#TipMeTuesday: Do the engagement session

So, I’m sure you might be thinking “Jess, it’s your job to talk people into having an engagement session.” Yes…. and no. If you think this post will sweet talk you into paying me more money just because, then you’re wrong, friend! No other way about it. Though engagement sessions support my business financially, that’s not why I’m encouraging you to book one.

“Why book an engagement session then? I don’t want one.”

1. Connecting: We get to learn about one another prior to the big day!! I think this is the first point I want to stress heavily. Don’t you want to “test run” your investment, making sure you made the right decision? I love meeting with my couples for photos before the big day because it allows all of us to open up to one another and feel comfortable. We get to know one another without a camera being between us the whole time, and really it can be a lot of fun. On your wedding day I would be just as nervous to meet you as you would be meeting me if we didn’t get together ahead of time. Why feel that way when we could break the ice beforehand?
2. The education: Having the “test run” is crucial for saving time come the wedding. During the engagement session I teach you the 4 core poses and all the little tips and tricks that would otherwise be rushed through during your photos on the big day. I want to educate you on where to put your hands, how to dip the hip, where to look and so much more!! It’s always so much harder to teach you those things when we are pressed for time and on a tight schedule. It will ultimately cut into getting those amazingly gorgeous photos if I have to teach you these things on the big day. Not to mention you will know ahead of time what you like in photos and what you don’t. Being prepared and knowing what to expect is always something I will encourage because I want you to feel relaxed during your wedding! And the best way to feel relaxed is to know you know how to do photos.
3. The experience: It’s part of the overall experience having engagement photos taken!! It’s a time for just the two of you. No wedding binders and checklists. No seating charts. No color swatches staring you down. Just you two having fun while I capture some genuine photos of you two being you. It’s a great time to relax and have an evening out enjoying each others company!! Maybe make it a complete date night and head out on the town after. Make this about you and no one else.
4. Save the dates: Showcase the adventure you’re on with a fresh set of photos! What better way to invite those closest to you into the newest season of your life than with photos that show just how happy and excited you are that this is happening? Send people a taste of what your wedding day will look like!!
5. I want these for you: okay. You’re still not convinced you should waste your time on an engagement session. Your schedules are too busy, the timing is horrible, you’d have to do your hair and pick out an outfit or two. I get it, truly. I am the first person to neglect getting photos done… and I am a photographer. I thought all of these things too, and didn’t have photos done of just my fiance (now husband) and I. Heck… I didn’t even have wedding photos because we eloped and I thought thought against it. But, here we are 2 years into our marriage and the only photos I have of us are the ones on my iPhone and my heart hurts because of that. I have one iPhone photo of us from our wedding day and I don’t even like it. I have one photo taken on my camera that is “okay” from when we announced we eloped (I guess you could call it an “engagement” photo). I regret every single day that we never got professional photos done during one of the most exciting seasons of our life. I’m not telling you this for you to feel bad for me. I’m telling you this because I want something different for you. I want you to have photos hanging among the walls of your house that you can walk by and smile at, because you remember how happy you were during that time of your life. I want you to have photos that represent one of the most important and outgoing times of your life! The reality is, is that your engagement won’t be forever and the wedding will come faster than you know it. I want photos for YOU, so you can slow down and be in the moment… so that you can look back and say “I’m so glad we have these” when the seasons change and you’re finding yourself 10 years down the line with hardly any photos of you and your honey.

Get the photos done.