Pre wedding photoshoot, sounds fancy, doesn’t it? Many couples think it is unnecessary and something they can do without it during a very busy time leading up to your wedding day. I know how hectic planning a wedding can be, I know how short your time is just now but trust me when I say, this shoot is so valuable . So please take the time, spend an hour or so with your photographer, it will make a world of difference on your wedding day.
I always arrange our pre-wedding shoot to take place 4-6 weeks before the wedding date. It is an ideal time to discuss last-minute changes, and special moments that you are planning for the day and go through some of the details on any formal photographs you want to make sure I capture. In my opinion, a pre-wedding photoshoot has several benefits, read on and I’ll try to outline what they are, and why I think you should make the time to get together with your photographer around 6 weeks before you walk down the aisle.
The pre-wedding photo shoot offers an invaluable opportunity to spend quality time together in a relaxed setting, allowing us to engage in unhurried conversations, share laughter, get to know each other, and rehearse the process of capturing breath-taking images on the wedding day. It gives us the chance to seek out the most perfect spots within and in the vicinity of your chosen venue. Not many people are naturally comfortable in front of the camera. Even fewer are instantly comfortable with a stranger pointing a camera at them and asking them to ‘act natural’. Just that very phrase is enough to make most people freeze up. Our connection is the most important thing when it comes to creating photography that looks natural, emotive and elegant.
This helps us create something special, so on your wedding day you can relax in the knowledge that you can trust me to capture your wedding day as you want to remember it and, create amazing signature portraits, quickly and effortlessly. The camera captures the specific moment you have in front of it. It’s important that you can be yourself when I am photographing you, this way you will recognise yourself when you look back at the images.
This makes for a great relationship and is one less thing to worry about on the wedding day. It gives you an idea of what wedding photography style will suit you best.
No doubt you have spent an absurd amount of time deciding which photos resonate with you, thinking why that is the case and finding a photographer that matches that style. If so, well done, you’re way ahead of the game. The pre-wedding shoot is a good way to see how this chosen style works for you. You have the chance to practice poses, angles and positions and see which flatter the most. On the day we will capture all the events of your wedding in a documentary style, working quietly in the background. These images will ooze emotion and show the true you without you even having to try. It’s in the bridal, groom, and couple portraits that the value of the pre shoot is most apparent style, and important. Often, couples freeze up during these moments, they struggle to show their true emotion in front of others they are not comfortable with. This is my ‘why’ when I reflect on why I find these sessions so important. These are the images that I want you to want to hang on your wall – creative, elegant, timeless, and perfectly you. They can only be perfectly you if you both feel comfortable enough in front of the camera and with me.
This part is a no-brainer, and a great benefit of the pre-wedding shoot is you get an extra album of photos that you can use in your wedding invitations or save the date cards. Some couples choose to play them as a slideshow at the wedding reception or use these images to create gift albums for their parents to give out on the wedding day. Your pre-wedding photos can be a fantastic storyteller- narrating your love story in a splendid manner. At the Pre-wedding shoot, we will capture lots of natural moments, expressions, and real emotions between you both. These pictures will make your album more vibrant and are a great memory of your journey together.
Well, firstly, you’ve spent a lot of time and money to make this day special and you have all your loved ones around you. Some photographers will ask to take you away from your day for hours to complete a couples shoot. This time away from your guests can be special l, a stolen moment during the whirlwind of the day but I am sure you won’t want to be away too long. I want to make sure we work quickly and get you back to enjoy this day with the people you love. Secondly, I often hear brides say that they don’t want to make too much of a fuss on their wedding day…I’ve heard this so many times, but on the day all that changes. This is your day that you have planned for a long time. Take the time to imagine when you are in your dress, looking like a princess, with hair and make-up that has been practised again and again, and that looks perfect. You’re standing beside the person you love the most in the whole world, looking and feeling the best you ever have. Why wouldn’t you want to create and have amazing photos that you can look back on for the rest of your lives together? Practice makes perfect and I promise you, the pre-wedding shoot will be time well spent.
