We can’t speak for all wedding photographers, but we believe that you need engagement photos. Moreover, you need them from your wedding photographer. Don’t believe us? Here’s 5 reasons you need engagement photos. Hopefully we convince you!
BAY AREA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
01. It’s an opportunity to get to know your wedding photographer.
Because your wedding photographers will most likely be spending the majority of your day with you, it is important you feel comfortable with them. We know that we’ll be with you at least 8-10 hours, and that’s a lot of time to be with someone who’s practically a stranger. By saying yes to engagement photos, you are saying yes to quality time with me and Michael, getting comfortable with us and in front of our cameras, and trusting us when we give you posing instruction and choose locations. By the end of it, we’ll be best friends!
Our bride, Teresa, and her now husband, Peter, brought us to San Francisco City Hall for their engagement photos. Teresa says, “Engagement photos made the wedding day more relaxed. We already knew your cues.” See their San Francisco engagement photos on our blog here!
02. Create professional photographs of you and your fiancé for important stationery and details.
Instead of using an iPhone selfie of you and your boo, imagine using a professional portrait of the two of you all dressed up in a grand location for your save-the-dates. Think long term to your wedding day. You’ll need a welcome sign, guest book, various other signs, maybe even a digital slide show… your engagement photos will help keep your wedding design elevated and intentional. The graphic designer in me will tell you that your guests will not notice things that go together, but rather they will notice and comment on the things that seem to not fit. Create a cohesive design by using your professional portraits from your engagement photos.
Check out Sonia & Alex’s beautiful Monterey engagement photos that they used for their save-the-date!
BAY AREA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
03. Celebrate your engagement with your fiancé.
The truth is: you’ll be married for the rest of your lives but you’ll only be engaged for this short time. And trust me, even if your engagement is two years (ours was almost two years), once it’s over, it will feel like it flew by. Use your engagement photos as a way to celebrate and commemorate this season. And treat it like a date night—you’ll get to get dressed up, visit a beautiful and meaningful location, and maybe even go out afterwards.
Cristina & Edwin really took the time to celebrate their love for each other at their San Francisco engagement photos. See what we mean by checking out their blog post!
04. Learn your wedding photographer’s posing strategy.
Most of us wedding photographers have a posing strategy for portraits. We’ve practiced, learned and studied different ways to get those signature shots that we’re each known for. So when you come to your engagement photos session, you’ll get basically a posing 101 class so that on your wedding day, you’ll be pros. This is especially helpful for people who are convinced they’re awkward on camera (trust us, you’re not). And it’s also really helpful for grooms who aren’t too excited about photos. We even had a groom tell us at the end of his wedding day that we were geniuses because we basically trained him for this, and he felt confident and successful in photos.
One groom told us, “You guys are genius. Our engagement photos was like training for the big day.” Click here to see Randi & Brandon’s Los Gatos engagement photos featuring their 5-month-old puppy on our blog.
05. It’s an excuse to get really dressed up.
No, like REALLY dressed up. We send along an engagement session style guide to help you get the most out of your session. And the biggest thing we recommend is DRESSING UP. You have plenty of photos of you in your daily wardrobe on your phone. Yes, you look stunning in those skinny jeans and beautiful flowy blouse. But I’m telling you, girl, you don’t have professional photos taken that often, so if it’s for a special occasion, then you should definitely level it up. You can even plan your engagement photos around your hair and makeup trials so that you can have pro glam for your engagement photos.
We absolutely loved Kat & Colin’s San Francisco engagement photos on the piers. Kat found the perfect dresses at Lulu’s and we think you will, too! See more of their photos by clicking here.
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ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS
There you have it! 5 reasons you need engagement photos. Wedding photography is a big investment, and it is important that you find the right wedding photographer who you can trust will love and serve you well. For us, engagement photos are really important for your wedding photography experience. And you can trust that we have really good reasons for encouraging them. Have we made you a believer? Inquire today and we’d love to share more about our wedding experience with you.
BAY AREA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
Hey girl! So glad you’re here with us. We’re Michael & Angela, sweetheart photographers for sweetheart couples. Wedding photography and engagement photos are our pride and joy. We hope we get to see you on the other side of our camera soon! Interested in having us as your Bay Area wedding photographers? Inquire today.
