You are engaged! The love of your life has finally asked you those four very important words!  You’re in the middle of planning and are ready to book your photographer, but are thinking, are engagement sessions important to do? I get asked this quite a bit! Sometimes people don’t want to do them to save money & others simple just do not like being in front of the camera. Personally, I include a complimentary engagement session in all of my packages because I truly believe engagement sessions are vital to do. Keep reading for 5 reasons why I believe they are important!

Being in front of the camera can be a little intimidating, right? Having photos taken isn’t really a natural thing, so we often find ourselves feeling shy or maybe a little awkward when posing for a photo. If you feel like this, it is OKAY and totally normal!

So, why exactly are engagement sessions important to do then?

Get to Know Your Photographer

1. The engagement session is a time to allow you to interact with your photographer prior to the wedding day. This is important because your photographer will be with you the majority of your big day, so you want to make sure that all the potential       awkwardness of just meeting someone in person is gone by then! This a time for you and your photographer to get to know each other better, that way the day of the wedding, it almost feels like you are inviting a friend to document your wedding instead of a stranger.
2.   It is a chance to see how your photographer works. Imagine if you hadn’t met your photographer in person or had no idea how he or she actually works and your first time interacting with your photographer was on the day of your wedding. While this works for some people, I find my couples who do an engagement session are often more relaxed the day of the wedding. The engagement session allowed them to see how I pose, interact with them & prepared them for how photos will flow on their wedding day!

Say Good-Bye to Those Photo Nerves

3. You are able to get rid of some of the ‘being in front of a camera’ nerves prior to your actual wedding day. An engagement session allows you to see what it is like to be in front of a camera! If you aren’t used to having your photos taken often, this will give you some experience! I try to make engagement sessions for my couple FUN and so many of my couples tell me at the end of the night how they feel more relaxed and are actually looking forward to their wedding photos! Better to get through the nerves prior to the actual wedding day, right?

4. It is a fun time to dress up and love on your soon-t0-be husband or wife! This may not seem like a legitimate reason, but friends, it most definitely is! You are going to get so many gorgeous images on your wedding day, but the engagement session allows you to have professional photos of yourselves outside of your wedding clothes. This is a time to snuggle up to the one you love most and reflect on your journey together as a couple. Engagement sessions are time to let the stress of the wedding planning stop for a few moments and gives you a time to have fun with your love!

Did Someone Say Happy Mail?

5. You will have photos to use for save-the-dates or gifts. A lot of people love using their engagement session photos for their save-the-dates! There are so many different options for save-dates, but many of them include using photos. You can also use the images for your invitations, use at your actual wedding or to gift family! It also is a chance for you to have photos taken in a different season than your wedding!

So, are engagement sessions really important to do? I 100% think so! It is ultimately up to you to decide, but I genuinely feel like you will be SO thankful you did one!