What is a pre-wedding or engagement shoot?

A pre-shoot, engagement or pre-wedding shoot is a short photo session with your wedding photographer a few months before your big day. The main aim of the pre-wedding shoot is to get used to being in front of the camera, build rapport with your photographer, and receive a lovely album of your engagement shoot well before your wedding. If you're wondering why would someone want to have an engagement shoot, then be sure to check out my article on '5 reasons why you need engagement photos'.

So what exactly is a pre-wedding shoot and should you have one?

In the past 10 years or so, in the UK, it has become more popular to book an engagement photo session. A lot of wedding photographers offer this, some as an add-on to their wedding photography package or some include it as part of their package (for myself, this is an extra add-on on for £99 only). More details about my pre-wedding package can be found here.

There are many reasons as to why couples would have an engagement shoot. But the main aim is to get to know your photographer and also for them to get to know you as a couple. You can spend a little bit of time in a low-pressure situation talking about and overcoming your fears of getting photographed and rehearsing the role of being models in front of the camera. And at the end, you'll receive a selection of romantic and fun pre-wedding photographs, these are the perfect photos for Save The Date cards.

Of course, as for any package, It is entirely up to you as the couple to opt in or out of having a pre-wedding shoot, but I’d highly recommend it, especially if you’re a bit nervous about being in front of the camera or want to try a few poses and prepare for your big day.