A guest feature by our friends and Essex wedding photographers Amanda Karen Photography


When you think of lavender fields your mind probably instantly wanders to Provence, at least mine does. But time and time again I am reminded of the beautiful, almost destination wedding-esque vibes that we have here in the UK. This was definitely the case when Danielle and Joe wanted to have their engagement shoot in the lavender fields in Hitchin (others are available!)

Spring comes to wedding bloggers in a flurry of engagement shoot submissions and I LOVE it! At this time of year summer wedding planning hits new heights – couples are ordering wedding invitations and booking those last key suppliers, and it kind of feels like summer weddings will be here before we know it! Many of you will be checking in with your photographers and quite possibly having an engagement shoot in the next few weeks. Yay for you if you are – I promise, you’ll love it! Today I’m sharing some advice with those of you who might not be sure if you need an engagement shoot… because I just happen to have seven pretty solid reasons why engagement shoots are brilliant!

A guest article by Emily Black Photography

Engagement shoots are not only a great chance to get to know your wedding photographer and how they work, they also really help couples feel at ease in front of the camera. Most of my couples really don’t like the thought of having their photo taken and feel a bit uneasy about the prospect of couple shots during their wedding.