Engagement photos are some of my favorite images to take. Hands-down. It’s the perfect time to get creative and capture some truly unique photos of the couple you’re working with, and I always have a blast with the bride- and groom-to-be.
A lot of couples use engagement sessions so that they can include a photo or two in their “Save The Dates”, or the prelude to the real invitation to let friends + family know to put their wedding date in the calendar. I love it when a couple wants to do something creative + different for their engagement photos with the idea of that “Save The Date” photo in mind. For example, Liz + Brian brought their own hand-painted signs for the shoot:
Liz did a fabulous job with her watercolors to create these adorable + personalized signs for her engagement session. Paired with the colorful background and her cerulean blue shirt, the photos have that gorgeous color pop that accentuates her handmade details.
In addition to signs like these, I’ve seen couples use chalkboards, Scrabble tiles and even the bottoms of their shoes as locations to display their wedding date. My favorites are the ones where the dog has a sign around its neck (which my corgi Sherman will be doing when I get engaged) with the wedding date emblazoned upon it. Some of these photos turn out beautifully and are just so cute! I love how creative you can get with this kind of photo.
However, not all brides- and grooms-to-be are keeping it classy like Liz + Brian did. In the wedding photography industry, we’re seeing a growing trend that involves the defacing of public and private property in order to display the wedding date. Sometimes, it’s with something as harmless as chalk (just don’t forget to wash it off when you’re done!) but other times, it’s with a material that’s much more permanent.
Photo || Ron Dressel Photography
A friend of mine recently posted a photo of the remnants of a Save The Date photo shoot on Facebook. In the photo, a white barn-like building was vandalized with what seemed to be a permanent marker or possibly worse — it looked as though it had been etched into the building itself. Judging by the comments on the photo, we were all awed that someone would actually do this.
I get it — I’m a photographer. I want to create that perfect photo for you and make it as awesome + as unique as possible. On the other hand, there is a line that I won’t cross, and I’m hoping no other photographers will cross it, either. I will do damn near anything to get an amazing photo (I’ll also do damn near anything for a burrito) but damaging someone else’s property for a photo? No way.
As professional photographers, it is our duty to ensure that no such vandalization takes place during one of our shoots. Not only is it disrespectful, it’s also illegal.
With inspiration-based websites such as Pinterest, it’s so easy to find tons of awesome ideas + examples for your “Save The Date” photo that don’t involve ruining someone else’s property. There are so many different ways to take a unique “Save The Date” photo that damaging someone’s home or building shouldn’t be an option at all.
So, in order to help combat this trend that’s becoming more and more popular, I took to Pinterest to source some ideas for you awesome brides- and grooms-to-be out there! I’ve collected a few of my favorite ideas for you in this blog post. You can go crazy with some of these ideas and make really fab, personalized crafts for your shoot. It can be displayed on almost anything — baseballs, string banners, even plain old Photoshopping the date on the photo is fine. Just keep it classy. :)
Hopefully you’ll find some inspiration here that will allow you to let your creativity + individuality as a couple show through without disturbing anyone else’s property. Enjoy + have an amazing engagement shoot!
Photo || Priscila Valentina Photography
Photo || Set Free Photography
Photo || Brittany Janelle Photography
Photo || MD Turner Photography
Photo || Korie Lynn Photography
Photo || Jenica Sparks Photography
Photo || Wedding Paper Divas
Buy this sign on Etsy! || The Paper Walrus
Photo || Bellagala
Photo || Bettencourt Chase Photography
Photo || Avery House
Photo || Smart Cliq
Photo || Mary Dougherty
Photo || Sunlit Studios
Photo || Macon Photography
Photo || Miss Moss
Photo || Waller Weddings
Buy these postcards on Etsy! || My August Press
Photo || Dyanna Joy Photography
Photo || Mustard Seed Photography
And yes, I saved the best for last…
Photo || Shift-4 Photography
All engagement photos were found on Pinterest and the appropriate photographer/business have been credited.