Rosseau Muskoka Engagement – Shandie-Lyn & Jon

When we meet with couples, we are often surprised that some do not want to have an engagement session. Sometimes its for cultural and religious reasons but most of the time it is because the couple just doesn’t know what to do with the photos. Engagement photos seem like a dated tradition, where once upon a time, in yester-year families would post wedding announcements in the local paper. In the advent of online newspapers and the wave of wedding related website that publish real weddings online of real couples nuptials its not wonder engagement photos have fallen by the wayside in the young, chic, couples minds. But this might come as a shock, engagement photos are hotter than ever with new couples, and for a whole slew of new reasons. Couples are no longer asking why should we get engagement photos taken? they are now eager to know what they can do with them.

We have created a Top 5 list of creative ways to use and showcase your engagement photos, incorporate them into your wedding celebration and your life.

1. Use a photo or two to illustrate your Save the Date card: If you are looking to send out Save the Date cards but don’t have the whole style and color scheme planned out for your wedding yet, why not use a photo from your engagement ? Your invitation should encompass the style and color scheme of your wedding day, but your Save the Date card should be all about you!

2. Infuse your engagement photos into your wedding decor:  One couple had mini canvas prints from their engagement made for each table at their reception as part of the centrepieces, then they took them home afterwards and made a collage wall in their house with them. But our favorite is probably the guest signing book with images from the engagement. This is a great alternative to that old tradition of the white guest book guests write their name and a simple “Congrats!” in. That little book you will never look at again. The engagement guest signing book is a great way to get your guests involved, and gives them so much more room to say the words they really want to say to you, plus they get to look at all your beautiful happy faces in the photos too!

3. Your wedding website: Some couples create a wedding website so their guests can easily click through information about the wedding day from their computers. This is especially great for guests you are traveling a long way to spend the day with you and who haven’t seen you in a while. Spruce up your site with your engagement photos. Some of your guests might not have seen you since you were a kid or might not have met your new partner, so give them the chance to get to know you as a couple online through photos.

4. Your wedding slideshow: Similar to the website idea above, it is a very popular trend to create a personal slideshow to play during your reception for your guests to watch. Usually theses slideshows are made up of songs that mean something to you (the couple), and are meant to evoke emotions in your guests as they watch photos of your life floats on to the sounds of familiar tunes. Mix up your personal photos with your professional photos to give your slideshow variety. Not every photo of the two of you should have your arms stretched out infront holding the camera! lol.

5. Keep them, archive them and look at them often: Finally don’t purchase the images just so you can hide them away on a hard drive, get them printed, get an album you can have on your coffee table for years and just flip open when you want to be taken back to this time. If you choose to get the image archive of all your engagement photos, please be sure to back them up on to a hard drive and then store it in a safe place, or better yet in multiple places. When technology storage solutions change, change with them and update your photos storage method.

Photos are for sharing, and we are so excited to share Shandie-Lyn & Jon’s Rosseau Muskoka engagement session with you! Last month we had the pleasure of visiting an absolutely gorgeous location in Rosseau, Ontario. Jon & Shandie are getting married in 2014 at the Stockey Centre in Parry Sound, Ontario and we will be there!! We are so thrilled to be back at Stockey Centre, it is such a unique Muskoka venue.

Thanks Shandie & Jon for choosing us to photograph your Muskoka engagement and your upcoming wedding.

Enjoy!

Erika & Ryan

For more information on Rowell Photography engagement guest books, save the date cards, prints, canvas gallery wraps, and engagement session, please  visit our Contact page and leave us a message.