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Weddingbee Blog
Mr. Kiwi and I are trying to save as much money as possible. This means eating at home more, no shopping sprees, and possibly no Valentine’s Day extravaganza. While this does make me a little bummed, they are just frivolities that we don’t really need - whether we’re trying to save money or not.
This also means we’re not doing engagement photos. I don’t know if it’s a cultural thing, a familial thing, or just something engaged couples do in different parts of the country - but I’ve never seen one in a wedding from our circle or family. Mr. Kiwi and I debated it, and instantly pooh-poohed the idea. Why pay for someone to take pictures of us? After almost four years together, we have more than enough pictures we could blow up if need be. We even have one taken on our first date, just our heads together. It’s actually very cute, if I do say so myself.
So we have the picture, but what do we do with it? We’re just having regular table numbers, nothing too fancy. We’re not having a framed matting, nor are we having a portrait of us framed by our ballroom. It’s not that I think it’s wrong, I’m just incredibly un-photogenic (and cheap).
Ever see the Friends episode where Monica and Chandler are trying to take their engagement pictures, but Chandler keeps unintentionally screwing them up with grimaces? That’s me. I look like a moron when I don’t know pictures are being taken, and when I DO know they are being taken. I freeze and all of a sudden a gorilla takes my place and the picture is ruined.
So, my question: Are you doing/have you done engagement pictures? If so, is it common where you are? If you’re not, why aren’t you?
We are taking engagement photos, but don’t let that fool you into thinking we are not cheap as well. 
The only reason that we are going to be able to do this, and the only way it will fit in our budget, is because a friend of ours is taking them. She is a photographer, but has never done wedding related photography. So… we are both kind of using this as an opportunity. She is getting practice, and we are getting cheap engagement photos. Score!
we did engagement pics, i did bridals, we took wedding day shots (of course) and finally, we took newlywed shots.
around here, this is what i see: the engagement pics are used to announce the wedding in the local paper, and a large bridal shot is usually framed and displayed at the reception.
we took newlywed pics, well, b/c they were free
We’re not having real ones done, but as an engagement present, one of our friends (not a professional) offered to take some of us just for fun. So we got a few good pictures from that, but they’re just in our apartment, and we’re not going to really use them for anything like a poster at the wedding. Engagement pictures are not at all common in my circle, and we too have a zillion photos of just the two of us, so I didn’t miss it at all!
No, just the pictures taken by some nice strangers who were passing by at the time of our engagement. You can’t recreate those amazing happy smiles at the magic moment, and I love the authenticity.
my mistake, i meant the e-pic is used to announce the engagement in the paper.
also, the bridal pic is used to announce the wedding in the newspaper.
again, this is what i see around my area.
We took e-pics. They came with our photography package, so it wasn’t an added expense. In our circle, though, it’s pretty standard to have e-pics taken. Generally they’re used for the signing matte and have been since at least the first wedding I remember (age 5). I don’t think that the signing mattes are common, though, since I’ve had photographers tell me that they’re a new thing and brides on the boards are always talking about how they’re unique.
That said, I really don’t think e-pics are a necessity, especially if they’re not common in your circle. If you have lots of pics of the two of you, you won’t miss them. I think that it’d be super cute if you blow up the pic from your first date, though!
I’m in LA too.. and in MY circle, engagement photos are considered a must I guess. When the fi and I expressed that we didn’t want to spend extra $$ on an engagement session, everyone was shocked. In any case, it turns out that everyone we spoke to had been quoted ONE price for photos and it included engagement photos. I’ve seen tons of people take formal ones but we’ve opted to take casual ones - since we’d like to see those framed instead of actual “wedding like” photos..
We took e-pixs, but my dad took them for us. Basically he took them I just paid for the film development and reprints…it was VERY cheap.
I’m so glad someone else is not doing this. We’re spending enough on a photographer for our wedding day. We didn’t do an engagement announcement at all, but even if we had - we would have just had mom or dad take the picture.
We did, but only because our photographer friend
did them for free. We’re not doing newspaper announcements or anything fancy, and we have plenty of candid shots of us, but it’s nice to have some pretty, professional pix of us. We used one for our STDs and another on our wedding website.
We were gonna skip it but at the last, and I mean THE VERY LAST minute we realized we needed photos of us for the program/cd booklet we were doing. To avoid using GNARLY photos of us on a camping vacation - we called a friend & had him meet us in front of an old truck that was for sale. Instant engagement photo shoot. I swear - my HAIR wasn’t even washed (but it was curled HA!) — and the pix turned out very cute. Just play around, goof off, do those same poses everyone else makes & call it a day!
We had my Dad take a picture to serve as part of the wedding announcement and to give our parents and grandparents an updated picture of the two of us. It cost me a couple dollars to have several 5 x 7 prints made at Wal-Mart. For that price I think it was worth it.
p.s. we got lots of complements on the picture, my Dad took extra care to get a spot of sunlight on the diamond, so it really sparkles.
We too are not doing ephotos. Originally I didn’t want to and they I got a great new dress. I tried to plant the seed of doing to photos in Mr. Seattle head but he said no. We have a great picture of him on one knee as he popped the question in front of the Eiffel tower so I cannot complain. But ephotos are totally a personal preference thing so don’t feel like you need to have them done.
my fi and i are taking e-pics, it was included with our photog’s package– so that we can become familiar and comfortable with our would be day of wedding photog. in that way i think it’s a very good idea, but i wouldn’t have paid extra for it!
we’re not taking it because we both feel like it’s so cheesy. i can’t imagine standing in a park staring longingly at my FI’s eyes. but on the otherhand, a lot of my friends have/are taking them and i love to look at them.
Wow, this is so coincidental!! I JUST emailed two of my friends about their experiences with e-pics and what they’d change about them. Then I thought “I wonder if anyone on WB has blogged about this; I should post a question in the hive.” Talk about perfect timing!
All (Texas) weddings I’ve been to seem to have an e-pic outside of the ceremony and a bridal outside of the reception. I like the idea so I will follow suit. Though I’ll choose a professional for the wedding and the bridals, I’m contemplating just having my sister take our e-pics. While most inclusive packages are usually limited by length of job and distance from a studio, with my sister we could go wherever, whenever and then just blow up the one or two we like the most.
My only hesitation (and what you might want to consider as well) is reading about brides who regretted not getting e-pics at all. I’ll at least have them, but will we look back 10 years from now and wish we had professional ones? Sort of like, “hey we spent thousands for one day, what would another couple hundred have really hurt?”
We’re taking ours on 2/18- the cost of the shoot was included in our photography pacakge. I don’t think we’ll be using them for anything other than maybe give one to each of our parents.
I’m not getting them done.
No one I know or in my family has gotten them done.
I think people have enough photos of me already–hehe 
I think I’d rather just send a pic of us on our wedding day after it’s all done, maybe in the thank you card.
Oh, I forgot to add another frugal option I’ve been mulling over - someone else already mentioned it, but going to a studio like Walmart or JC Penney or something. My FH went two weeks ago to Walmart to get business pictures taken, and they turned out really well for really cheap. Then you could order the size and quantity of each you wanted, and not be stuck with a whole album. Plus, they give you the images on CD so you can play around with them, touch them up, and print them on your own (read: cheaper).
My mom wanted them so she could publish an announcement in the local papers, and I wanted some nice “non-wedding day” photos of us. That said, they’re included in our package and our photographer is coming to LA to take them. I welcome the chance to get to know our photographer and for her to learn how to shoot us… which is why we postponed it until now.
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Mrs. Kiwi, Los Angeles Age and Occupation in 06: 27, Bookkeeper Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, P.E. Teach/Coach @ private schools in LA Engagement Date: March 31, 2006 Wedding Date: November 3, 2007 Venue: Radisson Hotel About Me: I'm a bookkeeper who failed high school algebra. I'm currently living in Los Angeles, literally a street over from where I grew up with Mr. Kiwi, my honey of three years. We have a jumbo mini-dachshund (seriously, he's huuuuge), and we're planning an autumn themed wedding on a shoestring, paid for by ourselves. The wedding date is my late grandma's birthday, I needed her there somehow, and that seemed like the best way for us. I can't believe I'm a Bee! I couldn't be more proud!
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