What a joy it was so be apart of this amazing wedding in Oregon Wine Country! The gorgeous Parrett Mountain Cellars was the perfect intimate location for this beautiful summer wedding and it was my pleasure to their wedding photographer. Thank you K&K for letting me be apart of your day, it was a true pleasure.
This amazing fall day in the gorgeous Ashland, Oregon mountains was such a fun time. Being a Southern Oregon Wedding Photographer is heavenly when you get to go to all these amazing places. So wonderful to work with Freckled Fleurs who provided the amazing bouquet and hair piece. We also had the wonderful Clelia for hair and makeup from Beauty Beyond by Clelia. These two worked so hard to make this session special!
Thank you to all who were apart of this session and enjoy!
Many couples wonder if having an engagement session with their wedding photographer is really necessary, especially if they have already had some photos shot by a friend or if the wedding is coming up shortly after they booked their photographer. Today I want to talk about why it is in fact really important and will actually make your wedding day a smoother, more relaxed day.
Your wedding day is a super exciting day, filled with joy and excitement, however, it can also be a day of stress and busyness ( is that even a word?) . Any good wedding photographer’s goal is to make this day as easy as possible so that you as a couple can enjoy the day and relax. The more qualified vendors you hire, the more the details will be off your plate and in the hands of experienced professionals. What does this have to do with an engagement session you might ask? Everything!
Engagement sessions have many purposes and I want to highlight a few wonderful benefits of what can be a really fun time with your photographer.
1. Comfort
On your wedding day you will be spending a lot of time with your photographer, and I mean a lot! From getting ready all the way to the reception, your photographer will be with you for most of the day! A huge benefit of an engagement session is that you are meeting, getting comfortable with, and building a friendship with your photographer ahead of time. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve walked into an engagement session with a couple that has a good bit of apprehension on their side about taking photos, only to leave laughing and completely at ease. When this happens, it gets carried over to the wedding day. You now know your photographer a little bit and have established comfort. As a photographer I love showing up to the wedding day already feeling I know the bride and groom well and that’s good news for everyone!
2. Posing
Each photographer and couple approach posing differently. As a wedding professionals, it’s our job to learn how to pose and encourage natural interactions with each couple. Sometimes this is easy and sometimes a challenge depending on the ease that each person feels in front of the camera. During an engagement session some of this can be figured out and by wedding time you both feel comfortable settling into posing or candid moments because you’ve done it already!
3. Wedding Decor
Most every wedding where I’ve shot an engagement session prior has the images from the session displayed at the wedding. You can use your engagement session images for save the dates, invitations, or wedding decor ( most commonly a guest book or canvas to sign). This is a great way to show the fun and joy of your relationship and you can even display them alongside other snapshots you’ve taken throughout the course of your relationship together!
Last but NOT least, engagement sessions are fun! Creativity can abound here and that brings so much joy. If your wedding is at an upscale venue try an engagement session at the coast or up in the mountains. If your wedding will be in the woods, why not do your engagement session somewhere with dynamic structures or an old building. So much planning and detail goes into wedding planning. let your engagement session just be fun. Laugh, make jokes, enjoy each other and just let that glow go straight on in to your wedding day.
I hope these four reasons why engagement sessions are so important before your wedding day were helpful to you! Even if your camera shy, all the more reason to warm your way into photos by doing an engagement session before your big day.
Congratulations, and I wish each and every couple a joy filled wedding and a beautiful love story as you start your journey together.
xoxo
Rachel
This Balboa Park engagement session was a true delight. When I was first contacted by Nicolle, I felt like we instantly connected. Her sweet spirit and attention to detail was evident even in our first emails and when it was decided we would work together I was SO excited!
Their session at Balboa Park was lovely and we had such a good time walking around the park and than finally ending up in the rose and cactus gardens! The night was cloudy at first but as the evening went on we got a beautiful sky as the sun set. It was effortless to get these two laughing and having fun and the very first images I snapped at the water fountain made it look like we had bee shooting all evening. Its was so much fun to watch their love for each other unfold and to capture their sweet personalities together.
I am so looking forward to their wonderful fall wedding coming up and I can’t wait to spend more time with these two soon!
Congratulations you two, wishing you a lifetime of joy as you begin this new part of your journey together!
