Engagement sessions are an invaluable part of the wedding process, for both you – our couples – and us. We encourage you to work with us to create your perfect portrait session, and we cannot extoll its benefits enough.

 

One of the most significant benefits of a portrait session is the ability to achieve and create photographs that are wildly different than what will be created on your wedding day. The overall energy, for one, is incredibly different during your portrait session. As weddings are dynamic events and there are so many moving elements, the energy can be much more concentrated than during an engagement session. We have the ability to move the needle in terms of the emotion you want to present. You can dial in romantic or dial in raw. You can bring a feeling of unexpectedness, play with wardrobe, and, overall, have the opportunity to create something with a lovely juxtaposition to your wedding photos.

Another benefit of a portrait session is the opportunity to photograph in a destination – something that reflects you as a couple and may be meaningful to you – that you may otherwise be unable to visit on your wedding day. This opens the door for a set of photos that show you as a couple in a relaxed, significant setting – images that will be cherished alongside those from the wedding day.

An often overlooked benefit of a portrait session is that it sets the tone for your wedding website. Many couples are moving away from photos for Save The Date’s and opting for more refined alternatives; however, photographs are ever-present on wedding websites. With beautiful, professional, and high-end portraits on your site, it allows one to set the tone for wedding guests. It gives your website a polished look with a beautiful finish while foreshadowing the sophistication and refinement of your day.

Perhaps the most valuable byproduct of a portrait session is the liaison it creates between us. It gives us the opportunity to start our working relationship and allows the photography to really open up on the wedding day. A portrait session is a golden opportunity for you to become comfortable in front of the camera and for us to understand your relationship and how you interact with each other. We will be able to create beautiful, intimate moments during your portrait session and, by extension, at your wedding.

Our process for cultivating the perfect portrait session is multifold. We start a conversation on the phone and follow with questionnaires. The feedback will help us formulate a plan for location ideas from which you will make the final location decisions. Standard portrait sessions last up to 90 minutes with two locations and looks. For wardrobe, we create visual mood boards with wardrobe inspiration for both of you as well as location inspiration, a personalized color palette, and some words that go along with the energy for the day and help set the tone. Each session is entirely personal and unique and depends on the couple and how they want to be photographed.