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Budget-friendly engagement photos

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Budget-friendly engagement photos
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Photos are such a big part of the wedding planning process, and having engagement photos taken is a must! Learn how to get beautiful engagement photos for an affordable price, or even free!

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Becoming engaged can be awesome, but strange. You may experience shrieks of joy and excitement, or people wanting to talk to you view the new piece of jewelry on your left hand.

It has become a tradition to commemorate this important time in life by taking engagement pictures. This is a fun way to do your first “family picture” of sorts and gives you images to enjoy and use for save the dates, a photo guestbook, and whatever else you may choose!

Good photography can be very expensive, and wedding photography even more so. You might be worried about the cost of having engagement photos taken and are looking for ways to save.

How to get good engagement photos for an affordable price (or free)

If you already have a venue, ask the owner if there’s anyone they would suggest, ask around if you have already married or engaged friends if they would recommend someone affordable. Some photographers will give a discount if you use them for both the wedding/reception/bridals and engagements as well! Or, if you live in a college town, find some students who will do quality work for student prices.

Over the years, brides in our community have gotten their engagement photos taken in many savvy and crafty ways! Such as:

  • An art major at the couple’s university. They paid her $100 for an hour of pictures.
  • A friend who does photography as a hobby. She spent an hour taking photos for free.
  • The photographer included a free engagement session in their wedding package.
  • Having a family member or friend snap photos of you with a decent camera.
  • Polaroid engagement photos for a vintage and crafty touch!
  • DIY your engagement photos with a tripod and a self-timer

Choosing to work with a friend, student, or amateur over a professional can yield different results, so proceed with caution. In the cases mentioned, each person did an incredible job according to the couple. The couples were able to save significantly by avoiding hiring a professional photographer for their engagement session.

Top 3 Reasons Engagement Photos are a Really Awesome Idea:

1. They give you an opportunity to do a “test-run” with your wedding photographers. You’ll get a feel for the vibe with your photographers and their personalities. You’ll learn quickly if you jive or not! Send your photographer inspiration pics in advance to communicate the vibe you’re going for, while also trusting their guidance and direction.

2. You’ll get to practice your poses and smiles for the big day. This might feel really important for you if you consider yourself awkward or unnatural in front of a camera. We’ve watched enough America’s Next Top Model to know that getting photographed is all about body angles. Since you want your wedding photos to look AMAZING, this shoot will help you figure out what angles work best and flatter you most – as well as ones that don’t! The more practice you have in advance, the less stress you’ll have on your wedding day trying to figure out if your smile is going to look pleasantly radiant, or gigantically goofy.

3. You get gorgeous pictures with the partner of your dreams to celebrate one of the happiest moments of your life. Do you really need a better reason? Oh and also, did we mention that printing and hanging photos of you and your partner around your home is proven to make your relationship happier? It’s true!

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Bride Lydia had photos taken by an art student for only $100!

 Are you doing engagement photos? How did you choose or find your photographer? Join us in the community to chat more about wedding photography!


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The Budget Savvy Bride is the #1 Online Wedding Planning Resource for couples who want to plan a beautiful wedding on a budget they can actually afford. Check out our best-selling book on Amazon, The Budget-Savvy Wedding Planner & Organizer!