One thing I commonly hear from brides as they are planning their wedding and weighing options for photography is the question “Do we really need engagement photos?” Often times, engagement photos can be seen as just an extra cost – I strongly disagree!

Now, I’m not here to tell you you absolutely have to have them or your wedding/marriage won’t be a success. That’d be ridiculous.

I am here, however, to tell you the reasons why I think you should WANT to have engagement photos taken.

1. Yes, it’s nice to be able to have a great, professional image of you and your fiancé to use on your save the dates if you’re sending them out. Definitely a plus and sets the tone for your wedding – especially if the images look great AND capture the spirit of your relationship.

2. Getting professional portraits taken isn’t something that many of us do regularly throughout the year. For some people, the last real portraits they have are from their graduation, or from being a part of a friend/family member’s wedding. Getting high quality images that highlight this incredible time in your lives is of value. You’ll be able to look back at these years from now and remember the excitement, joy & love that filled this crazy season of wedding planning. Bonus: you’ll have great portraits of you at this age in something other than wedding attire!

3. Wedding planning can be stressful. (If you’re feeling that now, take a second to click through my To the Newly Engaged series… Seriously, I’ll wait.) Taking some time out for the two of you to be together and not be talking about color palates, seating charts or bridal party gifts is of value. You get to just take some time to really focus on each other, have some fun & enjoy yourselves!

4. When I get to spend the extra time with you during the engagement shoot, it allows me to get to know you better. While this may not seem like a huge deal to some brides & grooms to know your wedding vendors & for them to know you, in the case of your photographer, it is so important! Of all the vendors you select for your day, as the photographer, I am the person who is with you the most. I want my brides & grooms to be comfortable with me being by your side, and knowing that I’m there for y’all as your begin your marriage.

5. Most importantly, getting engagement photos done gives you the chance to become comfortable in front of my camera. If you’ve gone through an hour or two of taking photos with me, you’ll already be familiar with some of the poses & the way I will guide you/talk you through things during the bride & groom portraits. This eliminates the “awkward phase” that happens on pretty much every shoot from your wedding day photos!

So as you select your wedding photography package, I hope you get excited about including an engagement session!

I’d love it if you would take a second to share this post with one person you know who could benefit from it!

For more in the For Brides series, check out these posts: 

• Wedding Day Details
• The First Look
• Father-Daughter First Look
• Intentional Planning