Why Engagement Sessions Matter for New England Couples
Ozzy and Nick rest under the boughs of a tree along the harbor at Salem Willows during their engagement photography session north of Boston.
Your Boston engagement session isn’t just a box-ticking exercise, it’s a rehearsal that is going to help make your wedding photos look and feel effortless (or at least feel a little less awkward). Before a chaotic wedding day distracts you, an engagement session gives you a chance to break the ice with your photographer, breathe, and learn to enjoy being photographed together.
I started as a photographer just as engagement sessions were taking off as part of the wedding season and I didn’t really get it. I got into photography to hide behind a camera so the idea of voluntarily getting in front of it just because was perplexing, but I’ve come around on the idea. Your engagement session is part ice-breaker and part modeling bootcamp that will give you a chance to build up rapport with your photographer (and see how their work actually looks).
So, it’s a fun experience that will set you up for great wedding photos, but what do you do with the photos?
Your engagement is such an exciting chapter in your love story and those moments can get lost in the whirlwind, so these moments can be valuable for themselves. Engagement photos are often helpful during wedding planning for images on save-the-dates, on the wedding website, or just as personal keepsakes.
Are you ready for your engagement session? Let’s plan it out when you book your wedding.
Ryan Richardson is a wedding and engagement photographer serving Boston and beyond; including Cape Cod Weddings, New England Weddings, Massachusetts Weddings and Rhode Island Weddings
Summary:
New England engagement sessions are a great way to dive into wedding photography so you’re not feeling totally lost on your wedding day; it’s also great to use for your wedding website and save-the-dates.
Q&A:
Q. Are Engagement Photos Worth It before my Boston Wedding?
A. I think that engagement photography can be a great experience for a couple, especially if you’re not super comfortable in front of the camera. I like to run sessions like part icebreaker and part modeling boot camp, which can be great for people that want the wedding day to run that little bit more smoothly. With that said it’s not something that’s totally necessary (otherwise I’d include it with every package).
Q. How long before your Plymouth wedding should you take engagement photos?
A. If you’re planning on using the pictures for save-the-date cards, those are often sent out 6 to 9 months ahead of the wedding (sometimes 12 for destinations) so I’d recommend scheduling your session at least a month in advance so they can get processed and you’ll have time to design. Otherwise there really aren’t any rules, you can get them done the day after the question gets popped or the day before the wedding, in New England a lot of my clients try to schedule their session for the fall or spring.
Q. Should my engagement photos match my Cape Cod wedding theme?
A. It’s fantastic when someone has such a strong vision for their wedding and sense of design that they can match the vibe of their engagement session to the wedding but it’s not necessary. For a lot of couples, the wedding theme and design is a moving target and often that vision hasn’t been fully formed when it’s time for the engagement shoot, so it’s totally okay if they’re mismatched.