Happy Wednesday!

Tj and I got engaged in July 2016 and we booked our wedding venue not too long after. Weddings book up so far in advance, so our date was over a year away. We sat back and did no wedding planning for a while (in hindsight we probably could have/should have gotten started on a few things). But when it was October 21, 2016, one year until our wedding, my mom surprised us with an engagement photo session. What a great gift!

Tj and I would have never booked our own engagement photos. We thought they were a little cheesy. But my mom knew better (like she often does) haha. She found a photographer based in London and we quickly set up a day in December to have our photos taken.

Our photographer Patryk was awesome. We went to a few locations around London and even had a wardrobe change lol. He gave us good direction and gave us back the photos just a few days later!

Here are 5 reasons why engagement photos are a good idea:

1. Good practice for wedding pictures:

We are so awkward! We don't pose strategically or look lovingly at each other in regular pictures we take, so we needed all the practice we could get. Also, the blooper photos showed us our bad habits. Like Tj cannot look into the distance. And when I feel awkward I laugh and scrunch my neck… not a look that works in pictures.

2. It was fun getting all dressed up:

We don't have a lot of occasions to get dressed up, so it was fun to plan coordinating outfits and get ready for our photo shoot. I remember we would try different outfits on together and stand beside each other in front of the mirror to see if we matched. I especially liked ordering lots of dresses online until I found the perfect one! Thank goodness for next day delivery and free returns.

3. Hair and Make-up trials:

Or should I say hair and make-up don'ts. Thank goodness I had my hair done professionally though because it was so windy on the bridge, if I had done my own hair it would have been a disaster. The makeup was another story. I got it done at a popular makeup store and when I walked our flat after, Tj actually said, "What's wrong with your face?" LOL. It looked ok in the store but when I got home it was way too much. I fixed it as best as I could, but in the taxi to the first location, Tj thought I had dirt on my cheek (it was the wrong shade of bronzer). Lesson learned: I now knew exactly what I didn't want for my wedding makeup! I was able to provide more specific instructions to my wedding make-up artist.

4. Professional photos come in handy:

Tj and I have never had our photo taken professionally before and it was nice to have some good quality photos of ourselves. They came in really handy for the wedding. We used some for our guestbook, and some as decorations on display at various wedding events, and at the actual wedding. We had them printed on metal which came out so cool (you can get this done at Costco or Walmart).

5. Souvenir of our time in London:

I think this is what really sold us on the engagement photo idea. We took some dressy photos around some of the big London landmarks that weren't too far from our place, and then we went back to our neighbourhood and changed into our casual outfits. I love that we have these memories in a city that is so special to us.

Here are some of our favourite pictures:

Bonus feature: Here are some "blooper" pictures. Enjoy haha