A few times a year I’ll get an email requesting information for an engagement shoot but not requesting info for the wedding. Often times brides think about the save the dates and getting those out before locking in the wedding photographer and of course to send out those save the dates they want their engagement portraits captured to use. The thought process makes complete and total sense and I totally get it. However, I’m here to answer that all important question,

Who Should Photograph Your Engagement Portraits?

The Short Answer: Your Hired Wedding Photographer

But now, you ask why is that? Why does it really matter?

And honestly, it’s really a very simple answer.

Engagement Portraits are a VITAL part of the entire process. During your engagement session, you’ll have the chance to get to know your wedding photographer, experience how they shoot and how they handle posing and lighting.

During your session, your photographer will get to know you as a couple. They’ll arrive on your wedding day knowing how you two interact, what your best poses are and how to photograph you in a genuine way. This session will make a HUGE impact on how the wedding day flows. What they will learn about you during your engagement session is invaluable!

You walk away from the engagement session, being comfortable with your photographer. The three of you have just spent a good hour or so together, talking and getting to know each other. So on your wedding day, you aren’t complete strangers and as a result the images they can capture on your wedding day are more genuine to you as a couple and as a person because you’re more open to being yourself with them around.

After your engagement session, you will feel like such a pro in front of the camera because of the great practice you had, which means you can rock the camera in your wedding day images!

Last and certainly not least, chances are having your wedding photographer photograph your engagement portraits will save you money! A large number of wedding photographers see the great value in the engagement session and as a result will include the cost of the engagement session (or in my case gift it to you) in their packages. So instead of hiring someone else and paying an additional couple hundred dollars to photograph your engagement portraits and then finding your wedding photographer and hiring them. You can hire your wedding photographer for $3500 and get your engagement portraits included in the package.

If this blog post about Who Should Photograph Your Engagement Portraits? was helpful, you might also find these helpful:
Ideal Wedding Day Timeline | Wedding Advice
Why Do Couples Need A Wedding Planner | Angelica & Co Weddings
The Best Time of Day For Photos 

Check out these Old Town Alexandria Engagement Portraits of Kelley and Tim here.