as you see yourself.


The Perfect Location for Your Engagement Photos

Once you’ve decided to document your love with an engagement session, you need to decide on a location to have the pictures taken. While there is a time and place for portrait photography, the engagement session is not one of them. Your engagement photos should be a fun and creative reflection of you as a couple, not just beautiful pictures.
Tell a story: Let your engagement photos tell the story of how you first met or where you fell in love. If you were at a ball game, take pictures in front of or in the stadium. If you met on-line, you could take them at a wifi hotspot with your laptops. You’ll have fun recreating the moment, and your friends and family will be able to see the moment they’ve heard so much about.Do what you love: If your favorite thing to do as a couple is go for coffee, take pictures in and around your favorite cafe. If you are fond of sailing, rent a yacht for the day. If you both like riding your bikes, think of fun shots on a tandem one. Just make sure that your shots are about what you both enjoy doing together. They’ll display both your love of life and your love for each other.Let nature do the work for you: A beautiful backdrop may be all you need. Choose a park with a flower garden and a playground to get variety in your shots. A beach is one of the most traditionally romantic settings for engagement photos. To add some of your personality, you may want to throw in a few shots with seaweed or a “no dumping” sign. When surrounded by nature, you can forget the scene and just be yourselves.

Your professional wedding photographer can help you brainstorm for your engagement session, as well. Make sure to discuss all your options and requests such as multiple locations or outfits. If you want to be outdoors, make sure you have a rain date or alternate location. Always spell out exactly what you want ahead of time so your photographer can include it in the contract. There may be a few surprises on the day of your engagement session; but by planning ahead, they should all be good ones.