So if you’re reading this, chances are that you’re engaged and thinking if you need an engagement session! As a photographer, I do love engagement sessions and see many benefits to do one, but they aren’t necessarily for everyone.

If you’re debating if you need to do engagement pics or not, here are some reasons why you should:

• If you need photos for save the dates! And then you can also print and display them at your wedding, create your guestbook with them, the possibilities are endless!
• To spend time with your photographer before your big day! This way, you will understand how they work better and nothing will come as a surprise to you on your wedding day. This will also help you be comfortable in front of the camera!
• Because THEY’RE SO FUN!!! Make a date night out of it and do what you truly love. Grab a picnic in the park, go to your favorite brewery, or maybe even travel somewhere new and make some memories.
• If you want to travel somewhere for photos, but don’t want to elope or have a destination wedding. This is such a good chance to go somewhere with an epic view and create new core memories together!

Now to be fair, here are some reasons why you don’t necessarily need one:

• If they’re out of budget. Engagement sessions can add $500+ to your wedding collection, and that can just add up to be too much.
• You’re having a short engagement! Some may find engagement photos unnecessary if your engagement is less than a year. As fun as it would be, maybe just wedding photos are enough! Maybe set aside some more time during your wedding day for more portraits to make sure you get more intentional time together.
• You’re simply too busy! Getting your photos taken can be taxing and take up lots of time and energy. Putting outfits together, coordinating times, driving to and from, plus the cost of everything is a lot of effort! You can’t be blamed for wanting to stay home and save money.

Here are options I give my couples:

• 2 hour session, anytime, 1-3 locations, 2-3 outfits
• 1 hour session, anytime, 1-2 locations, 1-2 outfits
• 20 minute mini session, normally in the fall on a specific date, 1 location, 1 outfit

Be sure to ask your photographer to see if they can offer you a custom collection with different options to best fit your needs! And now that you’ve seen both sides, I hope you’re able to make a confident decision!

Want me to capture your engagement? INQUIRE HERE!