Carving out time for an engagement shoot may be difficult to do for perpetually busy people. However, there are so many perks to doing an engagement session.

1. Taking engagement photos is a fun date night

In preparation for engagement photos, you’ll get to dress up together and carve out time to go some place pretty. And I’m a photographer who wants to capture genuine smiles, so I’ll guide you through fun prompts and make dad jokes to generate them. Take it from a past bride:

“Caili has an incredible ability to put the people she is photographing at ease. We felt like we were hanging out with a friend, and that level of comfort in front of her really translated to our photos. She really knows how to capture the genuine moments of joy between two loved ones. My now husband and I are both pretty uncomfortable having our picture taken but we had fun while we were doing it, and we both can’t believe we look as good as we do in the pictures.” -Rebecca

2. Your engagement session is a trial run for taking pictures with your photographer

While taking engagement photos, you get time to practice being in front of camera without the time pressure and nerves of a wedding day. You’ll get to experience what it’s like working with your photographer so you can better trust him/her for your big day. Which can be a huge stress relief.

If you ended up taking engagement photos with a photographer and not liking his/her final product or the experience of working together, you’ll be able to know that before your wedding day. Which can save you from a less-than-wonderful experience on a day that you can’t do over.

Taking Engagement Photos allow me more time to hang out with you two and see how you interact. When I know my clients better, I learn what is most important to them and I can more accurately capture their true personalities. Some of my favorite memories with clients are during their engagement shoot.

3. Engagement photos can be more you than your wedding photos

You can run around and pick each other up and dance in ways that you might not be able to do in a full length dress. They’re allow more opportunity to be you.

-> Planning a wedding can be overwhelming! But I gotchu 😉 After going to so many weddings as a photographer, I’ve got plenty of recommendations. I made a guide breaking down each part of the wedding day for all my brides. And the best part? I’ll share it with you. Absolutely free! Click here