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Top 5 Reasons for an Engagement Session

Posted in Engagement, Tips

As wedding season is upon us and many of you (especially you soon-to-be brides) are researching photography and debating, “what do I need in my wedding photography package”… well,  here are the top reasons why you will love having an engagement shoot!! 

curly haired woman kissing a redheaded man in front of large female mural in the Funk Zone of Santa Barbara

1. Practice Makes Perfect 

Many couples (especially soon to be grooms) get incredibly nervous about their wedding photos. Will they be painful? Will they turn out bad? Will they take to long?  Well, not if you know what you are going into before hand. An engagement shoot is the perfect opportunity to get comfortable in front of the camera and learn to relax. Often times your photographer will do similar poses or use similar cues with you at your engagement shoot that she will with you at your wedding. It’s a great dress rehearsal!!  

2.  Get to know how your photographer works 

One of the most important parts in making sure you have beautiful wedding photos is being comfortable with your photographer. The more you know each other and become friends the better the photos will be. Not only is this the perfect time for you to get to know your photographer in a relaxed environment but its also a time for her to get to know you!   Your photographer will be able to use this time to notice if you favor a certain side or if your husband-to-be tends to blink. Trust me this makes the “posed” photography part of  your wedding day more like a fun reunion then a chore before the cocktails begin
(and who says you can’t have a cocktail during this time…) 

3.  Multi-Purpose Investment

You might wonder, can I use these photos for anything at the wedding? OF COURSE, just look all over instagram, pinterest and many blogs. There are tons of ways you can re-purpose these amazing images.   The most common are the guest book and the save the dates but there are many other fun and unique ways to use them. Here’s a list:a. Line the inside of your envelopes (a fun DIY project)b. Create Customized Postage stamps  c. Personalized Table Numbersd. A collaged wall mural at the wedding

black and white photo of gay couple laughing through a window of a bar in Santa Barbara

4. And the obvious on…  The Memory Keeper

As with all photos, these are a way to capture a special era of your lives in time forever. This is especially true for the engagement photos. When you look around your home do you imagine your it being filled with photos representing your lives? The time prior to your wedding is a unique moment that will only happen once. Pairing your engagement photos and your wedding photos makes for a beautiful. Of course you want your wedding photos prominently displayed.  Imagine a handful of gorgeous artistic wedding photos being hung on the wall but you still want photos of you and your love framed around the house… right? So now, imagine your home with photos of the two of you… professionally taken, having fun, beautifully framed. They represent the real you! The two of you in your most natural comfortable environment, be that at home, or in a park, or the place you first met or had your first date.  

5.  FUN!! 

BEST PART!!! ITS FUN! Come on … here you are just having fun… doing whatever you want to do, no stress, just capturing the essence of the two of you… whether its playing in a playground, throwing a baseball, walking down your favorite street with your pup, going to the beach, or just hanging out in your kitchen!! The ideas are endless… Next time someone (probably your fiancé) asks “what’s the purpose of an engagement shoot?” this is what you can say… tell him… it’ll be fun… we can even end the shoot at his favorite brewery or with a martini on a rooftop bar!!  

  • Caucasian couple holding hands walking down stairs of Santa Barbara courthouse
  • African American couple laughing while at a Santa Barbara winery in Funk Zone
  • black and white couple hugging in white corridor
  • mixed cupel kissing their pug dog
  • African american couple in winery. He is kissing her on the shoulder while they both hold wine glasses. In Funk Zone of Santa Barbara
  • silhouette of couple at Pirate's Cove in Seal Beach California
  • closeup of couple's hands holding wine glasses
  • caucasian couple sitting next to each other. He looks at his fiancé while she looks at their dog on his lap
  • silhouette of couple in front of outline of palm trees in Santa Barbara
  • caucasian couple kissing as confetti falls around them
  • Filipino couple holding hands under wooden pier at Seal Beach California
  • black and white silhouette of couple kissing at top of stairs
  • close-up of couple holding their bicycles next to each other
  • Caucasian couple looking at each other as they sit on a large tree branch
  • gay couple kissing in a Santa Barbara bar
  • couple walking across the front of the Santa Barbara Old Mission
  • Filipino couple kissing in front of the Golden Gate Bride in San Francisco