10 Reasons Why You Need to Have an Engagement Session

During their engagement session a woman hugs a man from behind as they stand in a field surrounded by the mountains of Colorado at sunset

For those in the process of planning their wedding, having an engagement session may seem unnecessary. You’re already going to have photos of the two of you from your wedding day after all, do you really need more? In short, yes! Yes you do!! This may seem a bit biased coming from a wedding photographer, but trust me there are SO many reasons for you to have an engagement session in addition to your wedding day. So many in fact that I decided to put this article together going over 10 of my favorite reasons to have an engagement session!

Close up photo of an engagement ring resting on a group of white flowers

10 Reasons to Have an Engagement Session

1. You Get to Document this Chapter of Life

Your wedding day is a HUGE moment in your relationship and in your lives, but so is your engagement! The reality of it is that your engagement often gets outshined by your wedding day. Once you’re engaged you’re constantly asked questions like “when is the wedding?”, “have you two chosen a venue yet?”, or “how’s wedding planning going?”. This is understandable as your wedding is usually something that everyone else gets to experience with you, but that doesn’t diminish just how important the chapter of engagement is in your life! This is a turning point in your relationship, where the two of you have committed to being with one another throughout this crazy journey of life together. As such it deserves and should be celebrated and documented just like your wedding day will be!

2 photos side by side of a man and woman outside of Union Station in Colorado, the left is of the man holding the woman from behind and the right is of them kissing

2. You Get to Know Your Photographer

When your wedding day comes around you’re going to be spending a LOT of time with your photographer, sometimes even more time than with your soon to be spouse! With that in mind it’s crucial that you and your photographer get along with one another well, which is why it’s so important to get to know them prior to your wedding day. I make this a priority with all my clients, and this can be done through emails, texts, and of course facetime or phone calls. There’s nothing that quite comes close though to meeting one another face to face, and what better way to do so than with an engagement session! It’s the perfect opportunity to break the ice with your photographer so that when your wedding day comes around you view them more as a friend rather than a wedding vendor!

During their engagement session a man and woman hold hands and smile at one another while standing on a dock on the water

3. Practice Makes Perfect

Getting to know your photographer isn’t the only benefit of having your engagement session with them before your wedding day! Another massive benefit of this is that you have a chance to get comfortable in front of the camera!! For a lot of couples their wedding day will be one of the first times that they’ll have professional photos taken of them loving on one another. This can be a bit stressful for some, especially those that are naturally more introverted. With an engagement session though you’re able to practice in a scenario with MUCH less at stake! Then, come your wedding day you’ll know what to expect which will let you focus on what’s important, enjoying your day!

During their engagement session a man and woman hold hands and smile at one another while walking their dog next to a lake

4. You Can Have a Different Vibe for Your Engagement Photos

No matter the season you plan on having your wedding in, an engagement session is a great way to get some photos in a different season! A perfect example is if you two love winter for example but know that your friends and family would constantly give you flak over a winter wedding. An engagement session in the winter lets you have a summer wedding that everyone will enjoy while you still get portraits of you and the love of your life in the winter wonderland you both adore so much! Check out Iva and Adam’s engagement session for a peek at a winter engagement session in Colorado, and for anyone wondering what the appeal of different seasons are here in Colorado, be sure to check out this blog I wrote covering each one in detail!!

A man and woman close their eyes as they touch their heads together and smile during their winter engagement session in Colorado

5. You Can Have the Same Vibe for Your Engagement Photos

On the flip side of things, having your engagement session during the same season of your weddings is a great option as well for a variety of reasons! The first is that you can ensure you like the way your hair and makeup look with the lighting of your chosen wedding season. It’s also great if you plan on using your engagement photos for your save the dates as it will give a uniform feeling to your wedding day! Speaking of using your engagement photos…

A man and woman dance together in the forest and smile during their Colorado engagement session

6. Use Your Photos

Whether it’s for save the dates, wedding invites, holiday cards, gifts for family members, or photos in your home, there are so many great ways to use the photos from your engagement session! For my clients their engagement session album works the same way as their wedding album. What I mean by that is they’re able to download high-resolution images from their session directly, or purchase high quality prints of the photos directly from my site. My site offers some pretty creative ways to use the photos as gifts, or you can use a site like Mpix for even more printing options!!

A man and woman kiss one another while in a forest in the fall during their engagement session in the mountains of Colorado

7. Great Way to Get Portrait Photos

I’m a firm believer in that you can never really have too many portrait photos of the two of you! You’ll of course receive a ton of portrait photos as part of your wedding album, but those will really only have you in your wedding day attire. Having an engagement session allows you and your partner to show off your style outside of what you plan to wear for your wedding! Engagement sessions usually include 2 or 3 separate outfits so you really get a chance to show off the different styles the two of you rock at this point in your lives together, something I think is SO important to capture and be able to look back on!!

Close up photo of a couple holding hands while standing next to one another during their engagement session in Colorado

8. You Can Test Your Wedding Makeup

The makeup you plan to have for your wedding day can often be drastically different than what you’d have on, even in the event of a special date night! While this isn’t always the case, if it is then there’s no better time to test out your wedding makeup than for your engagement session!! This gives you an opportunity to work with your makeup artist and get the look right while also seeing what it will look like first-hand through your photos. From there you’ll know if the look is spot on what you’re going for, or if there are any adjustments you want made prior to the big day!

2 photos side by side, the left is of a couple smiling while holding hands next to a lake in front of a mountain, the right is a silhouette of the couple kissing at dusk in front of a lake

9. You Can Explore Somewhere New

Something I love for my couples to do on their engagement session is to explore and experience somewhere that’s new to them! Whether it’s a hike they’ve been talking about doing for years, or a new brewery they’ve wanted to check out but haven’t gotten around to yet, an engagement session is the perfect excuse to do so! It’s also a great way to loosen up a bit for your session as some of your focus will be on this experience that is completely new to you rather than thinking about what you look like in the camera.

Now of course you can always go somewhere familiar for your engagement session as well, and that can be equally as fun! This option opens up the opportunity to include somewhere meaningful in your relationship, such as where you two had your first kiss or first date! Whether the location is new or familiar, an engagement session is the perfect way to create new memories there while also capturing some lovely photos of the two of you!!

A couple walk next to one another and smile at each other while in a forest during their fall engagement session in Colorado

10. Great Excuse for a Date Night

Last and definitely not least on our list is that you can use your engagement session as the perfect excuse for a date night! Think about it, the two of you are all dressed up, and you’ve been told to kiss and love on one another for the past hour or so, so you’re already in the mood to be with one another! Your engagement session makes for the perfect day to center around you and your love. Make sure you don’t schedule anything else for the day so that you each can truly focus on one another, the love you share, and this next step in the relationship that you’ve created together!!

2 women smile at one another while leaning against a wooden railing during their winter engagement session in Colorado

By now I’m sure you can see just how important having an engagement session before your wedding day can be! If you weren’t already planning on having an engagement session of your own then I’m sure you’re at least considering one now!! If that’s the case I’d love to hear from you to help plan and photograph your engagement session and wedding day. Send an inquiry through my contact page so we can reserve your date today! And for anyone looking for engagement session ideas and planning tips check out some of my other blogs here!!