Whenever I tell someone what I do for a living — photographing adventure weddings and elopements — I always get one of two responses. It’s either a “that’s so neat!” sort of response, which I love, or an “I hate my own wedding photos” kind of confession.

The latter breaks my heart, and the number of people that feel this way is astonishing. Fortunately, there is hope for anyone feeling disappointed with their wedding photos.

Although your wedding day is a once in a lifetime experience, dressing up in your wedding attire and reliving your day doesn’t have to be. If you’re disappointed with your wedding photos, I encourage you to make it up to yourself with a newlywed photo shoot. There is no reason you shouldn’t make more beautiful memories for yourselves.

It’s true, these photos won’t be replacing the memories you made at your wedding and any photo opportunities missed, but they’ll be a beautiful addition. At the very least, you’ll spend your shoot reminiscing your first look, vows, and first dances. At most, you can recreate each of these important moments to experience and capture them again.

There are also perks to a newlywed session that your wedding never could have given you. The first is location. You have the freedom to choose to be photographed at any location you like. If that dream location is still your wedding venue, ask if you could shoot there on a weekday for an hourly rate.

Otherwise, dream about how you envision these photos looking and ask your photographer for location suggestions. I’ve got a whole list of locations in Washington that I love photographing here.

The second perk is planning your photos for golden hour — that time of day right before the sun goes down. Usually, weddings don’t allow much time to take advantage of the gorgeous light it provides, but in doing so, you’ll get dreamlike portraits!

Last, but not least, you won’t feel rushed. There won’t be any pressure from family or friends lingering nearby and no time crunch before guests arrive or between wedding activities. A newlywed session will be much more relaxing than a busy wedding day.

However, it’s not uncommon to feel stressed about how your photos will turn out after having a bad experience. Relax and trust that you’ve hired a professional (more on that below) that can handle anything you bring them. In the meantime, check out these blogs if you’re still feeling camera shy or want a few tips on how to make the most of your session.

How do you know that you’ve hired a great photographer that you can trust?

You’ve talked to them in person, by video chat or on the phone, and felt like you had a good connection and were understood.
They’ve shown you entire sessions that you love the look of and are like what you’re envisioning for yourself.
They provide timely guidance on shoot locations, vendor recommendations, and answer any questions you may have.
You have a signed contract in place. This helps you know what to expect and holds everyone accountable.

For more details on what to ask and look for when hiring a photographer, check out this blog.

Start planning your newlywed shoot!