Spring Into Your Massachusetts Engagement: When to Schedule Your Session
So you’ve found your favorite Boston wedding photographer and are interested in scheduling your engagement session, but one question looms overhead… When?
Now, it could be as simple as throwing a dart at your calendar and seeing how that works, but in this blog post, we’re going to break down how to answer that question as part of our series about getting the most from your Boston engagement photography session with Ryan Richardson Photography. We’re going to create a rough timeline from popping the question to walking down the aisle and go over some of the pros and cons of different dates and options to help you narrow down what’s best for your engagement photography session.
A surprise proposal session can be a little hard to organize, but very rewarding when it’s done just right like this session on Sandy Neck Beach by Boston Wedding Photographer, Ryan Richardson Photography.
Proposal Session:
Why not capture that magical moment right as it happens? A proposal session can be a great way to make some beautiful, meaningful memories - while you might be able to stage a recreation later, very little else can match this momentous occasion.
Of course if you’re planning for a surprise proposal, then this might require a little more planning in advance because you’ll either have to have a concealed photographer (and some rehearsals so you hit the right marks, a shoot is hard to choreograph from the bushes), an excuse to be in a photo-shoot (maybe you won a contest, or responded to a casting call), or a more public proposal where a photographer can get lost in the crowd. Some partners might also like for the proposal to be a more private, intimate moment between just the two of you.
Thankfully if you’re reading this blog and are planning a proposal, you’ve already found the right Boston wedding photographer.
First Months:
Setting up your engagement photography session earlier can be helpful if you’re somewhere that formal engagement announcements in the local paper are still a thing (though that’s much less common now, especially with the consolidation and collapse of local papers). Once you’ve found your wedding date, getting engagement photos done early will also help fill out your wedding website or Save-the-Date cards that you’ll be sending out to get people hyped up for your wedding (STDs are typically sent out 6-12 months ahead of the event, depending on your particulars, we’ll discuss this in a future blog post).
Getting an engagement session done earlier, especially as a standalone, can also help you narrow down your choice of photographers if you’re on the fence (though you’re already here with your favorite Boston wedding photographer).
Last Months:
Starting three months ahead of the wedding it might be good to use your engagement session as a chance to try out your hair and makeup looks - schedule your trials to go along with your photo-shoot and see how things hold up to some modelling on camera. This is also a good time to schedule your session if you want a photographic guest book or memories wall where you’d like to incorporate some contemporary images of the two of you so there’s enough time to proof and print.
Other Considerations:
Your particular wedding date isn’t always the most important thing for scheduling your engagement session. if you’ve got a strong theme or vision you’re looking to execute with your engagement photos (especially if it’s a seasonal look) then that’s going to influence the timing more than anything else (Fall and Spring are especially popular in New England). If you’re looking to shoot at a particular location then their availability also needs to be factored in because your shoot might overlap with other events (especially during wedding season).
The most important step in scheduling your engagement session is seeing when your Boston wedding photographer is available to shoot. So why don’t you drop us a line through our bookings and inquiries form and get started?
Ryan Richardson is a wedding and engagement photographer serving Boston and beyond; including Cape Cod Weddings, New England Weddings, Massachusetts Weddings and Rhode Island Weddings.