Somerset wedding photography - Should you have an engagement shoot?

If you think engagement shoots are just an American thing, think again! More and more couples are choosing to book an engagement or pre wedding shoot ahead of their wedding day right here in the UK. But you may ask yourself, do I need an engagement shoot? The answer is, if you are both super confident and relaxed in front of the camera and have tons of beautiful photos of you together already, then maybe you don’t need an engagement or pre wedding shoot. But, if like most of our couples, you are nervous about the thought of being in front of a professional camera on your wedding day, and if you want practice on getting comfortable posing together in front of the camera then an engagement or pre wedding shoot is for you! Also, it’s a great way to see in advance how your wedding photographers work and get tons of tips to apply to your big day, AND you’ll get a great set of photos of the two of you before you tie the knot! It will give you a taste of what to expect on your wedding day and help you feel more relaxed in front of a professional camera.

But what does a pre wedding shoot look like? Every photographer will be slightly different in their approach but let us talk you through what an engagement shoot will look like with us. We would discuss locations with you, are you more of an outdoor couple who like to go on adventures together, or do you prefer cosy cafes and mooching around a book store? Once we get an idea of what you are like as a couple then we can decide on a location. And of course we are happy to suggest locations for you, especially in or around the Somerset area. We send all our couples an email a few weeks before with advice on how to prepare for the shoot, it’s full of tips from what to expect, what to wear and how long the shoot will last. You can also use an engagement shoot to test out your hair and make up ahead of the big day.

We would advise to have an engagement shoot within 6 months of the engagement, for a pre wedding shoot aim for around 6-12 months before the big day. Take into consideration the seasons when deciding on the date, we suggest March or October as the best months due to the low sun light. Talk to your photographers as they will know the best times of day to shoot to capture the best lighting. There is always one main aim from any kind of shoot you have with us, and that’s for you to have fun, relax and enjoy it! We always find the best photographs are the ones where you forget we are even there. And last but not least, it’s a great way for us to get to know each other, you’re going to spend a lot of time with your photographers on your wedding day, so it’s a great way to get to know the person behind the camera. As we always say, the more comfortable and relaxed you feel with your photographers the better your photos will look!