Engagement Pictures- Where to start.

And so starts the process of people taking pictures of you for the next 6-18 months.

I've heard many people ask before "Why even spend money on engagement pictures?!" My response is usually "for your save the dates". "But Brianna", you say, "I don't want to do picture save the dates! We are world travelers, so we are using mini maps with a heart around the location of our ceremony!" (Great idea by the way!)

Do you want to make a picture book for people to sign instead of a traditional guest book? Or will people sign a photo mat? Would you want pictures at each table as part of your centerpiece? Is it already part of your photography package? (Engagement pictures are a great way to warm up to your wedding photographer, by the way.) If the answer to all of these questions is "no", I ask you one more question- Why not? If you can have an hour long session with a photographer for $100-$150, and you get the rights to the pictures, why not? Hire a photography student. Just go for it. You're madly in love. Capture it. If they suck, well, you didn't really care in the first place, now did you?

This post could go on FOREVER- who to hire, where to take them, what to wear, what we did, where we went, what we wore, how I decided on the location, how I decided on the photographer. So let me cut it down to the basics.

Consistency- Are you getting married in a garden? Then don't have your engagement pictures in the city.

See what we did there? Wine glasses, Wine, nature. Consistent! Go check out Tina Mortela Photography!

Affordability- I did not count what I spent on our engagement pictures as part of the $12k budget. Know what you're paying for. Try to negotiate for the digital rights to all the pictures. This will come in very handy in the future.

Enjoyability- if you're miserable, you will see it in the pictures. Don't be one of those people. You know, the ones who always say "Oh, I hate having pictures taken of me!". GET OVER IT! You're getting married. You're the center of attention. There will be hundreds of pictures taken of you over the next 6-18 months. Get used to it. A good photographer can do wonders with lighting and posing. And don't forget our friend PhotoShop.

What could be more enjoyable than in your own back yard with your adorable pup? Seriously, go check out Tina!

In my next post, we will talk a little bit more about what to wear for your pictures, and how our whole photo shoot went down. Believe me, it's worth it's own blog post.