i think it is so important for each of my couples to be educated and well informed for their upcoming wedding day. one of the most stressful parts of the wedding day is bride and groom portraits. the groom usually isn’t a ‘fan’ of taking pictures and the bride just wants everything to be perfect! that’s a lot of pressure on the photographer. but what if you could coach your bride and groom before hand? wouldn’t that make it go smoother?? that is exactly why every couple needs an engagement session!

during the wedding consultation i am always sure to ask how the groom feels about pictures or having his picture taken. the bride almost always answers with…”well, he’s not the biggest fan of it.”

i get it! my husband hates having his picture taken too. i have to bribe him for family photos!!!

at this point in the meeting i usually explain my approach to posing them and how i will interact with them from behind the camera. there’s no pressure during their portrait time and it just puts everyone at ease. this is also where i stress the importance of the engagement session.

engagement sessions are once {usually…} in a lifetime memories…not to be taken lightly. a lot of planning goes into it. the hair, makeup, outfits, location, etc. is all very well thought out in advance. i mean, the bride has been planning this since preschool!!! 🙂

i always tell my brides to go all out. go shopping. buy something they feel great in! i help coach them on styles and colors for whatever season we will be having their engagement session in. it will also depend on the location as well. if there is going to be a lot of greenery in the summer…i tell them to opt for either pastels or complimentary colors to green 🙂

the engagement session is literally a trial run. it is practice for your bride and groom portraits. what we will learn from each other during our engagement session and shooting together for 1-1.5 hours, is priceless! it will allow me to see how they interact together naturally which helps me speed things along on their wedding day!!! it’s a win win!

i should also mention, once the groom gets the hang of posing during the engagement session…he realizes how easy it is and he can just enjoy his wedding day!!!

i make sure to send my brides and grooms a posing guide to go through to “practice” for our time together. the main thing to remember for an engagement session is…no one is a pro, no one does this everyday and i don’t expect it to come naturally. the first 15-20 minutes, we are both all three getting warmed up 🙂