In my experience I have found that when my brides and grooms take advantage of my FREE engagement session they prosper in more than one way.  There are three main reasons that I feel as a photographer that the engagement photography session is so advantageous.  

1. Your wedding day should be a wonderful experience. Your connection with your photographer will be very important  - your photographer is the one person following you around for a day filled with intimate moments.  I spend a great deal of time with the bride and groom during their photo session which creates a wonderful feeling of getting to know me as a photographer and my getting to know the bride and groom.  If the couple is not used to having a camera around them (which most people are not) and they find that they are desperately afraid of having their picture taken this is a great tool to change that.  Camera shy is a truly common issue for many - including myself.  With that understanding I go out of my way to bring everyone to ease.  As the session goes on for a bit the wall comes down and the nerves settle.  My personality is a big part of this process of talking to my clients.  I have a blast with my brides and grooms and have  terrific results in achieving comfort for all.  Make sure you get to know your photographer.  If you are not in the same state and are hiring a photographer from a far away distance spend a nice amount of time getting to know that person on the phone.

2.   Make sure your wedding day is planned out with your photographer prior to the big day.  You can plan a good time slot for your formals and artistic images for your event.  Talk to your photographer and be sure to have an itinerary in place ahead of time.  If there is a small glitch that throws off your time you will be prepared.  If your formals are cut short you will already have had a relaxing session that is not rushed or pushed too fast to be sure you have a great fine art piece to hang on your wall.

3.  A great tool that I use with my brides and grooms is a "Get to Know You" sheet.  This gives me a chance to custom design my  clients engagement session and wedding session to their unique qualities.  If you are working with a photographer you may want to tell them who you are and what your hobbies are both as a couple and individually.  What better way to have an engagement session that is custom designed to work with who you are.

I hope these ideas are of help to you in your search for the perfect photographer for your big day!