From time to time, I receive inquires about shooting the wedding but that the couple does not want to have an engagement session. Because I have a lot of experience shooting weddings with and without an engagement session, I think I must speak out on this subject.

What is the big deal?  It is more than just another photo shoot.  This is your chance to have a dress rehearsal with your photographer.  To see how he or she relates to you and how you both react to the camera.  You learn so much about each other!  Your wedding day is a once-in-a-lifetime event, no chance for do-overs.  This is your chance to express to your photographer what you love and what you don’t love.  I had clients a few years back that only loved their fun, laughing images and were not drawn to the serious images.  You can bet we took that knowledge with us to the ceremony to really capture images they loved, images of their fun-loving nature.

Another advantage is that you gain confidence. Hopefully, your photographer will knock it out of the park on your engagement images and you can relax on your wedding day.  After all, you’ve hired all these professionals to do what they do best on your big day, you really need to trust them.  Seeing is believing and if you see images from your engagement shoot that you never thought possible, you will relax and know you are in good hands.

On your wedding day, you will be with your photographer more than your mother or father, clergy, florist, or caterer.  Most people have not had a lot of professional photography.  The last time they got their pictures taken may have been on their high school senior shoot. You want to be able to relax and have a great time in front of the camera. The engagement shoot teaches you how to relax and be yourself while being photographed.

But what do I do with my engagement images?  My couples choose to do a lot of different things.  It is customary to give your parents a gift at the rehearsal dinner and a professional portrait of their child and their soon-to-be spouse is very thoughtful.  If you do your engagement session early enough (at least six months in advance of the wedding date), you can use your images on a custom-designed “Save the Date” card.  It is a declaration to all your family and friends that you are getting married and this is what he/she looks like.  It helps your guests bond with your fiancé before they even travel to the wedding.  Our most popular item is the guest sign-in book.  It is no ordinary book.  It contains powerful, jaw-dropping images with plenty of space for your guests to leave their well-wishes.  When the ceremony is over, my clients display it on their coffee table as an art book.

So if you get to save a little on your wedding photography budget by skipping the engagement session, isn’t it really costing you in the end?  You will not come to the ceremony with the same level of friendship, confidence and experience as couples who do have an engagement session.  Don’t you want every advantage possible to have wedding photographs that will take your breath away?  After the wedding, all that remains are the images and your memories.  Reconsider the engagement shoot, the experience is to your advantage, every time.