With everyone cutting back today on different wedding related expenses, I often get the “can we take out the engagement session”? I do not agree with this sentiment at all. I would rather you ask to take out the product credit and ask for a payment plan with your wedding album than ditching the engagement session and although that I don’t 100% fully agree with doing this, I’d much rather leave off the product credit than have your ditch your engagement session. Here’s some reasons why:

1. It’s a rehearsal – just like you rehearse for your wedding day, try on your dress and have it fitted, your engagement session is a rehearsal of how your photographer (whether it be me or someone else) photographs and how they pose or if they don’t pose at all.  Then on the wedding day, you know how to pose and things go a bit smoother.
2. Another meeting - it’s great to get to know your photographer because they’re going to be the closest vendor to you on your wedding day, or even like a friend!  We’re there when your getting ready to the end of the night when you may have had a few too many drinks!  We’re there and we’re the ones who are capturing the moments of your day that you will have forever so it’s good to meet with us again!
3. Practice! – it’s good practice for posing so that you know what you like and what you don’t like.   We’re our own worst critics and it will help you relax on the big day if you know what you looked like in your engagement pictures and what you did or didn’t like (I think you look gorgeous in all of them!).   It will leave less stress when it comes to the picture time because you know what to expect and that’s important!  It’s also a great time to book your makeup trial on the same day so you can get an idea of how your makeup will look in pictures on your wedding day too.
4. Acceptable pictures – I talk about this all the time, and I’m guilty of this too, but most of the pictures together are taken in places that you wouldn’t want to give to your grandma (see bar with bottles in background) and you may or may not have had too many drinks and it may show!  So it’s always good to have these pictures so that you can use them in all sorts of your wedding planning (I’ll make another post…uses for your engagement pictures   there’s lots!).
5. It’s never too late - ok, so now there’s only a month or a week until the wedding, you haven’t done your e-session, oh no!  It’s never too late to meet and do a session, it’ll help you even if it’s just a week away.  It takes an hour and we can do anything you want whether it’s just you both in your favorite coffee shop or anything else your imagination comes up with like making cookies or dinner, just about anything flies!
6. I don’t know what to do - don’t fret, your photographer has ideas, I have lots of them and will get you what you want.  And plus, I always make them fun!
7. My fiance doesn’t want to - Read this list to him, it’s easy, painless and fun.  It gets over the awkwardness of kissing in front of a camera and being close.  It’s really good practice to understand how all of these wedding things work.
8. Ask questions! – During the engagement session we talk a lot about random things and about your wedding.  You may have some questions that come up and you have my undivided attention to ask them and get immediate answers.  You can bring up any possible issues, or ask my opinion on things you’re doing or planning on and if I think it’ll impact the pictures at all (and usually it’s a no, but I can give you examples of previous weddings that were similar).  I also get to know you both and your personalities before the wedding and you get mine!
9. But… – “I can save money without it”, not with me you can’t!  I don’t discount engagement sessions or remove them from packages, whether you use them or not, they’re there, so use them!
10. Why not? – seriously, why not?  It’s an hour, I take care of the rest!

so those are some reasons why engagement sessions are a good idea and why you shouldn’t cut them out of your packages, instead look at other areas that you can reduce some cost or delay it (such as in albums…even though I don’t want to really advocate that…but hey, if somethings got to give…).   Check out the what to wear post I did awhile back (I’ll be doing another) for ideas on how to dress for these!  I’ll do another one too!

But if nothing else, don’t you want some images like this:

Kara
kara@karaschultz.com