This year will be the first friend wedding-filled year of my life! Never before have I had this many new & good friends getting engaged! I guess I’m hitting that age where it all starts! Working in the wedding business, I am constantly up on the wedding trends, wedding charts and graphics, etc. :)

One thing I love about my job is being able to briefly help my brides (& now good friends), figure out how to get things done here and there for their weddings!

A question that comes up from mostly all of my potential clients, & my good friends (whose weddings I get to attend or be in), is when should I  schedule my engagement session?

I’m not going to tell you when you should get your engagement session done because that’s a decision that is different for every couple, but here are three questions I encourage you to think about in figuring out the best time to schedule your e-session! :)

 

1. What do you want to use the engagement photos for? (Save the Dates, Invitations, Decor, etc.)

If you want to use the photos for a Save the Date, It’s best to book your engagement session at least 8 or 9 months before your wedding date! Why? Because depending on who your photographer and designer are for the Save the Dates, it takes time to process your photos and design & print the Save the Dates! Save the Dates are typically sent out 6 months in advanced for those who need to travel! I would suggest this same timeline if you’re doing a Photobook that serves as a guest book! Of course if you ran out of time, you may be able to rush-order both! But keep in mind that it may cost more!

If you’re not doing that and just using it for invitations, it’s best to get them done at latest 6-7 months in advanced. Again,  depending on your photographer & the processing time, it gives you time to get them printed and put into your invitations, which are usually sent out  two months prior to your wedding! If you’re just printing the photos separately from your actual invitations, you can get away with having them taken 4-5 months in advanced, but the sooner the better!

Of course if you’re getting them done solely for wedding decorations, you can postpone them back to 3-4 months in advanced, but that’s certainly cutting it close! With all this in mind, I recommend getting them done as early as possible so that if anything, you have them ready and usable for whatever you have in mind! :)

 

2. How do you want your engagement session to be like?

If you want something more rustic, or in certain weather conditions, you have to think ahead on what seasons are coming around! Plants are usually dead in the winter or in the dead of the summer! If you want snow… well.. you’d have to plan ahead to book when there will actually be snow (which is tough if you live in California)!

What clothes do you want to wear? Something warm? Something summery? Fall colors (which I love)? Weather and season can have an affect on these things! So when you’re planning your engagement session, and thinking about this all, remember the weather and the time changes! They’re things that sometimes we think of last, but can affect our schedule!

 

3. Do you know the photographer you are thinking about investing with?

It’s understandable that in the chaos of wedding planning, all the major details of your actual day surpass your thoughts on things like photographers, and engagement photos! I would absolutely love for every bride to want to hire me before they think about their venue, wedding dress, catering, wedding cake, etc., but for some reason those details more often than not come first. I wonder why? ;)

If photography is a priority & a desire,but something you can’t decide & fully book with just yet, I do recommend contacting the photographer you are interested in working with! If you are a potential client, the earlier you inquire about my services the better! That way, right off the bat you are aware of my availabilities for bookings for either weddings or engagements (You can do that right here! ;D)!

 

 

At the end of the day, if you’re wondering when you should have your engagement session done, message your photographer hopefully me) as soon as you can! :)

Happy Tuesday!