Why so many couples say “I do” to a pre-wedding shoot

Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life – a day of blissful enjoyment that you wish could go on forever. However, all too soon the last poignant note of the final dance will have faded, the last merry guest will have headed home and the last tempting morsel of wedding cake will have been devoured.

After that, all you are left with (apart from your wonderful new spouse, of course!) are your happy memories of the big day – memories that can be continuously rekindled by well-taken wedding photos. When you leaf through your wedding album in the months and years to come, you want to be able to relive moments of this special day, so obviously it’s important that you entrust the task of taking these all-important photos to someone whom you can trust to portray you both looking at your best.

Yet trust isn’t something that necessarily develops the first time you meet someone – it tends to build over time as you get to know the person. And that is one of the main reasons behind a new and rapidly growing trend in wedding photography: the pre-wedding shoot. For anyone who’s not familiar with this term, it’s a relaxed photo shoot done by the wedding photographer of the happy couple in an informal setting of their choice, several weeks before the big day.

So why have a pre-wedding shoot – or a ‘couples shoot’, as it’s sometimes called? Well, even in this age of selfies, the irony is that many of us grimace and tense when a camera is waved anywhere near us. However, if the person who is behind the camera is an experienced professional photographer with whom you’ve already spent time – and who you know, from your previous experience, takes photos that capture your and your partner’s personalities to perfection, you’ll be far more likely to relax while photos are being taken on your actual wedding day.

During a pre-wedding shoot, the photographer has an opportunity to learn more about the couple – and to experiment with different types of shot to find out what works best for both parties. For example, it’s an ideal time to have fun practising a few simple poses for the wedding day, which means that the whole process will seem much more familiar and less daunting.

The photos taken at a pre-wedding shoot are often stunning, exuding happiness and encapsulating the special chemistry between the couple. Caroline Trotter enjoys such shoots immensely, and explains: “The shoot lasts about 40 mins – it’s very relaxed and casual.  We just go for a walk on the beach or at a local park and take some photos on the way.”
<

She adds, “The couple usually both state at the beginning, ‘I hate having my photo taken!’ but they always end up feeling a lot happier about the experience and even admit that – contrary to expectations! – they’ve thoroughly enjoyed it, which means that the photos on their wedding day are sure to be much more natural and relaxed.”

Doing a pre-wedding shoot really is a win:win situation. Not only does it allow the photographer and the couple to get to know each other better in a more informal setting, but it also means you’ll have some really lovely shots of your single selves for posterity. What’s (k)not to like…?