Wanna have a fun date and knock your wedding photos out of the park?! Yeah you do! Here’s 5 reasons why you should have a pre-wedding shoot.

How to make wedding photography your bitch

Let’s just get something straight from the get-go. Whether you have a pre-wedding shoot or not, your wedding’s gonna be amazing. Marrying the love of your life surrounded by friends and family? Well that’s a tasty piece of pie whichever way you slice it. 

But for some couples, the photography part of the day can feel like a rabbit dropping in that particular piece of pie. Something to be endured rather than enjoyed. And that’s what I love about pre-wedding shoots. Because it’s a bit like meeting the neighbour’s ‘scary’ dog. You approach him, you pat him. And after a while you’re rolling around on the grass wondering what you were so worried about. 

But in case you don’t believe me, I’ve got proof! Katie and Steve had a pre-wedding shoot with me before their wedding, and strutted into their wedding day like wedding photography rockstars! No nerves, no awkwardness, no shyness. Just two love birds excited to spend the rest of their lives together. Here’s 5 reasons why you should have a pre-wedding shoot, with Katie and Steve as living, breathing, fabulously-voguing proof!

1. Think of your pre-wedding shoot as a practise run for your wedding

Did Jackson just turn up and sing? Did Jordan just turn up and play? Nah, perfection takes practice. And while you shouldn’t feel pressured to moonwalk your way into a slam-dunk on your wedding day, it’d be nice to know you’ve got the photography part in the bag, right? 

For some people, professional cameras trigger the ‘say cheese’ reflex (think Chandler’s smile and you’ll know what I mean). Pre-wedding shoots get all that out of the way before your wedding. You can find out what you’re comfortable doing, what works for you, what doesn’t work, and get used to being in front of the camera. So when your day comes, the photography part won’t feel alien to you. You’ll be casual, oozing confidence and horizontally relaxed. 

And the difference it’ll make to your wedding photos is insane. I mean, just look at Katie and Steve’s couple’s portraits! No awkward poses, no shyness or self-consciousness, just two people completely happy, and totally lost in the moment with each other. 

2. We have a proper chance to get to know each other

Having a pre-wedding shoot is the perfect chance for us to get to know each other properly before your wedding day. Face-to-face as fellow humans. We’ll have a laugh, chat away happily and go on an adventure together. So when your wedding day finally comes, I’ll be like another one of the guests who just happens to be a wedding photographer. 

You’ll be free to let your dark humour run riot, swear, poke fun at each other and just be your wonderful selves. And when you see yourselves truly happy and relaxed in photos, they’ll make you smile every time you see them for years to come. 

Katie and Steve’s wedding was a few months ago, and I’m still friends with them now. We had such a great time on their couple’s shoot that when I arrived on their wedding day we picked up straight where we left off. And because we were having such a great time together, all their friends and family were relaxed around me too. A whole wedding gallery and not one forced smile? That’s gotta be worth something, right?!

3. A pre-wedding shoot is an amazing experience

Let’s forget the wedding for just a second (I know, crazy, right?! But stick with me). Because at the end of the day, a pre-wedding shoot is a wonderful thing to treat yourselves to. Think of it as a fun, romantic date that you’ll just happen to have photos of. And in the midst of all the wedding planning madness, it gives you a few hours set aside to just be together, reconnect as a couple and go on an adventure. 

And I promise, I’m a great third wheel! We’ll joke, we’ll laugh, we’ll have a chat, and you can just forget the rest of the world and enjoy the experience together as a couple. And since you’ll know what a great time we’ll have together, you’ll actually look forward to leaving the crowds behind for your couple’s shots on your wedding day, rather than secretly dreading it. 

Katie and Steve were telling me on their wedding day how much they were looking forward to our couple’s session, which I thought was just so sweet. Arrrggghhh! Those guys are the best!

4. Give your wedding photos some company

I flatter myself, but the photos are gonna be fucking insane! Just look at Katie and Steve’s pre-wedding photos! You know you want some of that on your mantelpiece! 

Seriously though, pre-wedding photos are a whole new level of amazing. Simply because there’s zero pressure, and no guests peering over the bushes waiting for you to come back. You can get all soppy and romantic, and get some beautiful, intimate photos of you as a couple just being you. 

You could use the photos for your ‘save the date’ cards, and you can even use them to personalise your wedding styling. They’ll also be the last (maybe the only?) professional photos of you before you’re a married couple. And this will bring back untold waves of nostalgia when you’re older. And as an added bonus, because I’ll be your wedding photographer as well, they’ll have the same look and style as your wedding photos. So they’ll blend aesthetically with each other when you hang them side-by-side on your walls. Great, right?

5. Pre-wedding shoots can be anywhere at any time 

Your wedding venue is restricted by soooo many things. Budget, capacity, availability, licensing, food…everything. But with a pre-wedding shoot, you can literally choose anywhere as long as it isn’t restricted (like a museum or a runway). You can have it on a beach, in a field, in the woods, in a city. Just dream up your perfect backdrop and we’ll make it happen. The world’s your photography oyster! 

And you can have it any time. If you want a sunrise shoot, that’s cool, I’ll set my alarm. Or you can have it at sunset and bathe your pre-wedding photos in that wonderful golden hour glow. If it rains, we can reschedule. If it’s too cold or windy, we’ll put it off. Weddings are set in stone in a certain place at a certain time, and you just have to ride the wave. Pre-wedding shoots are surfer-dude flexible.

Katie and Steve had their pre-wedding shoot at Fen Nature Reserve. Strolling through the woods at sunrise, the sunlight streaming through the leaves above. And nothing breaking the silence except birdsong and our laughter. We actually got told off by two ladies for having too much fun! 

Want to book yourself in for a pre-wedding shoot?

There’s so two ways about it, I’m lovely. I’m super relaxed, happy and just generally at the cucumber level of chilled. If I sit on a bench, birds nest on me. But put a camera round my neck and people clench up. Because cameras do that to us, right? They put fake smiles on our lips and stones in our stomachs. And on your wedding day of all days, you want nothing but genuine happiness and bellies full of butterflies. 

Pre-wedding shoots are the best way to make sure your wedding day is nothing but happiness and butterflies! And anyway, a fun, romantic date that gives you a more relaxed wedding day and better wedding photos? What’s not to love?! 

If you’d like to book yourself in for a pre-wedding shoot, I’d love to hear from you. If you’re already one of my couples, you know my number! Or if you’d like to book yourself in for a shoot to get to know me before you book me as your wedding photographer, please get in touch today and let’s chat. 

Oh….. and let’s have a look at their big day because I fucking love these guys!!!!