Ask any wedding photographer, and we’ll all tell you the same thing…

If you could do just one thing to make sure you get the best wedding photos, it’d be a pre-wedding shoot.

Because it’s one of those things where all the cliches are true. ’Practice makes perfect’. ‘Familiarity leads to comfort’. ‘Better the devil you know’. ‘You can never have enough photos’ (OK, I made the last one up, but you get my point!)

A pre-wedding shoot ticks every box. Better wedding photos? Check. A more enjoyable, stress-free wedding day? Check. An extra collection of beautiful photos and an amazing experience all rolled into one? Check and check!

With every full coverage wedding photography package, I always include a pre-wedding shoot. Because it’s not just a separate experience from your wedding. It’s something that’ll elevate your wedding day experience, and take your wedding photography to a whole new level.

In case you’re still on the fence, here’s 6 reasons you’ll love having a pre-wedding shoot.

1. Your photos will look and feel like *you*

I’m going to start you off with a hard truth…

Whenever we do anything for the first time, we’re completely rubbish at it. It’s just how it is, right? It’s why we don’t let toddlers drive.

And this is one of the best things about pre-wedding shoots…of all the ‘firsts’ you have on your wedding day, your couples photography doesn’t have to be one of them.

You get a chance to get all that ‘first time’ awkwardness out of the way. Shake out all the nerves, have a practice run, and ease your way into it in a safe space. (And at a time when you haven’t got all that wedding day adrenaline coursing through your veins!)

And don’t worry, I’m not saying you guys need to vogue, strut and Hollywood-dip for the camera (unless you really want to!) But when your wedding day comes and we sneak off for your couples shots, it’ll feel familiar, and easy. The end result? You guys get to properly enjoy your alone time. And I get to capture natural photos of you relaxed, loved-up, and in the moment together.

2. A pre-wedding shoot lets you fully enjoy the best part of your day

You know that crippling feeling when you’re worried about something? The endless worst case scenarios; the middle-of-the-night catastrophizing. Building it up in your head to be the worst thing that’ll ever happen! It’s horrible, right?! And if it’s your couples shots you’re worrying about, that back-of-the-mind anxiety will put a dark cloud over your whole day.

But you want to know the most reliable thing about anxiety? When the moment comes, it’s never as bad as you thought it was going to be. You see where I’m going with this?

A pre-wedding shoot will remove that fear of the unknown. And in doing so, will do wonders for your confidence and with any luck, snuff out your anxiety altogether. I would say ‘better the devil you know’, but there really is nothing devilish about it!

And besides, your couples shoot is literally the best part of the day! You get to ditch the crowds and be by yourselves. Be alone, kiss, cuddle, chat about your day. A pre-wedding shoot won’t just calm your nerves.

It’s almost impossible to be yourselves around a stranger, isn’t it? And as much as we’ll have calls, and message back ‘n’ forth before your wedding, there’s no substitute for meeting in person.

Because we always have our guards up when we meet someone for the first time, don’t we? We edit what we say, worry about how we look, wonder what they think of us (or at least I do). And you shouldn’t have to feel like that on your wedding day. Not even for a second.

Having a pre-wedding shoot together gives us a chance to get to know each other properly before your wedding day. We’ll have a laugh, have a chat, and basically break the ice as humans. So when I arrive on the day, we can relax as friends. And have banter and a laugh straight off the bat.

And as a photographer, I get as much out of the experience as you do. I find out what works with you, and what doesn't. I get to learn your love language, how you are with each other. What kind of things you’d do naturally, and what wouldn’t ‘feel like you’. So when it comes to telling your story, I can tell it intentionally, from the perspective of someone who knows you. I can tell it properly.

4. Pre-wedding shoots are great if you have kids

For some people this doesn’t apply (in which case, skip to point five!) But if you have children, this might just be the best reason to have a pre-wedding shoot.

All of the above points apply to children as well. And inviting your little one(s) along to our pre-wedding shoot will not only make them feel included and involved in the whole thing, it’ll get them used to me, and get them used to being in front of the camera. And assuage any nerves or anxiety they might be feeling about the photo-side of their parents getting married.

And trust me, the photos will be so much better! I’m a family photographer as well as a wedding photographer. So I know better than most that adorable photos and being ‘the favourite grown up’ come hand-in-hand.

At the very least, I’ll be a familiar face for them in a big crowd, and that’s never a bad thing.

5. (Do I even need to say it?!) The photos will be *amazing!*

The great thing about the photos themselves is that we’re not hemmed in by all the same time-and-place restrictions we’d have on a wedding day.

You can wear clothes you feel comfortable in (clothes you’d actually wear in normal life!) Maybe even have an outfit change or two. And we can go where you like too. Maybe take a walk around your favourite city, have a picnic at a local park, or go to the beach. We basically get a completely free rein to create an experience and images that perfectly capture this time in your lives.

It may be an obvious point, but I’ll say it anyway…these photos will be absolute gold for your wedding styling! You can then use them as part of your tablescapes, dot them around the venue, maybe use them for your save the dates, your wedding website, or your order of service. The possibilities are endless!

And when it comes to your own home, the images will be like the siblings of your wedding photos. Sure you’ll be in a different place, in different clothes. But they’ll be taken by the same photographer, with the same edit, same style. So when you put them on your wall next to your wedding photos, they’ll just go.

6. They’re a great experience in themselves

I’ve saved the best for last. Pre-wedding shoots are FUN!

We go for a little adventure together; we get a bit silly, have a few jokes and a chat. And basically just enjoy each other’s company while I take a few photos.

But most importantly, you guys get to press pause, and jump off the wedding rollercoaster for a while. No phones, no wed-min emails, no budget sheets. Just time away from it all to take a breath, and take it all in.

In a few months, you’ll be surrounded by all your favourite people, and promising yourselves to each other forever. The day will go by faster than you could ever imagine. And when you look back in years to come, you’ll be so glad you took a few hours away from it all. To focus solely on each other, and remember what’s really important.

If you’re already one of my couples and would like to book yourselves in for a pre-wedding shoot, then just give me a call. If we haven’t met yet and you love my work, get in touch today and let’s chat.