It can be difficult to adequately capture every extraordinary moment in perfect detail on your wedding day, between capturing the beautiful decor, candid memories, and family portraits. Unless you have a team of photographers, you run the risk of missing moments and detail that you would have loved to see in your wedding album. A great way to mitigate this risk is to book an after-session with your photographer!

So what is an after-session? An after-session is when, instead of taking romantic portraits and staged shots in the time between ceremony and reception, the couple hires the photographer for a later date, dresses in their wedding outfits and takes intimate photos at their chosen location.

Pros

The Weather

One of the best parts of an after-shoot is the wiggle room you have regarding the day you book. You don't have to coordinate venue openings, vendor availability and personal time off to quite as large a scale and so you can postpone the couples portraits until you have the weather forecast you want. Be it bright summer sun that would be too warm for your wedding day or a gloomy, foggy day that looks killer in posed photos, booking an after-session allows you the freedom to tailor details vital to you that may not have been an option on your wedding day!

The Location

The beauty of after-sessions is the location. You don't have to worry about accommodating a large group of people, getting a liquor license, sorting toilets or catering, and most importantly, you don't have to pay an arm and a leg. Depending on your chosen location, you may not have to pay a cent for a few hours of entry! It's is the perfect time to play with your wedding theme and pick a location that you know will look amazing in photographs. For a modern wedding, go on a city excursion and fill your album with exploration and fantastic architecture; if you're more of a gothic couple, then head to your local forest and snap pictures amongst towering trees and lush undergrowth if you love all things elegant and royal then book a session in a manor house and live your Bridgerton fantasy! The options are truly endless when it comes to your chosen location, so have fun with it!

Intimacy

Without an entire wedding party of eyes watching, it's a lot easier to settle into the comfort and intimacy of your couples portraits. It not only makes the day feel more relaxed and fun, but your photos are going to reflect the love and intimacy of the day without the pressure of time constraints or an audience making the bride and groom self-conscious.

Cons

The Cost

It's no secret that an after-session is going to add on another charge to the overall wedding costs, between booking a photographer, paying for make-up and hair, getting the wedding outfits cleaned, and the potential costs of securing the photography space this added extra can easily add another €200-€500 to your bill. It has to be taken for what it is, a nice luxury and extension of your wedding fun, but not a necessary addition to the itinerary.

Cuts Into Honeymoon Time

Most newlyweds are chomping at the bit to jet off on their honeymoon; after months of planning and stress, an excellent holiday is a welcome change. However, you may have to postpone or shorten the honeymoon to accommodate the venue, photographer or glam team availabilities. Unfortunately, this isn't always a possibility; however, the more vendors you include in this endeavour, the more likely the situation becomes.

Extra Cleaning Or Repairs

If you party hard, then your wedding outfit might not be in pristine condition by the end of the reception; be it spilt drinks, grass stains, or god forbid rips in the fabric, you may need to invest in restoration or professional cleaning before your after-session which can be a hefty chunk of money on top of the additional costs as listed above. On the other hand, if you're sentimental, you may have already been planning to restore your dress/suit, so this may not be as much of an issue but is seriously something to consider before putting down photographer and makeup artist deposits!

- Gráinne