Ask Anything :: Are Engagement Sessions Included?

At bridal shows it’s one of the first things we’re asked by new Brides who are chatting with us in our booth… “Do you do engagement sessions? Are they included?”

To answer the question; YES! Engagement sessions are always included, for every couple we work with, always. There’s a big reason for it, and in today’s post we’re telling you why.

1. Building a relationship in front of and behind the cameras – During your engagement session we learn what you need from us. We figure out how much, or how little direction or help “posing” you benefit from. All the while, you’re learning how we work behind the cameras. This is our dress rehearsal for the big day. Because we’ve figured it all out during your engagement session… the wedding day portraits are easy, quick, and awesome because the 4 of us have done this before 😉

2. Getting comfortable – You may love having your photo taken. You may hate it. You may be indifferent. No matter what, the goal of the engagement session is to get you comfortable in front of our cameras. Yes you DO look awesome, and we’re here to prove it to you 😉 After doing your engagement session you’ve gotten pretty good at this whole modeling thing, and so you’ll breeze right through the portraits on your wedding day. That means you’ll get back to cocktails before you can say “on the rocks”. Not to mention you’ll actually ENJOY your portrait portion of the day.

3. Seeing the finished product – You show up for your engagement session, you get to know our style of shooting, we get to know you as subjects, you get comfortable in front of the camera and now what? Well now, you get your engagement photos returned to you quickly, so you can SEE what all of this fuss turns out to look like. When couples can look at their engagement photos, and remember exactly how they felt in those moments, or remember being in the poses we suggested, they can see what we saw and better understand our process. Yeah, putting your heads together perched on uncomfortable rocks may have felt ridiculous at the time… but do you see it now? Do you see what you were helping us create? Yes… that, right there is why we asked you to sit on rocks and put your heads together 😉

4. Normal photos are nice to have too – Let’s face it… how many professional photos do you have together? None? We’re not surprised. Let’s pretend we didn’t shoot engagement sessions with our couples. After their wedding day, their home would be filled with gorgeous wedding photos, but that’s it. It’s nice to have portraits of a couple in their “normal” clothes doing “normal” things. That wedding dress is gorgeous, but we know having casual portraits is just as important when documenting this chapter in your love story.

5. Your engagement is special – And it is! This is a moment in your lives where you’re anticipating, planning, dreaming, and looking forward to your wedding. This is the last chapter as two individual parts that soon will be one whole. Make memories of this time, document it in photos. In reality this time in your lives is just as important as your wedding day.

We hope that answers the question “Are Engagement Sessions included?” as well as the “Why?” or “Do we have to?”

Yes… you do    😉