Wedding Photography Alternatives: The Bridal, Engagement and we did Sessions

Have you ever been in a wedding where you had to start the day early and arrive late at the reception, simply because of the photography? Posed photos before the ceremony, after the ceremony, in the church and at the reception can take time away from the fun parts of your day, and can interfere with your guests’ good time, too.

A way to avoid these staged photos on the day of the wedding is to allow your wedding photographer to shoot mostly in the documentary form on the day of the wedding. The staged photos, on the other hand, can come before or after the actual wedding date, with additional sessions.

Many couples opt to have a casual, plain clothes session usually called an engagement session. These photos are intimate and casual, capturing the couple for their wedding website, for announcements and even for aspects of the rehearsal dinner and reception. In addition to being treasured keepsakes, couples often find these pictures useful to have to a variety of reasons, both regarding the wedding and in their future life together.

Next, the bridal session. Usually done in the days preceding the wedding, the bridal session is a great time to capture the intricate details of the dress, veil and jewelry of the bride without having to tie her down on the actual day of her wedding. Although this can mean an extra session of makeup and hair styling for the bride, it is worthwhile for many brides since it keeps them from being rushed or stressed on the day of their wedding.

Bridal sessions can also occur after the day of the wedding, and can include a "trash the dress" session. Although the wedding gown is not usually in fact trashed, this name just refers to the photographing of the bride in her gown in settings where you wouldn’t expect a woman in a wedding dress to go! Think walking through the woods, on the beach, on railroad tracks, or by a lake.

A growing trend among brides and grooms is the "We Did" session. Obviously, this session takes place after the "I do"s, even after the honeymoon. The bride and groom usually don their tux and gown, and take their wedding portraits together in a setting of their choice. This allows the couple to be relaxed during their shoot and avoids breaking the superstition of the groom seeing the bride’s dress before the ceremony. It also gives the bride the chance to wear her dress again, which is always appreciated.

By employing one or more of these sessions, you can take some of the pressure off your big day and allow your photographer to work around you, instead of stopping you to take pictures.

Becky Hill is a Chicago Wedding Photographer who specializes in an non intrusive photography style. She captures authentic moments of joy on your wedding day, delivering keepsake photos of your greatest memories.