Lately you may have noticed that a large number of our shoots are called “Pre-Wedding Photography”. They may just look like engagement photos, or bridal portraits, but they are much more than that. These photo sessions, at least for us, begin with the bride and groom to be dressing up in their wedding gowns and suits, and choosing a unique location for photos. Often the couple will choose a location that is an extreme contrast to what their wedding will actually be. So if they are getting married in a giant banquet hall in the city, they may choose a garden or country setting. In the case for the couple below, they chose the forest and the beach.

So what is it with couples getting all dressed up before the big day for photos?

Pre-Wedding photography shoots are quite popular among the Asian community here in Canada and also abroad. But its not specifically traditional to an Asian wedding. Its kind of a new experience that couples are treating themselves to.  We have talked with all of our couples about why they choose to see one another before the day, why they choose to dress up, and why not just keep it all on the wedding day. Everyone has different reasons for their choice to do pre-wedding photography. Some say that their guests list is so long that they don’t have much time to leave the wedding celebrations for creative photos. Some say that it is important to them and their families to showcase photos of them at their reception in their dress and suit. Others have told us that the wedding is a big family affair and that the pre-wedding photo experience is something special they chose to do together, just for them.

I love all of these reasons, and I wish more couples would this style of photo shoot too. From a photography point of view, and in our experiences, each couple we have worked with before their wedding has been calm, and relaxed and really enjoyed their time. These pre-wedding sessions are stress free, yet still exciting. When we talked with some of our couples who wanted to wait until the walk down the aisle to see one another, their reasons were always because they wanted to see the genuine reaction on their partners faces as they see them all dolled up. While those expressions can be genuine for some, it is not so true for others. So the good news is that, if you are one of those couples who doesn’t like to tear up in public, or might suffer from “deer in the headlights eyes” or just the thought of having 150 of your closest friends and family watch you walk down the aisle paralyzes you with fear.

Don’t sweat it, you have options! Try pre-wedding photography. Vivian & Patrick lead very busy lives and were married this fall. So pre-wedding photography for them was about showing off images at their reception, having gorgeous photos of them looking amazing for their parents to see and about spending the afternoon together. It was such a fun shoot.

Congratulations to Patrick & Vivian.

Cheers

& Ryan