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WHY you should have an engagement session with your Photographer!

August 19, 2020 By Erin Bacon

Engagement photos!

I’ve answered this question a few times with my brides and why I encourage them to schedule an engagement session with their photographer. Instead of answering it on the blog as your planner, I want to tell you about our experience and why it meant so much to me as a bride!

For our wedding, we were planning the event living outside of Philadelphia but to take place in my hometown, Williamsburg, VA later that year. One thing I knew right off the bat is I wanted one of my right-hand girls to be our photographer, Olivia Rae Photography! Luckily, she lived in our area so we were not limited by traveling over state lines to take our photos, only by the weather!

Olivia was not just a friend though, she is a trusted professional so I knew our wedding photos would be in great hands right off the bat! Having that trust in your photographer is SO important, and hiring a professional is equally if not more so important!

I also knew she would be great at what I pictured my fiance and my’s dynamic to be. I was excited and bubbly and couldn’t wait to have our photos taken! My fiance at the time was LESS than excited for a photo shoot. I hear this from my brides as one of the main reasons they don’t want to do the engagement shoot – their fiance really doesn’t want to, nor does he see the point. He is not alone in that, and that is OK! Or if you as the bride feel that way, it’s OK!

But. Your photographer needs that time and chance to get to know you both, behind the camera. You all will learn how to best communicate, your endurance for photos (trust me that’s a thing), plus you end up laughing through the whole session as you learn fun facts and jokes about one another creating authentic smiles! 

Your engagement session turns out to be a little practice session for your wedding photos. On your wedding day, your photographer will be just as close and personal with you along your day as we will be as your planner (I’m talking zipping up your dress personal! ;)) 

You want to know them, trust them, feel comfortable, and not think twice about anything else with them – only focus on saying “I do!” 

To sum it up, as my girl Olivia says:

“I love engagement sessions! They give me a chance to get to know my couples and my couples to get to know me. I am able to teach them some core poses and as a result, it gets them comfortable in front of the camera. It truly is a practice round for the wedding day. I tell my couples that an engagement session is pretty much a one-hour cuddle session 🙂 I mean, who doesn’t want that?!”

Now that you’ve scheduled your engagement shoot, its time to go shopping!

We have seen some great outfits and inspiration for engagement sessions. In fact, we created a whole board on Pinterest here!

But, my advice: error on the side of chic but still comfortable. Don’t be afraid to dress up a little! We love a good Maxi, or skirt that twirls (should out to our November Bride!). And if you want to have two looks, your second can be a little more casual like jeans and a flowy sweater. Whatever you wear, make sure you are comfortable in it. Feel beautiful in what you have on and the rest will take care of itself!

Tip: be sure to let your photographer know if any vendors help contribute to your engagement shoot! It’s fun to tag the boutique your dress came from, or your hair and make-up help!

Still wondering about an engagement session? Check out this blog post by Renee Nicolo Photography on what the experience might look like so you can know what to expect!

Still wondering what to wear for an engagement session? Check out this blog post by Olivia Rae Photography (OUR photographer!) who breaks it down for you with links, and seasonal inspiration!

Oh, and if you want to see the end result from OUR engagement session now knowing our dynamic, here you go 🙂

Filed Under: Marketing, Personal, Photography, Wedding Planner

Rainy Day Weddings!

March 1, 2018 By Erin Bacon

Happy March, everyone!
Can you believe today is March 1? I know February is a short month, but for me it FLEW by! That little taste of Spring was SO wonderful, wasn’t it?! Right before those warm, beautiful days, enduring that gross rain for a week and staring at some beautiful Valentine’s Day flowers got me thinking – this is a perfect blog post! As we prepare for an amazing wedding season in 2018, I thought what better vendor spotlight than to feature a favorite photographer & preferred vendor of Laurel Wedding Co. by chatting about some rainy day tips!


Meet my sweet friend, Renée! She is a photographer, wife, sister, old soul, coffee drinking Christ follower who lives in Bucks County, PA. And trust me, her laugh and smile is just as contagious as it looks in that photo! Meeting Renée has been so fun for me – we love going to Broad Street Grind and chatting about life, love, food, and of course some weddings and our businesses sprinkled in!


You are going to love her words of wisdom about some rainy day weddings – make sure you check out her website and of course, enjoy these pictures she captured on this sweet couple’s rainy wedding day!

When Erin shared with me that she’d like me to write a guest post on her blog, I couldn’t have been more ecstatic! Today, I’ll be sharing my 3 best tips for brides to approach rainy wedding days.
This isn’t a topic that’s talked about often because who really wants it to rain on their wedding day? Yes, it might have some good luck associated with it, but rain is usually not on a bride’s wish list! BUT if it does rain on your wedding day, remember that you’ve hired the best creative team who will work together to ensure your day continues on rain or shine! Be confident in that!

I’ve seen the tips below, remain as a consistent relief for brides when preparing for rain on their wedding day!

Ask your venue what their Plan B is in case it rains!

If you’re getting married at a venue, most likely they’ve had experience with rain arriving on a wedding day! They know the ins and outs of their venue, and what works best as a Plan B if the weather is looking unpredictable! I’ve seen this be such a comfort for brides to know – right from the start – how their venue will transition into Plan B! Asking about Plan B doesn’t mean that you’ll have rain on your wedding day either! 🙂 You should know these details ahead of time, and the best part would be never having to use Plan B at all! Make sure to share Plan B with your vendor, too!

Ask your photographer how they approach rainy weddings days!

Obviously, no one wants it to rain on wedding days, but that’s just not realistic! In a photographer’s career, rain will make an appearance at some point! If it does rain that doesn’t mean you won’t have beautiful photos! Your photographer should be prepared and know how to handle rain on a wedding day!

For myself, if I know that rain might be on its way, I’ll make sure that I arrive an hour earlier to scope out alternative portrait locations! That way, when it’s time for portraits, I can use every moment with my couples to capture the photos they love without having to try and find the best locations at the same time!

You have hired your photographer to capture your wedding day, and that might mean getting a little wet! I most definitely won’t ask my couples to go out in thunder, lightning or a downpour, BUT if it’s spritzing I will most likely ask my couples – if they’re comfortable, of course – to take some portraits outside under an umbrella! I bring 8 of the clear bubble umbrellas with me, as well, for the couples and their bridal party to use! These umbrellas are always in my trunk and look so good in portraits!

Also, be flexible! If there is a break in the weather later in the day or during your reception, your photographer will most likely ask you to take more portraits outside! This allows more opportunities for your photographer to serve you well and provide you with more images that you LOVE!

Lastly, take a deep breath.

This might not be the tip that immediately comes to mind when you see rain on the forecast, and is probably the hardest out of all three tips! If it does rain, you will still receive beautiful photos and create memories that you’ll cherish for a lifetime! You have family, friends and a creative team ready to step in to ensure your day is perfect and beautiful in every way! Above all, you’re marrying your best friend and the love of your life!! Rain most definitely won’t stop that from happening! 🙂

Renée – you are a joy and I am so thankful for you; I can’t wait to continue collaborating and working together!
You’d never know it was a rainy wedding day for the couple featured in this post! Click here to see the full blog on Amanda & Ben’s Wedding.
For more information about Renee Nicolo Photography, click here!

Filed Under: Photography, Vendor Spotlight

Hi! Thank you for visiting the Laurel Wedding Co. Blog. My name is Erin and I am a native Virginian turned Wedding Planner in the Greater Philadelphia Area! I am so excited to share some of these beautiful events and amazing people I am blessed to have the opportunity to meet and work with! I hope these images, stories, and idea’s will inspire YOU during your special planning seasons!

“We love because He first loved us” 1 John 4:19

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