A lot of photographers don’t include engagement sessions in their wedding packages anymore. We do, and there are so many reasons why. When a couple books us to photograph their wedding day, we’re still strangers to them. The engagement session give us all a chance to get to know each other, and we get comfortable hanging out together. It’s also a great opportunity to create some creative images that might not be possible on the day of the wedding (like hitting a book shop).  It also allows the couple to get any camera jitters out of the way before the wedding. All of this is necessary in our books, but I also have a purely selfish motive. I need this time to remember what our couples are like. We always meet with people before we book them, it’s so important that we make sure we all mesh and we’ll have fun on their wedding day. I’m going to confess something now. When we first started out, probably the first five years, I remembered EVERYONE. Their names, their families, their stories. I have a people memory. As we get busier in our business, and now that we have kids, my brain has had to shift. I have a mom brain now. It’s full of kid activities and schedules and all those worries moms carry in their minds. So I love to have these engagement sessions to really remember the couple. Once we photograph them, I remember. And then we have an engagement session filled with books, light & love, well you know I’m going to remember that!

Emilie and Andrew requested the book shop as one location for their photos. I adore when couples think of a setting, or a place, or an activity that resonates with them. It makes the photos more meaningful! It was also a great way to get some variety and stay warm for their winter engagement session.

Gareth and I had the rare opportunity to go to this session together. It’s not often childcare lines up for engagement sessions, so they did. Gareth photographed this whole session, I didn’t even have a camera with me. I think he gets overlooked quite often since I’m our voice through email and social media. But it was a really cool opportunity for me to watch him work, and stand back and assist him when he needed.

This whole session was a blast. We laughed so much, through trying to spray the bubbly, keeping warm, and my attempts at running around them with a sparkler! haha! Gareth tried to show me up at the end with his own sparkler run, but mine was the best. Their wedding day is going to be so amazing, I’m sure of it.

Emilie and Andrew, you two are wonderful! We really enjoyed hanging out with you, and we cannot wait for your wedding this year!

Sincerely,
Shauna & Gareth xox