This is a question so many of my couples ask when booking me as their wedding photographer – do you think we need a pre-wedding shoot? It is such a personal decision, and I always leave it up to my couples to decide what is right for them, but I just wanted to go through some of the great reasons why you should book one as part of your wedding photography package.

1 It’s a great practice run for your wedding day

Your wedding day is going to be awesome! It’s also going to be busy! Most weddings are jam packed full of all the wonderful things you have planned for your big day, that your feet barely touch the ground!

Your wedding portraits are super important and I don’t like to take too much time doing them! I hate it when you go to a wedding and the bride and groom have disappeared with their photographer for nearly 2 hours – I do not understand this! I only ever take 30 mins TOPS to take your couple portraits!

What can make this time even less is if youve had a pre-wedding shoot. You guys know exactly what the plan is in terms of what we need to achieve for your portraits. There’s no awkwardness, no vague plan – becasue we’ve done the practice run already!

I usually recommend doing pre-wedding shoots at your wedding venue. Unless I know the venue well, in which case, sometimes its amazing to pick somewhere completely different! This is totally cool too. I’ve done some amazing pre-wedding shoots in cities like York and Leeds. I’ve also done some amazing shoots in wild locations like Yorkshire moors and by the beach!

2 It helps to get used to being in front of the camera

Let’s face it, hardly anyone is truly comfortable being in front of the camera in real life. Every single couple I speak to tell me they aren’t very good at being in front of the camera, that they aren’t posey people. This is OK! I don’t want you to be posey people and it’s totally natural to not be super confident in front of the camera. That’s the greatest thing about booking a pre-wedding shoot – it really does help you get used to the camera and become more comfortable with having your photograph taken in the process!

3 It makes things quicker on your wedding day

Like I’ve said it’s a great practice run and it will mean you will spend less time with your wedding photographer and more time with your guests having an awesome time. On a pre-wedding shoot, I find out what works best for you as a couple in terms of poses and approach. We spend about an hour in a few different spots and work out which “poses” work best. I hate the word pose because I don’t actually get my couples to pose at all, it’s all about just being natural together in a beautiful location. Nothing forced or awkward at all!

4 It gives you some beautiful photographs

So many of my couples end up using some of the photographs from their pre-wedding shoot as decoration for their wedding. Some have used the photographs in guest signing frames, others have had them printed and framed to place on their dessert tables, and others have used them as their Save the Date cards.

5 We get to know each other and have a lovely afternoon!

Honestly, it’s just so lovely to get to know your photographer, spend a couple of hours together and have a chat about your upcoming wedding! It really helps to get excited about the day and it suddenly becomes very real. I usually do pre-wedding shoots about a month before the wedding itself so it’s a great time to chat everything through and get really excited!