Wedding Guide
How To Plan An Engagement Session
An engagement session is a short, relaxed photo shoot - usually one to two hours - that you do sometime between getting engaged and the wedding. Most couples book one for save-the-date photos. The more useful reason to do it is that it lets you work with a photographer properly before you commit to them for the wedding day, when there are no second chances.
Updated
Photography by Refract Photography LLC, plus stock imagery from Unsplash
Do you need an engagement session?
Strictly speaking, no - plenty of couples skip it and are perfectly happy. But there is one argument for doing it that we think is genuinely strong, and it has very little to do with the photos.
Why we think it is worth it
Your wedding photographer is the one vendor you hire almost entirely on faith. You look at a portfolio of other people's weddings, you have a nice conversation, and then you hand over one of the largest line items in your budget for a day that cannot be redone. You have tasted the cake and walked the venue. The photographer you book sight unseen.
An engagement session fixes that. An hour in, you know whether they put you at ease, whether they direct you clearly, and whether you like how you look in their images. None of that is visible in a portfolio, and all of it decides whether your wedding photos feel like you.
- You learn how they direct you, before the day that matters
- You see how you look in their images, not just how strangers do
- Saying no costs you an afternoon instead of a wedding gallery
When you can reasonably skip it
It is not compulsory, and there are honest reasons to pass. If your budget is tight, the money is better spent on wedding-day coverage hours. If you have already worked with the photographer, you know what you need to know.
- Your budget is better spent on wedding-day hours
- You have been photographed by them before
- You are not using the images for save-the-dates
When should you book your engagement session?
There are two different answers depending on why you are doing it. If the photos are for save-the-dates, work backwards from the post date and leave room for delivery. If the session is a trial run, do it before you sign anything.
12+ months out
If it is a trial run, book here
Good photographers fill peak dates a year or more ahead. Shooting a session before you sign a wedding contract leaves you room to say no and still have real options.
Stage 19 to 11 months out
If the photos are for save-the-dates
Save-the-dates typically post six to eight months before the wedding. Working back from that, allow three to six weeks for editing plus a buffer for printing, and this is where the session needs to land.
Stage 23 to 6 weeks after
Gallery delivered
Expect three to six weeks to receive your edited images - longer than most couples assume, so plan ahead if you are using them for save-the-dates, prints or a website. Confirm the timeline in writing before you book.
Stage 3
Season matters more than most couples expect. The same park looks completely different in April and October, and the light in the hour before sunset is worth planning around. If a particular look matters to you, pick the season first and the date second.
The First Decision
Where should you have your engagement session?
Somewhere that means something, or somewhere that looks like the photos you keep saving.
Pick somewhere that means something to you, or somewhere that looks like the photos you have been saving. Both work. What does not work is picking a location just because it is popular.
Three things decide whether a location actually photographs well. Light: open shade and low sun beat harsh midday sun in an otherwise beautiful spot. Space: a few different backdrops within short walking distance give you variety without spending the session in a car. People: genuinely popular locations are busy at golden hour on a Saturday, and it is harder to relax with an audience.
It also helps to just ask. Someone who shoots your area regularly already knows which spots work in which month, where the light lands at 6pm, and which car park to use. That local knowledge beats anything you will find on a list, which is why we write up engagement locations city by city - what each spot is like to shoot, when it looks best, and real sessions photographed there.
Worth checking before you commit
- Which direction does the light come from at your session time?
- How many distinct backdrops are within a short walk?
- How busy does it get on the day of the week you are shooting?
- Is there a permit, an entry fee, or parking to sort out?
Sessions We Love
The Decision That Matters
How do you choose a photographer for your engagement session?
Start with style. Price tells you what you would pay, not what you would get.
Start with style, not price. Photographers broadly fall into a few approaches - documentary, editorial, fine art, and blends of those - and the gap between those approaches is far bigger than the gap between two photographers working in the same one. Work out which you are drawn to before you start comparing quotes, which is what understanding wedding photography styles is for.
When you look at a portfolio, ask for full galleries rather than highlight reels. Anyone can assemble twelve great frames. A complete gallery tells you whether they are consistent, how they handle difficult light, and whether they photograph people who look like you and your guests.
Then have a conversation. You are hiring someone to spend your entire wedding day at your shoulder, closer to you than most of your guests will be. If the first call feels like hard work, the day will too. You can browse wedding photographers by location and work through profiles at your own pace.
Questions worth asking on the first call
- Can we see two or three complete galleries, start to finish?
- How would you describe the way you work on the day?
- Is an engagement session included if we book you for the wedding?
- Who actually shoots our wedding - you, or an associate?
Want us to handle the shortlist?
Tell us what you are drawn to, roughly where and when you are getting married, and what you hope to spend. We will come back with photographers who genuinely fit, and set up a session with the one you like most. Free for couples.
How much does an engagement session cost?
It depends on the photographer, and mostly on whether the session is bundled into a wedding package or booked on its own. Bundled is usually better value, and it is common enough that it is worth asking about before you treat it as an extra line item. These four questions settle the number faster than any price list.
- Is the session included if we book you for the wedding?
- How many edited images do we get, and how long until we have them?
- Is there a travel fee for the location we have in mind?
- Do we get print rights for the images?
For real figures rather than generalities, we keep wedding photography cost guides with current ranges, and our pricing page explains why working with us is free for couples.
How do you make engagement photos feel like you?
The difference between a session you tolerate and one you love is usually decided before the camera comes out.
Do something real
The most natural galleries have some activity in them - walking somewhere you like, cooking, being at home with the dog - rather than standing in a field being told where to put your hands.
Wear what you own
Pick things you feel good in and will not spend the hour adjusting. Two coordinated but different looks give the gallery range. Loud patterns pull attention away from faces.
Expect fifteen odd minutes
Almost everyone feels awkward at the start, including the couples who look completely relaxed in the final gallery. A good photographer expects it and talks you through it.
Say what you want
If you want ten frames you would hang on a wall, say so. If you mostly want to feel comfortable with them before the wedding, say that instead. They will shoot it differently.
Where To Go From Here
The two decisions that follow from this guide, and the numbers behind them.
Engagement Locations
Locations written up city by city - what each spot is like to shoot, when it looks best, and real sessions photographed there.
View More
Wedding Photographers
Browse photographers by location, compare full galleries rather than highlight reels, and find the style you keep coming back to.
View More
What It Costs
Current wedding photography price ranges, what drives them, and what is normally included at each level.
View MoreCommon Questions
Before You Book
How long does an engagement session usually take?
Most engagement sessions run one to two hours. That is generally enough for one location with a few different backdrops, or two locations close together, plus an outfit change if you want one.
Shorter sessions of around 45 minutes exist and work fine if you are confident in front of a camera and only need a handful of images.
How many photos do you get from an engagement session?
It varies by photographer, but a one to two hour session commonly delivers somewhere between 30 and 100 edited images, typically three to six weeks after the shoot. Ask for the specific number and the delivery window before you book.
The count matters less than the consistency. Ask to see a complete session gallery rather than a highlight selection so you know what the full set looks like.
Should you do your engagement session at your wedding venue?
It can be a smart move. It lets the photographer scout the light and the layout before the wedding day, and it gives you a feel for the space without the pressure of the event.
The tradeoff is that your engagement photos and wedding photos will share a backdrop, so the two galleries look more alike. If you want visual variety between them, shoot somewhere else.
What should you wear for engagement photos?
Wear clothes you already own and feel comfortable in, in colours that work together without being identical. Avoid anything you will keep adjusting, and avoid loud patterns, which pull attention away from your faces.
Two looks is plenty for a one to two hour session. Consider the location as well - the same outfit reads very differently on a city street and on a beach.
How far in advance should you book an engagement session?
If the photos are for save-the-dates, aim for nine to eleven months before the wedding. That allows three to six weeks for editing, plus time for printing and posting.
If you are using the session to decide whether to book that photographer for the wedding, book it earlier and before you sign a wedding contract, so you still have options if it is not the right fit.
Can you use engagement photos for your save-the-dates?
Yes, and it is one of the most common reasons couples book a session. Confirm two things with the photographer first: that you have print rights for the images, and what the delivery timeline is.
Work backwards from when you want to post, and give yourself more room than feels necessary. Save-the-dates typically go out six to eight months before the wedding, and editing usually takes three to six weeks on top of printing time.
Photography on this page by Refract Photography LLC, plus stock imagery from Unsplash