Why You Need an Engagement Session (And the Most Spectacular Ones I’ve Shot)

Reimagine Your  Engagement Session

Don’t get me wrong—the anticipation, planning, creativity, celebration, and all the other elements of a wedding day get me every time. Weddings are beautiful, moving events. With that being said, weddings involve a lot of moving parts, constant coordination, and constraints. Oftentimes, the schedule of a wedding day is so busy that it becomes difficult—and sometimes impossible—to fit everything we want into it. 

Sometimes on the day of the wedding, we just don’t have the time or conditions necessary for a two-hour engagement session with optimal lighting and weather. So, we opt for quick sessions between all the amazing wedding day events like ceremony, cocktails and reception party.

But if you reimagine your engagement session, as an experience all its own… you’ll discover the joy of taking the time to plan one. And in the process, not squeezing too much out of your wedding day.

The Creative Fulfillment of an Engagement Session

Because of the inherent creative and practical limitations of the wedding day, I light up whenever my clients decide to collaborate on an engagement session or pre-wedding shoot. There’s nothing better than a fashion-driven session with an editorial feel.

An editorial-style engagement session or pre-wedding shoot, in a beautiful destination, is an incredible way to capture this special time in a couple’s journey. It makes for a creatively-fulfilling experience for everyone involved.

The Sky’s the Limit

The beauty of an engagement session or pre-wedding shoot is that the sky is truly the limit. I’ll guide you in terms of location possibilities, creative direction, and styling. From the fashion to beautiful backdrops near or far—we can create something editorial and elevated. My role is to help you understand the possibilities and then help bring your vision to life.

Think Outside the Wedding

Added perks of an engagement or pre-wedding session? It’s wonderful to have photos as a couple that aren’t just from your wedding. To be able to look back at this exciting stage of your adventure and to have images that capture who you are, your style, and your adventurous spirits—is such a beautiful thing.

Well-Rehearsed

An engagement session is also a great opportunity to get comfortable in front of the camera, build rapport with your photographer, and just have one less thing to be a bit nervous about for the wedding day. A tangible bonus is that the images we create with an engagement session can be used for gifts or to help to spruce up your wedding website.

Hiring a Full Team for Your Engagement Session

I highly recommend hiring a full team—including a fashion stylist, hair stylist, and makeup artist—for your engagement session. Hiring a full team ensures that all visual aspects are accounted for, and that each element is as beautiful and cohesive as possible. A full styling team is going to take the time to fully understand your personalities, preferences, and tastes—and work to reflect those very personal things in a way that artfully complements the location and setting. 

I love working with styling teams to create visually stunning moodboards—showing you exactly how the location and design elements will tie together to create your unique engagement session or pre-wedding shoot. And of course, your input is highly encouraged and taken into account at each and every stage. Together—we can truly work magic. 

This is why I always recommend hiring a full creative team.

My Favorite Engagement Sessions

Stephanie + Pedro

Mérida, Mexico

Hutton + Bobby

Portland, Maine

Hallie + Peter

Croatia

Paige + Raul

Austin, Texas

Kori + Parker

Joshua Tree, California 

Patrick + KT

New York City

Andy + Adam

Amalfi Coast, Italy

Lisa + Adrian

Anguilla

Katryna + Eric

Positano, Italy

Becky + Jason

Vail, Colorado

Cheryl + Sam

Yosemite National Park

Don’t Underestimate the Value of Your Engagement Session or Pre-Wedding Shoot

As you can see, long gone are the days of matching polos and meeting at the local park for your engagement session. Today, our engagement photoshoots take place all over the world—and they’re adventurous, creative, intimate, interesting, editorial, and fun. And most importantly, they give you the opportunity to capture the true essence of your personalities, chemistry, and love—during a magical moment in time. 

The cherry on top of doing a pre-wedding shoot is that you’ll become so much more comfortable with your photographer and being in front of the camera—which makes for a more enjoyable, and more successful wedding photoshoot for everyone.

Ready to get started?