Pre-Wedding Photoshoot Ideas

Pre-wedding photo shoot is becoming the order of the day. Many young people order for a photoshoot a month(s) to marriage ceremony. Some of these photos end up on social media with the caption “Save the Date” informing friends and loved ones of the upcoming correlation.

A pre-wedding photo shoot is a photo shoot before the marriage ceremony or wedding day. Pre-wedding photos serve as invitation to family and friends and monument to couples after marriage.

Advantages of Pre-wedding Photoshoot

Most couples today prefer a pre-wedding photo shoot. These are the reasons why.

1. It serves as Rehearsal for Wedding Photo: when you are not a photo-holic, you find it difficult mastering act of facing camera; this can help familiarize yourself with photoshoot.
2. Familiarize Yourself with Photographer: pre-wedding photo shoot helps build relationship between you and your photographer for wedding day.
3. Building Affection: this is a stage in relationship couples learn to make decisions involving each other. It is as well a bonding moment. The process of choosing a photographer, locations and dresses for photo shoot help build trust and intimacy. There is increase in affection during photo shoot.
4. Story Telling: great pre-wedding pictures tell stories. Pictures define couples, who they are, their occupation, how they met, their origin and culture.
5. Emotions: many years after, couples, children and other people will look at these photos and they can tell how well connected these couples were from the beginning of the relationship. For example, smiles, hug, facial expressions, holding hands etc.

Disadvantages of Pre-wedding Photoshoot

1. Increase in Expenditure: hiring photographer, buying costumes, hiring a car, fueling your private vehicle or boarding car to selected locations for shooting, paying for settings or buying food and drinks add to wedding expenditure.
2. Early Conflicts: if conflicts that rise during decision-making for style, dress code, location picking and date for photoshoot are not resolved amicably among couples; they could damage the relationship.
3. Low Productivity: when time set aside for photoshoot conflicts with working hours, it reduces productivity. For example; both parties may absent themselves from work to travel to different country or city for photoshoot. Though this might seem insignificant; it may cause certain categories of businesses.
4. It may be risky: journey from one location to another may be risky due to weather and car or aircraft condition. There may also be risks at photoshoot destinations. For example; shooting in wilderness, on or in the sea, including other adventurous locations.
5. Time Consuming and Tiresome: due to long journey and change of locations for photoshoot; both parties may become exhausted. Also, it takes time to get the best photo, which means; couples may change styles, costumes and places to have the best, desired image.

How to Choose Pre-wedding Photoshoot Photographer

Sources of Photographers

1. Local photoshops: visit photoshops in your local area for best negotiation and professional output
   Online Photographer Websites: visit online photographer websites for inquiries e.g., Google “wedding photographers”
2. Friends: seek advice from friends who are wedded for contact of their photographers and know how satisfied or unsatisfied they are with their photographers
3. Social Media: one good source of photographers for pre-wedding photo shoot is social media. For example; photographers display their works, shop location and contacts on their Facebook Pages, so, searching keywords like photographers or wedding photographers will show lots of results
4. Photo Stock Sites: on photo stock websites, individuals and professional photographers upload photos for free download. You may find professional photographers through these websites by browsing different user accounts to contact the photographer. Be sure of who you connect with on the internet for business.

How to Choose Pre-wedding Photoshoot Locations

The decision of taking pictures before wedding is excellent but should be individual preference. Both parties should also consider their financial status and leisure hours while deciding pre-wedding photo shoot.

When the other party doesn’t consider it necessary, it should be communicated properly to avoid relationship conflict. Don’t force your partner into anything they are reluctant to do.

Pre-wedding photos will not make your marriage any great.

Now, if you are both convinced that this is important and wish to go ahead with your plans, you will need beautiful locations. And the list below discusses great locations and type of photos to take.

Pre-wedding Photoshoot Locations and Styles

1. Celebrating Culture: first place to consider is communicating your origin with the photo. Choose a place that resonates with where you were born and bred. If you are both from different cultures, take individual pictures and also blend culture. An additional style to incorporate into the location is dressing in each other’s cultural attire to demonstrate connection and affection.
2. Occupational Pre-wedding Photo: if you are a teacher, try to take things down to the classroom. One partner can sit in the desk while the other teaches or you could visit the library. Display your occupation in your photos.
   Adventure: if you are adventurous, pick a location where you can have adventure. Visit a jungle to ride with wild animals, or go hiking. Find a costume that portrays the kind of adventure you choose.
3. Family Reunion: many at times, when people date, they forget they’ll have to deal with family members when they marry. To remind yourselves that marriage involves family members, you can go for family gathering for your pre-wedding photos.
4. Historic Places: a perfect place to take photos. Go to a historic location which contributes to your history for a pre-wedding photo. This is a way of reconnecting yourselves with your ancestors.
5. Travel to Foreign Country: per your budget, you can travel outside your country for pictures. Times spent together on this tour will increase intimacy and romance between you. You will also get to know each other since you have to live alone in a strange land.
6. Church: take some of your photos at church to strengthen religious bond. Even though pre-wedding photos may mostly be about both of you, you can take a step further to include your pastor and church members.
7. Go to Fun Places: perfect location to grow intimacy. Either travel to different country, city or go to a fun center in your locality for pictures. This reminds you that, in marriage, you need to keep the fun going no matter the situation.

How to Have a Successful Pre-wedding Photoshoot

1. Discuss the idea of pre-wedding photo shoot with your partner before preparation
2. Check your budget after agreeing on the idea
3. Select locations for the photo shoot
4. Pick suitable time. Pick time that may not affect your work
5. Show up on time
6. Budget for food and snacks as you need to keep fit for photo shoot
7. Get your visa and airplane tickets ready when shooting in different country
8. Have a written documentation agreement with photographer for concrete assurance especially if you are travelling outside the country or city
9. You may budget for a makeup artist or beautician
10. If you are not feeling well, remember to take your medication on time before photo shoot. When travelling, take your medicine along and eat on time
11. Avoid mood swing for whatever reason
12. If you don’t feel the energy to continue or you are tired, schedule another day or time
13. Pay attention to your photographer and follow his instruction
14. Discuss your shooting styles, dresses and locations with photographer ahead of time
15. Stay within budget to avoid aftermath conflicts and frustrations
16. Do not keep only soft copies of photos, buy photo album ahead of time
17. Pull out immediately from a location when having strange feelings or sensing danger
18. Do not leave the sight of each other when travel to strange places
19. Confirm the availability of photographer before making any payment

Pre-Wedding Poems

A pre-wedding poem or save the date is a poem written by a partner for his or her partner before wedding day. This reiterates and affirms his or her affection and commitment for the partner.

Save the Date

Pull me, hold me, let me sit on your thigh.
I love you, need you, you the only one am into.

Many men came along, they wanted this noble heart;
never did I give them the key, but when I saw you, I knew you the one I want.

So, pull me, hold me, let me sit on your thigh, feed me, play with me in the blue atmosphere.
I will give all of me.

Welcome to the blue paradise, a kingdom reserved for you and me, symbol of my love dedicated to you.

Let me in as I did, promise you will never leave
my heart broken on the wall and redecorate my face with pain.

Let us dance in our favorite color, on our favorite tune.
Sing the song we learned at two and tease our bodies with love written in blue.

Getting Professional Pre-Wedding Poems or Save the Date

When planning pre-wedding photo shoot, consider save the date or pre-wedding poems for your couple.

Alternatively, you forgo pre-wedding photos and hire a writer or write your partner a save the date. If you are a writer, take time to craft a beautiful poem expressing your intimate feelings for your partner.

Send it to a graphic designer to decorate and print a hardcopy, package nicely and deliver to your fiancée. Share on social media.

Save the date or pre-wedding poem can also be added to the pre-wedding photo shoot to enrich your pre-wedding events.

After the shoot, hire a graphic designer, if you want to do it yourself, learn basic graphic design with CorelDraw in this article, how to impress a woman with graphic design.

Pick some of your favorite pictures, and design a cute card with the poem on it. Add date of engagement, wedding and share with with family and friends.

You can write multiple save the dates for different designs for social media publication.

Final Thoughts
As important as these may be: pre-wedding photo shoot and pre-wedding poems; they are additional things which doesn’t change your status or improve it.

Before going for these additional things, think through them and make sure they don’t affect your relationship negatively.