Couples Are Spending Thousands of Dollars on Destination Engagement Photo Shoots
Once upon a time, your engagement photos were simple snapshots you took on vacation, or selfies snapped at home. Now, the game has totally changed. Case in point: One Canadian couple whose spectacular engagement pics were taken in Iceland are going viral this week. The Northern Lights, crazy ice caves, rushing water, and towering glaciers serve as a dramatic set for Cici and Clement’s shoot and video. But the betrothed pair aren’t the only ones to go to such extreme measures for the perfect backdrop in celebration of their forthcoming nuptials. In fact, destination engagement shoots are trendy — and don’t necessarily need to be quite this over-the-top, while still being every bit as romantic.
There are definitely perks to putting on elaborate engagement shoots. One such benefit is that they allow for more intimate story-telling than during the time crunch — and venue restrictions — surrounding the wedding. Plus, there are no family or friends around to distract you from each other.
“We all want photos when we’re on vacation together,” Jacklyn Greenberg of JAG Studios tells Yahoo Style. “The idea of doing something out of the realm of normalcy takes the everyday activity of being together to a whole new level.”
Greenberg, who is based in New York, has done destination engagement shoots in London, Paris, and San Francisco, and all of them were chosen not for their alien landscapes (like that Iceland shoot) but for their personal significance to the couple. The result is photos that tell their love story.
“In Paris, we got to go on a food journey and go to their favorite restaurants; they rented bikes and rode down their favorite streets,” Greenberg said of a weeklong shoot she did with a couple. “We incorporated the elements of the city they’re in with who they are and what they like to do.”
These shoots can last a few hours, or an entire week, depending on how much you’re willing to spend and how much time you want to spend with your photographer. Greenberg says she can do a destination shoot for just four hours, which will cost around $1,200 plus travel expenses for her and her partner, Chris Brown. Or, something like that week in Paris would cost “in the $10,000 to $20,000 range,” plus travel expenses. The cost also depends on what you want to do with the photos: save-the-date cards, large prints, books, etc.
The key to making this work is to like your photographers … a lot. “When they’re sitting at that table drinking wine together, we’re on the other side of the table,” Greenberg says, describing how she’s able to capture those romantic moments. “When we do destination work, it’s a different level of family, because you wake up together, you see each other the next day and the next day. … There’s a whole other level of care that becomes involved.”
Clients have even gotten her involved in their proposals. One groom-to-be, Matthew, flew Greenberg and Brown to London and had them pretend to be random passers-by whom he asked to take their photo. When Greenberg said the secret password, “natural,” Matthew got on one knee and proposed.
“We had a hard time shooting because we were crying the whole time,” she recalled.
If you’ve chosen the right destination, weather shouldn’t be a problem. Just as when you’re on vacation, museums, aquariums, bars, restaurants, and street corners protected by awnings can also convey a sense of place on a rainy day.
You also shouldn’t have to worry about getting permission for your shoots, as long as you don’t look as if you’re filming a major motion picture, but it’s a good idea to know about any regulations ahead of time. “We’ve had a few interesting conversations with cops on the front steps of [New York’s Museum of Modern Art] and places where we want to take some pictures but apparently we can’t,” Greenberg admits. “If we’re not supposed to be taking pictures, sometimes we can squeeze a few in that look like we’re tourists.”
At the same time, you’d be amazed what people will do for engaged couples. “When they see someone newly in love, there’s always a sense of joy that everyone responds with,” Greenberg says. “We’ve had people move from their locations and offer us the spot they’re in. … People move mountains for a couple.”
Flying off to another continent is not a requirement for romantic shoots, Greenberg says. If it’s not in your budget (or calendar), places close to home can be every bit as good. Some of her favorite engagement shoots have taken place in cramped kitchens, and even in the cheese aisle at a grocery store.
The main question is, “What resonates with you?”
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