Wedding 101

What to Do If You HATE Your Engagement Photos

by Kristin Doherty 20 Dec 2023 •2 min read

Build Your Wedding Dream Team

Discover, manage, and track all of your vendor communication, contracts, and timelines in one place.

After weeks of anxiously waiting, your photographer finally delivers your engagement photos… and you hate them. A lot. If you're in tears over your pictures, take a deep breath and remember that your money hasn't gone completely to waste. Here's how to deal if you hate your engagement photos(so you can avoid a wedding photo disaster).

1Sleep on it

First impressions aren’t always quite right, and you might have a bad initial reaction simply because of the expectations you had in your head. Give it time and you may come around and realize that the photos are much better than you originally thought.

2Remember that you’re your own worst critic

It’s so easy to find flaws in photos of yourself, but most people probably don’t see what you see. For a little ego boost, ask your fiancé, family, and friends for their opinions of the shoot. Chances are they’ll think you look as gorgeous as ever.

3Pinpoint what it is you don’t like

There are plenty of reasons you might dislike your photos, but unless you figure out exactly what’s bothering you, you won’t be able to make any worthwhile changes or decisions. Do you think the posing is awkward? Think your outfits totally clash? Hate the lighting or the location? Determine those factors so you can act on them.

4Do some Photoshopping

If you’re skilled in Photoshop, or you have a talented friend, you might be able to take matters into your own hands. It’s amazing what a little bit of editing can do — especially if you’re after a more modern aesthetic. After a few clicks, you might fall in love with your engagement photos.

5Talk to your photographer

Now that you know what you don’t like, you can politely communicate that to your photographer. While you may or may not get a second photo session, at the very least, this photographer will understand what you do like and can help find images from the shoot that you’ll want to show off. That’s especially important if they’re shooting your wedding, too.

6Decide whether you want the photographer to shoot your wedding

Many couples use engagement photos as a sort of "trial run" with the photographer. If you don't like the end result and the photographer isn't responsive in making you happy, consider hiring someone else. If after all this you still can't stand looking at your photos, you've got more options. You could schedule another session with a new photographer or ask a talented friend to take some photos. Worried about busting your budget? Take one-year anniversary photos instead. You'll have something fun to look forward to!