Woohoo! You’re engaged!! This season of life is such an exciting time in a relationship, but it also can come with a seemingly never-ending to-do list before the wedding day. As you go over your to do list you may have “schedule engagement photos” listed, but now comes the big question: when should you take your engagement photos?
- How will you use your engagement photos?
In the hopes of helping you determine when an engagement session will work best for your busy schedule, I suggest asking yourself these three questions:
Will you and your fiancé be sending a Save the Date card that features your engagement photos? Are you setting up a wedding website? Or do you two want to use the photos personally as a memento of this time in your lives? If you plan to feature your engagement photos on a Save the Date card, I’d highly recommend scheduling an engagement session farther in advance. Save the Dates are generally sent to guests between 4-6 months before a local wedding or 6-8 months prior to a destination wedding. In either case, taking your engagement photos one to two months before sending your Save the Date card is ideal to allow time for your photographer to deliver the finished gallery to your inbox and give you proper time for printing. If your photos will be displayed on your wedding website, you’ll also want to consider when you’d like to publish the site for your guests. Once you know when you’d like to publish it, I suggest giving yourself a week or two beforehand to upload the images to your site. Lastly, if your images will be for personal use only, you have much more flexibility as to when you can take them- even a month prior to the wedding could work in that case.
- What season will be best for your engagement photos?
Weather is a BIG thing to consider when scheduling any photography session if the shoot will be outside. Do you live somewhere it rains or snows frequently? Is it windy, cloudy, hot or somewhere in between? Imagine your perfect engagement photos- what does it look like? Surrounded by snow? In a lush green field? A sunny desert? Once you have an idea of what scenery you’re hoping for, you can determine which season will best accommodate your vision. For example, if you live in the always sunny Phoenix, Arizona- the summer is a tough time for engagement photos since it is so dang hot. In order to work with the Arizona heat, a summer shoot here may entail traveling to cooler weather for the photos or being up and at ’em for a sunrise shoot. Considering your local weather during each season is a great way to narrow down a timeframe for you.
- What is your availability and your Photographers?
A busy schedule comes with the wedding planning territory so I suggest considering multiple dates that would work for you and your fiancés schedule and then coordinating with your Photographer to set the perfect shooting date. When it comes to wedding planning, communication as well as organization is absolutely key! Booking your session well in advance will ensure securing your ideal date, time, location, and of course-photographer, so you can be sure you’ll receive engagement photos you’ll cherish for decades to come!
I hope these tips will help determine when to schedule your engagement session!
