Pop the Question? Engagement Season Part II

OK – as a wedding and event photographer I’ve got to be somewhat attuned the trends and the seasons. For instance, I’ve been known to flip through a bridal magazine now and then and with few exceptions I don’t make personal plans for weekends from May through October – especially not on Saturdays when as many as 50 percent of weddings occur.

With Halloween in the rear-view mirror, and engagement season upon us I’m trying to make myself similarly available to answer questions from couples planning their weddings this engagement season.

Yup, ‘engagement season,’ is apparently a thing – Read this if you’re wondering why your social media feeds are featuring so many engagement rings. (Are they?) Folks are thinking about the relationships they value – and who they want to spend the rest of their Christmas Eves with.

It’s even gone mainstream outside the so-called ‘wedding industry. Take this October report from CNBC on how to save on a ring for example.

Apparently the average couple spent $5,000 on a ring in 2016 – I’m glad to say the pictures will not be that much. What’s more, they’ll never fall down the drain!

Though often I’m hired only for the wedding, I’ve been fortunate to photograph a handful engagement sessions over the years. I remember one couple, from the Westchester vicinity, surprised me by wanting a session in this Catskills Photographer’s neck of the woods ahead their wedding northeast of Albany. We pulled it together on short notice while they were running errands nearby. I can’t say the weather entirely cooperated, but we got the job done. They used one of the images from that afternoon to announce their wedding in The New York Times.

Another engagement session that sticks in my mind was at SUNY Delhi, where I believe the couple met.

We gained ‘backstage access’ you might say to greenhouses and other areas on the new and old campus, enjoying an early spring shoot with a little snow still on the ground. I think they used some of these as ‘save the date’ images sent to family and friends.

If you or someone you know is sporting a new ring around the turn of the year, there’s a good chance the wedding might not be for another year or so particularly of the wedding will be a production at a major metropolitan venue booked far in advance.

Simpler celebrations, smaller, intimate and rustic Catskills barn and farm weddings could well be planned for this summer and fall. In either case, if you’re looking to line up your photographer, (a-hem) I’m making myself available…

Questions? Comments? I’d love to hear from you. Find Jonathan Ment Photography and follow along on  Instagram & Facebook.

Post Script…

My wife and I became engaged on the tail end of the season (though I’m not sure it was already a ‘thing.’) It was late February – on or around the anniversary of when we’d met years earlier. It was not, I’d say, based on proximity to Valentine’s Day.

But still… Our outdoor wedding was on a Sunday, a few months later in a public park near the Hudson River. We paddled to the reception at a restaurant run by a friend. I won’t deny that my event experience helped the day run smoothly, but honestly everyone pitched in – which is how a stress-free wedding should be.

Here’s hoping yours is the same – I can help.