1. Get relaxed and comfortable in front of the camera.

Unfortunately, most of us aren't natural models *heavy sigh*. Getting in front of the camera with your wedding photographer before the big day is like a practice run. Not everyone feels natural in front of the camera, so the engagement session is the perfect time to learn how to relax and fully trust your photographer in taking both posed and candid photos. You know that they know what they're doing, but seeing yourself in their photos will put you at ease on your big day! Plus come your wedding day, you'll already know what to expect and can skip the basics, save time, and dive right into taking amazing photos!

2. Get to know your wedding photographer.

One of the best ways to get comfortable in from of the camera is to get to know your wedding photographer and the engagement session is the perfect for that. This is also the perfect opportunity for your wedding photographer to get to know you and this will allow them to learn your personalities, how you interact with each other and even your quirks. With these details in mind, they'll be able to better capture you in your wedding photos. Wedding days are very fast paced but at an engagement session, you can go at your own pace and really get to know each other.

3. You’ll have beautiful photos to use!

There's so many ways your can utilize you engagement photos. They're super easy gifts, especially for parents and grandparents. You can make yourself (or again, your parents or grandparents) an album or a large print to hang in your home. And of course, you can use them in your wedding program, wedding website, save-the-dates, wedding invitations, and guestbook! My favorite way my couples use their engagement photos is to frame and add some photos to the guestbook and gift table - such an easy way to add decor and not have an empty table!

4. Reconnect in a special place.

Nine times out of ten, my couples don't know where they want to get their engagement photos taken. While I have a list of plenty of beautiful locations, this is my favorite advice for choosing a location for your engagement photos: think of a location that makes you happy and has some sort of significance to the two of you. This could be somewhere you guys like to spend time together at, where you had you first date, where you met, or even in your home with some games and takeout. When you pick a meaningful location, your engagement photos will feel that much more special and you'll feel at ease in a familiar environment. On the flip side, if you guys are a bit more adventurous, this could be the perfect opportunity to go somewhere you've been wanting to go. I'm always down for an adventure :)

5. It's fun!

This is obviously my favorite reason! The truth is that a wedding is a ton of work and you might be drowning in all of the details of wedding planning. This is the perfect opportunity to step away from all of that, have some fun together and enjoy and remember why you're getting married! Go run around in a field together for an evening and take yourselves to your favorite place to eat afterwards :)

Those are my top five reasons you should absolutely, definitely do an engagement shoot with your wedding photographer! If you haven't booked your wedding photographer yet, you can click here to inquire and I'd love to chat, get to know you guys, and help capture some of the most special moments of your relationship :)

Now enjoy more of these photos from Sofia and Monte's super fun engagement shoot at the UC Davis Arboretum!

Photographer: @rebeccaskidgelphoto