Hey Beautiful Readers!
Although I am not a photographer, I do have a particularly partial opinion on the all important Engagement Shoot as a part of your planning process. Inspired a bit by my current podcast obsession on, The Vendor Table podcast hosted by Michael Cassara and Lauren O’Brien from Long Island, NY - this week we’re diving into the purpose, and importance of your engagement shoot. Unless you and your partner are in the business of taking posed photos, one of the most important reasons for an engagement shoot is to get yourselves comfortable not only behind the camera, but with your photographer or their team.
Believe it or not, just liking the editing style of a photographer is not necessarily enough to be sold on their vendor experience. It is important to read reviews, speak on the phone or over video with your photographer, and truly understand the experience they provide as a vendor - not just what their images will look like upon delivery.
Most photographers you speak with will include an engagement shoot in their packages, as this is equally as important for them, as it is for you! This shoot is when you can truly enhance your relationship with them and share the important elements of your wedding day. When you arrive to your shoot - don’t expect your first 15 pictures to be great. You are warming up to being behind the lense, it may be out of your comfort zone, or your partners to pose for extensive amounts of pictures, and you are still just getting to know this person that is capturing an intimate moment of your life.
I suggest you ease into it - and start with some basic photos; maybe a smile or a kiss, walking and talking - something a bit more natural. As the time goes on you will become more adjusted to the setting and being photographed, and the photos will become more relaxed, even if they’re posed. Your photographer will be able to obtain great awareness of how much posing support you need; and be comfortable being honest with them, and yourself. If your photographer puts you in a pose they typically do when taking beach sunset photos, but you are not a fan of it, or it makes you feel uncomfortable, or you don’t love the way your arms look - tell them! This is the moment you have to refine their craft to meet your specific look and desires, and not each couple looks good doing the same things!
You should take their advice and try new things, as they are experts and most of us don’t spend our lives posing for photo shoots. So if they tell you to try a pose, I always suggest giving it a whirl - the worst that happens is you don’t like the photo, it doesn’t get published, and you know for wedding day, that that’s not something you’d like to repeat!
The nice thing about engagement shoots is the creative freedom and flexibility you have behind the setting. Maybe you want to go to the beach and take some photos in the water, or revisit a meaningful spot that impacted your relationship; some couples opt for modern, fancy elegance in their photos, and others prefer a more casual, natural and lifestyle-esq approach. As always, it is important to pick something that is meaningful to you, and your relationship - plus, having a little fun with your shoot can ease tensions and nerves and make you appear more comfortable behind the camera.
They are fun too! It is common for couples to do an outfit change, maybe switch up the vibe or even use multiple settings. Again, this is about having fun, getting comfortable behind your photographers camera, and an opportunity to work with them before your big day.
Oftentimes during the engagement shoot you get to share more of your love story with your photographer, and they can further connect with your wedding. Believe it or not, the more connected your vendors are to your story and the meaning of important parts of your wedding, the more impactful their services can be, as we can tailor each wedding day based on the couple.
Your photographer can capture elements of your day that you emphasize as important such as making sure to take a few extra minutes posing you for bridal party shots or just scheduling in extra time for un-posed couple photos of you two walking around the property. Getting to work with you and see you and your partner interact behind the camera gives the photographer a much better understanding of the level of support you will need on wedding day.
As a planner, this relationship is incredibly important to the success of your wedding day. Outside of the logistics, your photo and/ or video team make the most impactful contributions to producing your event timeline and keeping it on track. If you are a couple that desires additional posing or simply wants extra time being goofy behind the lense, your photographer will be able to indicate that to your planner, and the two together can create a timeline that allows for the photo and video team to capture exactly what their couple is looking for in the time allotted.
The other nice part of engagement photos, depending on the timeframe in which you take them during your planning, is that they can be utilized in many different ways.
Turn them into a Save The Date
Give them out as a magnet or some sort of favor
Utilize them for table numbers
Frame them and place them around the reception
Have them developed and printed to give to family members like parents and grandparents
Home Decor
Holiday Cards
No matter what you choose to do with these photos, even if it’s nothing other than keep and look at them; i suggest you take this opportunity to create memories with your partner.
Engagement season flies by, and it equally as important as getting to know your vendors and refining your desires for your wedding day, to prioritize celebrating your relationship during that time. This engagement shoot serves as an opportunity to dress in whatever style you’d like, explore a new place in town or a cool venue, take a trip down memory lane or even get a bit messy and just create some memories - that best of all, are getting captured by the same person set to capture the most important day of your lives.
As a planner, I provide my clients with a questionnaire to guide them through selecting all of their vendors, including their photo and/ or video team. This questionnaire is the first step in making sure you pick the right partner and one of the first suggestions I make in crafting your vendor dream team. In addition to length of service, editing style, photo delivery timeline and cost, you’ll want to talk to your photographer about their engagement shoot offerings and share any inspiration or fun ideas you have for the shoot, to make sure it fits within their means’.
Still looking for a planner to advise you throughout the process? I’d love to see if The Planning Experience is right for you. You can find more details under Services at thecalmbride.com and be sure to read back on the previous weeks’ blogs for more insight into crafting your perfect wedding day.
As always, stay calm brides! - It's almost fall wedding season and I can’t wait to work with so many amazing couples over the next few months!
Xoxo,
Alyssa
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