Why are engagement sessions important?

An engagement session is so important. You get to know your photographer and their shooting style. It gives you the opportunity to get comfortable in front of the camera and your photographer gets familiar with your love language–which is great for those candidly photos! And why not take a moment to celebrate this season of your life!? After all, you are only engaged for such a short period of time – you’ll be married for the rest of your lives!

Why couples have an engagement session?

• Can use photos to announce their engagement
• Can use photos for save the dates
• Can use photos for a sign in book
• Can use photos to display at wedding or rehearsal dinner
• Can be scheduled to take place on the day of your hair and/or makeup trial
• Great opportunity to get more comfortable with your photographer and being in front of their lens
• Great opportunity to find out if you make a funny face while you kiss – haha! It occasionally happens!
• I also like them because I get familiar with your love language which help lead to more organic wedding day photos

And then there are my favorite reasons:

• IT GIVES YOU A CONFIDENCE YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU NEEDED OR WANTED!
• It’s an extra occasion to celebrate your love
• You have more photos to display around the house

How do you even begin to choose an engagement session location?

This is all about you and your love story! It can be somewhere special from your past, somewhere you’ve never been to but would like to go to, or just a beautiful random spot. Think about what you want to feel when you see your images. What do you want to remember? Do you want it to be intimate; romantic; fun? Think about what brought you together. What do you both enjoy? What relaxes you? What makes your hearts dance?

Don’t be scared to get creative. We can take a stroll in the garden; we can take boats out on the lake; we can have a paint party or go to the bar! Maybe you have access to a unique private place that is not normally or easily accessible to the general public?

One last thing to think about while brainstorming for your engagement session is the time of year. Do you want cherry blossoms, summer-scape, colorful fall leaves, or snow?

What do we do if it rains?

We can’t control the rain but we can control what we do. There are several solutions that can be considered.

1. The first one that comes to mind for most couples is to reschedule. That might be difficult to maneuver with crazy schedules but difficult doesn’t mean impossible!
2. Instead of rescheduling what day the session is on, consider rescheduling what time the session is. Unless it’s raining ALL day, if schedules allow you can do the session earlier (or later) in the day.
3. If rain, doesn’t scare you, finding a location that has coverage and ample light is an option. In conjunction with finding a location with coverage, you can implement using umbrellas for a portion of the session. Although it is not ideal to use an umbrella for an entire session, they do make for some cute photos!

Remember, just because it looks like it may rain, it does not mean you have to pull the plug immediately. Have the conversation, weigh your options, and make a plan. Lots of times, the most colorful sunsets come after the rain!