Engagement Photos?

almostmrsderricks09

Are they important or something that we really should consider?  What are they even used for? Is it fine if we do without them?

jagore08

I didn't have them but a lot of photographers throw it in for free in their package.  Most girls use them for STDs, photo guest book, or just to have a nice picture to have as a couple.  If your photographer has it in the package I suggest doing them because it gives you a chance to get to know your photographer and your photog to get to know you and your FI.  It lets you get comfortable with each other so when wedding day rolls around you guys know how to work together.

amagwire

Agreed.  We only did engagement photos because it was part of the pacakge.  Both fiance and I are a little awkward getting our photos taken, so it was nice to get to know the photographers before the wedding. Now that's one thing I won't be nervous about on my wedding day.  We used a photo for our STD, and it's nice because we didn't have any good photographs of the both of us. 

AlexiaANDRobert

I agree with both PPs.

Also, if you take it out of the package, they don't (usually) give you money back for it.  Either you do it, or you don't.

I think it's a great way to get to know your photographer and let him/her get to know you.

Julz629

We didn't want to pay for them and they weren't included in our package.  But FFIL is decent with a camera so FI and I dressed pretty one day and went with him to a park where he snapped a couple pictures, including the one we used on our STD.  The picture for our STD was the main goal of getting some pictures, but we also plan on using it in our matted frame that the guests will sign at the wedding (ultimately replaced with a wedding photo) and its just nice to have a good picture of the two of us (i.e. not taken at the bar or taken by ourselves).

I <3 Seabass

We did them because they were included for free with our photography package, which most photographers were offering. I love how our pictures came out but I don't think we would have paid to have them done had they not been included. We also got a photo guest book for free which is what we used our pictures for.
 
A lot of people will use the pics for the STDs or wedding website too but they're definitely not necessary at all.

pag41989

We decided to pay for them and do them but mostly because we barely have any pictures of us together and we wanted to include them with the invitations.

laurenclaire1386

We didn't do them. My "engagement" pictures are the pictures a friend snapped while and right after FI proposed.

SuMmErKuTiE

We did an Engagement Photo Session and as much as I loved our pictures we really haven't used them except the few we framed and gave to our parents. We also used them for the newspaper announcements, but other than that we feel so guilty that they're just collecting dust now :0(

krmabojo

I am only going to get them done if they come with the wedding photography package.

Many people use them to send cards to family and friends to let them know they are engaged.

AutumnEnchantment

Every year, the FI and I get our pictures taken with our son.  We've been doing this for six years now, seven come August.  It's a fun tradition but we don't have any professional photographs of just the two of us.  I LOVE photography and have albums and albums full of photographs.  I can't wait until we get our engagement pictures taken.

Cray.anita

We had some done at Sears because where I am from you have to put your engagment announcement and photo in the home town paper or you will never hear the end of it.  Now we have decided to do a photo book to have guests sign at our wedding so we are having a 2nd set done with our photographer ($25 and we get them on a CD)

whitneykaye87

Our photographer does it for free as a way for us to make sure our styles are compatable- he even lets us opt out of the contract if we aren't happy with them.  Luckily, they were fantastic and it was a lot of fun.  Mostly, we just used them for STDs and gifts to grandparents, etc.  I wanted a kind of memory of the day he proposed, so we went back to that spot with our photographer and even wore the same outfits!  If it wasn't included, my dad has a really nice camera and some amateur photography experience, so we would have had him take a couple shots for the STDs.  As much as I love them and as much fun as we had taking them, I don't think I would have paid extra.

mbcdefg

Ours were not included in our original package, but I was interested in having them done ... mainly, so we could get used to our photographer's style of shooting and see his final product, and so we'd have the chance to bail out and find someone else if we were unhappy.

We had a meeting with him and I started to say how we were interested in e-pics, and he quickly said that he'd do them for free. So we wound up getting them, and we LOVED the pics and his style of shooting.

So more than anything else, I was glad that we had them for peace of mind, because we know that he's not intrusive and gets great shots and has a good turnaround time.

swissarmymelody

You can always frame them and put them out at the wedding. I've seen people put them on the guest book table. Also, if you have the rights to print them you can make a photobook and use that as a guest book, or just a keepsake. www.snapfish.com/ is pretty good!

luckyme502

We didn't do engagement photos. 

kate896

Ours are included as part of our package, but I probably would have pushed to have the photographer include them if they hadn't been. We rarely take pictures and have only a handful of photos together so I'm really excited to have beautiful images of just the two of us! Especially because we're taking them at locations that have sentimental meaning to us.

Also, a friend of mine who is a few months ahead of me in wedding progress had to REDO her engagement session because she hated the way the first set of pictures turned out. She decided to stay with their photographer because she liked the second round, but getting a "trial run" with your photographer before the actual wedding day is priceless. Just think how you'd feel if you didn't and your wedding pictures turned out subpar...