A Tale of Two Engagement Shoots

Hey wedding planners! I'm here to advocate for doing two engagement shoots. Before y'all get all up in arms about not being made of money - hear me out. Sarah and I had our engagement photos shot with our wedding photographer (Michael Handwerk Photography) in August. It was a fantastic way to get to know Michael, experience what it's like to be the center of attention, and try to shed the awkwardness of being in front of the camera. The photos turned out great, though you can definitely see our discomfort in a few of the photos.

Fast forward a few months, and a friend who is looking to get into photography offered a photo shoot for twenty bucks so she could get some practice. In this shoot, there were no stakes, we were with a friend, and we were much more comfortable giving ideas and direction, which we will in turn practice on the day of the wedding. Ultimately, this second experience relaxed us and helped us prepare for the best way to get the photos we want to commemorate our wedding day.

The moral of the story is this: find an up and coming photographer to do a shoot with you between your engagement shoot and your wedding. It's affordable, you can get any shots you may have missed on the first go round, and it prepares you to advocate for what you want on your wedding day.