What are Bridal Portraits? Engagement Sessions? Which is Right for You? We Ask a Pro!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Engagement photos are, by our observations, becoming more popular with modern, engaged couples. They're certainly a great opportunity to get pictures of the two of you that are timeless and solidify that the wedding is about the bride and groom, instead of just the bride. So is this becoming the norm and is it taking the place of bridal shoots? I went one-on-one with Amber Vongsamphanh of Lotus Blossom Photography to get the scoop on what a Bridal Portrait vs. an Engagement Session entails and why she thinks couples are now opting for the latter.
(Engagement Photography)
(Bridal Portrait)
Tell us a little bit about Bridal Portraits and Engagement Sessions - what are they for?
Bridal sessions are kind of old school. It’s an old, southern tradition that a lot of moms like, more so than daughters. Like I did mine because my mother wanted me to and not because I wanted to. There are advantages to this too – hair trial and makeup trial so I could see how it could look with the dress and I ended up changing my hair on the wedding day because I didn’t like how it looked with the dress.
For engagement sessions, usually it's the first time the photographer meets the couple, it's a lot more laid back than the wedding, obviously, and It’s helpful because we get to know them better.
What are the advantages of having an engagement session?
Once the couple gets relaxed with you as a photographer, they’re more relaxed on the wedding day. So it’s nice to get pictures of people together. It’s also a good time to make sure you really like your photographer’s pictures. Personally, if you could do one or the other I would do engagement over bridal.
Why?
It’s nice to have a record of yourelves before you get married. I love having pictures of the couple more in their element. Sometimes it’s important after your wedding to look back at that. It’s helpful to have the photos to do something with a save the date. A lot of people do guest books, some decorate their weddings with pictures.
Personalized pictures mounted on an easel make the guest table much more interesting.
When do you suggest a couple schedule their engagement session?
I would suggest off season from the wedding so if it’s a summer wedding, try to do the engagement photos late fall and vice versa just to have a different look from wedding pictures. I try to get couples to pick some palce to have significance to them it helps to have pictures that have more meaning. Bring pets. Or somewhere downtown where they got engaged.
What advice would you have for couples making a decision on either?
If you want either of those and you want to have them ready for the wedding tell your photographer in enough time to schedule it to be done. Bridal portraits are usually a big print in a frame on display, figure in editing time and framing it takes a while. At least a month. Take into account alteration times. Scheduling your hair and makeup trials.
Big thanks to Amber for taking the time to chat. Remember, whichever you choose, be it engagement session or bridal portrait, definitely pick the one your heart is set on and don't forget to allow plenty of time to get the pictures together! For more of Amber's work and to get in touch with her for your photography needs, visit her website at LotusBlossomPhotography.com.
About the Author:
Tabitha
Blogging is something I’ve enjoyed doing for years. My interests lie mostly in lifestyle related topics like fashion, style, design, food and weddings. When I heard Ashley was looking to bring on new members to the ABG team, I jumped at the opportunity - I can’t think of a better way to stay involved in weddings than to write about them and to stay in touch with the trends and new ideas. Lucky for me, Ashley likes my blog and trusts my experience to bring me on and so far, it’s been a blast.
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Posted on May 19, 2011 |
Filed under: Photography & Videography
