Why you definitely should have an engagement photoshoot?
There are many reasons why you should have an engagement photography session before your actual wedding day. The main reason is to encapsulate the feelings and progress of your story with each other. During this love photoshoot, you are in the beautiful stage between lovers and husband and wife; you have just officially promised to spend your lives together. Let me go through some most important aspects of why an engagement photoshoot is not just a couple of extra photos in your wedding story.
Meet your photographer
From the very beginning of my wedding photography career, I always was focused on having a great relationship with my future couple. Starting on meeting and having a simple coffee is great to make a decision would you rather or not to hire that particular wedding photographer. But most of us never actually had a proper photoshoot with a professional wedding photographer. It can be odd and even stressful for some of us, however, that is the whole point. To overcome it and entrust the person who will be taking photos on your big day. To find out how it really is and that strange and it actually is fun. Every engagement photoshoot I did I always finish with a massive smile on my wedding couple’s faces. I do hear very often that it was much more fun than they expected. And you know what? It is.
Let me tell you how do I treat it. For me, it is an afternoon walk with amazing people who are in love. We chat, joke and go crazy around the wedding details and obviously take fantastic engagement photos. I am not a big fan of super crazy posing. I rather focus on emotions, smiles, laughter and those cheeky kisses during the engagement photoshoot. You should expect from your photographer some guidance but if it is going over the top and you don’t feel comfortable that means a photographer does not understand your needs. That is the point where you and your wedding photographer can cooperate and talk about it, and in the end, find the perfect way to capture great moments during the wedding day. You have to remember that as wedding photographers we do have our own vision but in the same time, a photographer who is experienced will listen to you and your needs and will do everything to make you happy. These are your wedding photos, and for me, that is the most important thing.
Engagement photos, great decorations!
Wedding day is all about the couple, yes, there is no doubt about it. However, I have never been to any wedding reception which didn’t have any sort of decorations. These things can go really expensive, especially if you want to go with a certain theme or colours. Finding the perfect blend can be difficult, but I think one wedding decoration can be really versatile, and that would be your memories in the shape of printed photos. It could be hung in the blank frame without any back using natural cord and wooden clips or printed and exposed around the guest book. It all depends on your creativity and idea of what kind of wedding is your jam. The best thing is that after all, you will keep them. Take the frame back home and keep it in your bedroom. Or frame single photos and decorate your biggest wall. I did that at my own wedding and it was a great wedding decoration idea!
Try your wedding makeup and hair
From my own experience, I think boys got a much more chilled and relaxed attitude than brides. I get it, we do just have a couple of drinks with mates and jump into the suit and we are ready. Hair gel, combe and nice perfumes that is enough. Ladies, however, are a bit more tricky. There are lots of things going out in the preparation of the bride. One common thing is that all of them want to look fantastic. That also might be the first time they will see themselves in their wedding makeup and hair, and the worst thing that could happen is that you won’t like it… An engagement photoshoot is a great opportunity to try out those things. Not only you will be able to see whether you like it or not but also how do you feel about it. A great makeup artist like Rose and Gold Brides is able to adjust to the needs of the bride but it can create a lot of stress for you if that happened on the wedding day. In the preparation what you should focus on is if your prosecco glass is full and the music is loud enough. So you can try new things add some extras like crazy earrings or superb necklaces and see if that is what you want.
First professional photos
That might be the first and only one time that you will have a chance to do such a thing. Most of us are ok with selfies or holiday photos taken by friends, and that is ok. Memories are the most important things to keep, however like with other things it could be better if it is done by professionalists. Just like cooking, it is fantastic (at least for me) jump out from reality and go crazy with some ideas. But once in a while, I like to treat my wife and myself with a date night out, where we can try new things and don’t have to do the dishes after that :D. It is very similar to photography. Apart from great photos, it is a fantastic experience, where you can go all on and entrust that the person behind the camera knows what to do and how to capture your beauty and love. As I wrote before, it is an afternoon out, so all the problems, planning and stress is left behind for those couple of hours of great fun. It is such a weird but cool experience to see yourself for the first time looking like a model.
Travel to a place you dream
Travelling is one of the most amazing things you can do in your spare time. Explore new places, learn about the different cultures and try new types of food (that is my reason :D). And why not to combine it with great photos? I remember, once a couple flies from Singapour to Netherland for engagement photos in Amsterdam. Yes, that might be a bit extra with a budget however if you planning your wedding in advance you can do the same with an engagement photo shoot. Find some last-minute deals for flights can be a really good idea, and you can stay there after photo shoot and just relax. Ok, what if the budget is tight. Well, I discover that every city has its hidden gems. London is full of it, and after living there since 2011 I can still be surprised what this place got to offer. Just look at this engagement photo shoot in Hyde Park to see that id does not take much to capture your love. That also applies to the countryside. Lots of forests, lakes, ancient buildings, tall grass fields. It does not take much but you can visit some really cool places around you.
Show off your feelings
Don’t get me wrong but the everyday routine, job—>home—>cooking—>cleaning—>sleeping after many years can slow things down. Especially in a relationship, even the best ones. An engagement photo shoot can bring back this fire. When you just disconnect from everything that surrounds you every day and focus just on the person you love can really be an eye-opening experience. Being one on one with a person you decide to spend your whole life to the end, expressing feelings and feeling safe around your partner is really remarkable thing. Seeing photos from an engagement photo shoot can always bring you back to that moment, flame back again the spark which is always inside of you.
Book yourself an engagement photoshoot
So now you know that an engagement photoshoot can be not only a couple of extra photos but it could be an amazing experience try out for your wedding look it is time to go out and capture your love. I would love to share with you my experience and vision, so if you are looking for a wedding photographer then simply contact me and let’s chat about all the superb possibilities. And if you would like one more piece of great advice look at my latest article with ultimate wedding tips for groom, I highly recommend focusing on number 10. Looking forward to hearing from you!
