Why are they called Engagement Pictures??? - The PASH Wedding Forums and Message Boards

Yelycrazygirl · #1 10-12-2006, 05:36 PM

I’m curious… why does engagement pictures are called engagement pictures? Here is an explanation from where my question comes up…

The first time I heard of engagement pictures I thought they were talking about pictures that were taken on the day of the engagement at the time of the engagement. But when I found out that no, they were talking about some pictures that were taken after the engagement, two months before the wedding… um that didn’t make a lot of sense to me, I mean the name, for me those were just pictures of the couple, but not engagement pictures. Is something like, let’s say that somebody comes to you and show you some graduation pictures that were taken last week, and you ask, oh nice when was your graduation, and the person replies 8 months ago…ummm then why are you calling them your graduation pictures?!?!?! Or somebody say look my b-day pictures that I got them taken last Saturday but the actual birthday was 4 months ago…. Those are just pictures…..

Why people just don’t call them Pictures of us as a couple, or I don’t know…. But why engagement pictures??? That’s just doesn’t make sense to me…… and I’m just curious….

justnmary · #2 10-12-2006, 05:48 PM

Here! Here! Good question! I think engagement pics should be pics taken within the first month of the engagement and those should be the ones posted in newspapers announcing the engagement. Other then that, I think they're just pics taken of the couple. But that's just my opinion.

munchkin · #3 10-12-2006, 05:51 PM

They're called engagement photos because they're of an engaged couple. A lot of them feature the engagement ring as well. I don't really know how else to explain them other than that. A lot of people use an engagement photo when they publish news of their engagement in the newspaper.

AshyBekka · #4 10-12-2006, 05:55 PM

By that rationale, why would a bridal portrait taken a month before the wedding be called a bridal portrait? Why not just call it a picture of me in a pretty white dress?

It's just one of those traditions-sometimes it's not feasible to get pictures taken immediately after the engagement, but so long as you take them sometime after the question and before the response, you're still engaged, aren't you?

We're using ours for the announcement in the paper as well. I don't know, it's just tradition. It's not everyone's thing, so if you don't want em, you certainly don't have to have them done.

Julz518 · #5 10-12-2006, 07:23 PM

I think the difference between an official engagement picture and a picture taken on the day of your engagement, is that you go for a formal sitting for the engagement picture, it's not normally just a candid shot taken with someone's camera.

I don't know about most couples, but I know that we have purposely NEVER had formal pictures taken of us before we were engaged (and it's been 4 years). I know a lot of couples nowadays sit for photos all the time, but in the "olden days" formal pictures were reserved for special ocassions. Therefore, the formal pictures that we will have taken will be our "engagement" pictures, because that's the only reason we are getting them done!

And we're not getting them done until about a year after we're engaged b/c I want to lose a little weight first

Otherwise we would have already had them done.

Leslee&Jake · #6 10-12-2006, 10:20 PM

I never even realized that people took engagement pictures until I watched the episode of sex and the city where charlotte and Harry take their pictures in the park.

Kim&Bob2004 · #7 10-12-2006, 11:54 PM

Bob and I took ours about a month after our engagement, but then we only had about 4 months for everything and we wanted pictures to send to family and friends and the announcement in the home town papers.

I think of engagement photos as just being formal shots of the engaged couple together.

DavidsWife · #8 10-13-2006, 12:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justnmary

Here! Here! Good question! I think engagement pics should be pics taken within the first month of the engagement and those should be the ones posted in newspapers announcing the engagement. Other then that, I think they're just pics taken of the couple. But that's just my opinion.

agreed

m_t_rose · #9 10-13-2006, 03:23 AM

I didn't even know that people put there engagement in the paper is it something most people do?

munchkin · #10 10-13-2006, 04:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m_t_rose

I didn't even know that people put there engagement in the paper is it something most people do?

It used to be something everyone did back in my parents day. Nowadays lots of people do it but it's no longer absolutely expected. DJ and I are putting one in because we're both journalists and are dorky like that.

Complicated Woman · #11 10-13-2006, 05:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by munchkin

It used to be something everyone did back in my parents day. Nowadays lots of people do it but it's no longer absolutely expected. DJ and I are putting one in because we're both journalists and are dorky like that.

Kerry, I totally agree that you guys HAVE to do a newspaper announcement because of your profession. You should incorporate it into the newspaper style program!

AngelRoseFyre · #12 10-13-2006, 05:17 AM

I think we are going to do both (pics and paper). It's a relivivly small city so word by newspaper and mouth is a a great tool around here.

Although I am thinking I may just skip the 'engagement pictures' and just use a picture of the two of us that was taken at a friends wedding a few months ago, to put in the newspaper. It's a good picture.

labeadel · #13 10-13-2006, 07:46 PM

They're called engagement photos because they are photos taken of the couple while they are engaged, before marriage.

Yelycrazygirl · #14 10-13-2006, 08:15 PM

This still doesn’t make any sense to me…. For a lot of reasons, if they are pics of an engaged couple, well all the pics taken before the wedding and after the engagement will be engagement pics…. It will be the same thing as in the wedding day don’t waste time getting pics taken and later on go and get them done and call them wedding pics….I guess is just a traditional name more of what really is…..

Thanks everybody for trying to give me an answer….. I still appreciate the fact that you tried to help clarify that for me....

labeadel · #15 10-13-2006, 08:27 PM

Except your engagement photos are completely different from your wedding photos. My engagement phots were taken on a beach and we were wearing jeans and were barefoot. My wedding photos were.... Well, my wedding photos. I don't know if you are considering getting engagement photos and that's why you're inquiring, but I do recommend getting them. It gives you a chance to get to know your photographers a little bit before the big day.

TanyaRose · #16 10-20-2006, 04:38 PM

Well, they're optional, but I wanted just a nice one of us taken for the engagement announcement in the paper. Mainly because he lives out of town and not too many people knows what he looks like.