One of the most important decisions you will make for your wedding is choosing your photographer! A lot of photographers will include an engagement session with their wedding packages. Having your wedding photographer shoot your engagement session is a great way for you to work together before the wedding. This experience is essential to help you visualize how the real wedding will go, especially with posing. With your wedding photographer taking your engagement session, you will have beautiful photos and be ready when the big day comes. There are many things you can do with your portraits afterward such as creating a guest book or save the date cards. Here are the best ways on how to use your engagement portraits!
Wedding Invitations
If you aren’t sending out save-the-date cards and just sending an invitation, you can use your engagement photos for these. Many couples choose to share a portrait from their engagement session on their wedding invitation. You can incorporate several images from your shoot into your invitation suite especially when you include the RSVP card, menu card, directions to the church or venue, and hotel accommodations. You can even create your own postage stamp just for your wedding invitations with the U.S. Post Office. These are just a few ways you can use your professional engagement pictures to give your wedding invitations a more personal touch.
Framed Photos For Your Home
There is no better way to start the new life you will be sharing than decorating your new home with framed photos from your engagement session. Having these images hanging on the walls around your home is the perfect way to remember the special moments you shared during your photoshoot and those to come. When you walk by that one favorite portrait from your session in the hallway, it will being back sweet memories of you and your special someone.
Wedding Displays
One trend I continue to see is wedding couples using their engagement portraits on display to decorate their reception venue. There are several ways you can your images this way. The bride and groom will have four-by-six or five-by-seven prints made and framed for reception tables. Other couples will have large prints framed that line the walls of the inside perimeter of the wedding venue. Another popular idea is for the bride and groom to have a large matted print for all the guests to sign, as opposed to a traditional guest book. They later have this framed and hang it in their house. It’s a great way to remember all the people who attended the wedding!
Guest Book
A customized guest book that fits you and your fiance’s personalities is a great way to display your engagement photos! You can keep your guest book simple with just an image on the cover and blank pages for guests to sign. The guest book can be more personal and include your engagement photos on the inside with some white space for guests to leave their wedding wishes. Some couples have included a storyline along with their images to let their guests know how they met, fell in love, and became engaged. However, the guest book doesn’t have to be an actual book either! Wedding couples who are musicians or love music have had a record made with their favorite song and an engagement photo in the middle for guests to sign.
Gifts for Wedding Guests
You want your guests to walk away from the wedding with a unique wedding favor. From key chains to postcards and magnets, these can all be made with one of your engagement photos. You’ll want your guests to take home something special to remember your wedding day. However, the ideas don’t stop there! There are several other items you can make for your guests using your engagement images. You can even order personalized Hershey kisses with your photos on the bottom and incorporate your wedding colors in the foil.
Social Media
We can’t forget to show off your engagement session on social media! This is the most popular way to display your love for each other to your family and friends. Once wedding couples receive their engagement portraits, they change their profile photo and share their favorites online. The easiest way to keep up with all of your important people is on social media. They will be so excited to see that you are tying the knot! Of course, remember to tag your photographer!
Save the Dates
One of the most popular reasons to schedule an engagement session is to use those images for your save-the-date cards. Especially if your wedding date is a year or more away, sending these out to your guest list is a great way to remind them of your wedding. You can use your favorite images on your save-the-date cards that show that special connection between each other. The best part of sending these out is your wedding guests can attach them to their refrigerators and see your smiling faces every day!
Photo Montage
Having a sideshow playing as your guests enter the reception, enjoy cocktail hour, or at your rehearsal dinner is a great way to create conversation. It also adds a little sentimental value. You can include your favorite images from your engagement session along with some photos from your childhood. It may make your parents cry to see pictures of you when you were little, but creating a photo montage like this adds a special touch to your wedding day.
With so many ideas at your fingertips, you will have no problem finding creative ways for how to use your engagement portraits as you plan your wedding! As a photographer who includes engagement sessions with my wedding packages, I’m ready to document your love story! Reach out to me soon so we can plan a date for your engagement portraits!
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