As a wedding photographer, I think engagement sessions are an absolute must before your wedding. So much so, that I have photographed an engagement session just two days before a wedding because the groom lived in Ireland! (You can read more about my obsession with engagement sessions here). But once you have done an engagement session, what do you do with the photos? There are actually a lot of fun options! Here are some of my favorites.
Save the Date Cards
Engagement sessions and save the dates were made for each other. I mean, showing off your engagement while announcing your wedding date?! Peas and carrots. There are tons of websites that have designs for the Save the Dates that include pictures. Also, ask your photographer! Many will do a custom design for your Save the Date!
Thank You Cards
Another great way to use your engagement photos is on your Thank You cards. Similar to the Save the Dates, you can incorporate these photos into your Thank You cards. You can even take a photo holding a Thank You sign if you want. The benefit of using your engagement photos versus your wedding photos is that you will have the cards before the wedding. This will allow you to quickly send Thank You cards for all the amazing gifts you get!
Guest Book Album
This is one of my favorites. It is an album with photos from your engagement session and blank spaces for your guests to sign. I love it because it is a nice way to display your engagement photos and remember everyone who attended the wedding!
Gust Book Alternative
Another fun way to use your engagement photos is as a non-traditional guest book. There are many options for this if you just look on Pinterest. You can have a blank frame for your guests to sign that surround your engagement photo. You can have a canvas printed of a photograph with plenty of negative (white) space for the guests to sign. There are also a lot of shops on Etsy that will do a custom design using your wedding date and photos from your engagement session on a canvas.
Wedding Website
If Save the Dates and engagement sessions are peas and carrots, your wedding website is the fancy shallots you mix in! Sure, you will probably want to use photos from your entire relationship when telling the story of how you met and so forth. But for your main images, it is awesome to have professional and high-resolution images. And, they help to tell the story of your engagement!
Display Them In Your House
This seems pretty straight forward, but it is something that a lot of people don’t think of! Of course you are going to hang your wedding photos too. But it is nice to have photos of you around in more every day clothing versus the formal wedding attire.
Display Them at Your Wedding
This is a great way to personalize your wedding! You can use them on your wedding programs or incorporate them into your centerpieces/table number. You can also create a photo wall and include them with other pictures from your relationship.
Gift Them To Family
Parents and grandparents always love a nice photo of you. And when everyone is excited about your upcoming wedding, this is a great opportunity to share your engagement photos. You can put the photographs in a nice frame or get a fancy print (bamboo, wood, metal, canvas) for them to display in their house. Christmas and mother’s day are great times for these types of gifts!
Social Media
When was the last time you updated your profile picture? Now may just be the time. Or are you planning on having a wedding hashtag? Starting your hashtag with some engagement photos is a great idea! This way, everyone knows that they have the right hashtag when they see your pictures.
Send Holiday Cards
The great thing about engagement pictures, is that you can use them at any time of the year! So even if your engagement was in February, no one will notice if you use those photos for your holiday cards that year.
There you have it! 10 of my favorite ways to use your engagement photos. Want more wedding planning tips? Click here for more Wedding Tips.
