Virginia Engagement Photographer // Why the Engagement Session

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Virginia Engagement Photographer

The ring is on your finger and you have settled the date and venue, so now it is time to book you Virginia Engagement Photographer! While you search and talk to photographers about your wedding day, the subject of the engagement session will come up. It is a big part of the process and every couple is unique with different perspectives on the subject. Whatever your thoughts are, it is helpful to hear from your photographer because there might be some things you don’t understand yet about the benefits of the engagement session.

As a Virginia Engagement Photographer, here are common things I hear from couples about the engagement session:

We are really bad picture takers and just want good photos of our wedding day.
We don’t really care about a ton of pictures of just us.
We have weird schedules and might not be able to find the time.
If we choose to not do an engagement session, will it be cheaper?
Can we book an engagement session and then book a wedding package later?

Maybe this is you, or maybe you are all in and excited about the engagement session! Either way, there are a lot more to engagement sessions than you might realize.

The bigger picture.

You are unique. There is no other couple like you on Earth. Your relationship is important and this is a celebration of a short time in your relationship! Just like your wedding day should be well documented, so should your Virginia engagement! Pick locations and outfits that represent you most and tell the story of this sweet season!

You might not decorate your home with these, put them on save-the-dates or use them in your guest book, but think of your grandparents and how you love seeing them together, young and happy. What a gift those pictures of them are to you and how they allow you to imagine them then, now that you are living your own engagement season!

It will prepare you and the photographer.

The photographer will be capturing the events and creating portraits on your one wedding day. They have a lot of control on how this will turn out and who it is a reflection of. It is important for your photographer to work with you before the big day!

The engagement session will be time for you and the photographer to interact, to get to know each other and teach your photographer how to represent you as a couple best. Engagement sessions are best spent walking and talking, learning and experimenting. There will be awkwardness, and there should be laughing.

When you get your pictures back of your engagement session you can see what worked and what didn’t. It’s all about learning! It will also give you confidence in the photos being taken on your wedding day because you have been there and done that already!

Engagement sessions help with the timeline of the wedding day!

The time you have for photos on your wedding day is much shorter than the engagement session. Your photographer needs to know who you are in case they need to work in a hurry, and this should happen with an engagement session. If they know you, then they know what poses work and won’t work so they don’t waste any time!

It will also help you feel more comfortable and confident being in front of the lens. Unless you are famous or a model It’s not something you do everyday, but on your wedding day you will have one on you at nearly every moment. Emotions are going to be much higher on your wedding day, and now a camera is pointing at you too! Take care of all your picture taking fears before the wedding day so you can focus on more important things when the big day comes.

It builds a relationship.

Your Virginia Engagement Photographer will be there for some pretty big events; when you're getting your dress on, when your dad finally gets to see you as a bride in the wedding dress, walking down the aisle, the first seconds of being husband and wife! You should like your photographer and not be a stranger! The engagement session is the best way to become friends and not strangers. So when your photographer walks in the door while your getting ready, you have already established that relationship and you’re nerves are lightened, and you can trust that they are doing their job.

Engagement sessions are essential parts of the wedding experience. It is something to be enjoyed and last as long as the wedding photos do. When it is time for your Virginia engagement Photographer to help you plan, have fun with it, relax and know that this is not a test, or a chore, but an experience meant to celebrate your relationship!

Announcing....

Spring is on the horizon and everyone is ready for a little warmer air. In celebration of the coming spring I am GIVING AWAY A PORTRAIT SESSION!!! If it's just the two of you or you have kids, this is a wonderful chance to update your family portraits! How to enter is to subscribe to the newsletter and a winner will be chosen at the 22nd of March! You can subscribe using the form below or on the side bar to the right of this page