How To Write The Perfect Love Letter For Your Engagement Session
Fact: Love letters are not just something you did in eighth grade to woo the girl or guy that sat in front of you in math class.
Also fact: Writing and reading a love letter to kick off your engagement session is the PERFECT way to get raw, emotionally-charged candid pictures AND get into the right state of mind for what’s to follow.
This guide will help you put pen to paper in a way that will help you connect your thoughts and feelings AND it may even help you write your wedding vows, should you choose to create your own (we totally recommend you do).
Remember, do not share your letter until your instructed to at engagement session!
Okay, let’s dig in…
1. Decide on tone with your partner
Since you and yours will both be writing a love letter to one another, you should start by setting the tone. Humorous? Poetic? Romantic? Sappy? What’s your vibe?
2. Include stories and fact specific to your relationship
Think about how you felt when you first met, what made you fall in love and when you knew you wanted to spend the rest of your lives together. Think about why you decided to get married, what hard times you've gone through together, what you've supported each other through, what challenges you envision for your future, what you want to accomplish together, what makes your relationship tick (and what drives you nuts!), what you thought when you first saw your partner, when you realized you were in love, what you respect most about your partner, how your life has gotten better since meeting your partner, what inspires you about your partner, what you miss most about them when you're apart.
3. Make some promises
This is where it gets real. Falling in love and sharing a life together is a commitment like no other. You are promising to be there for each other, always. Expand upon this. Include promises that are broad in scope (like, "I promise I'll always be there to support you," for instance), as well as ones that are very specific to the two of you (like, "I promise I'll always let you watch Game of Thrones on Sundays.")
4. As with all things… avoid clichés
Now that you have your first draft, it's time to make edits. Borrow from other sources but don't let someone else's words overpower your own. You want your letter to sound like you. If you find yourself relying on cliché phrases try coming up with a specific example from your relationship that has a similar message. For example, instead of saying, "Love is blind," you might say, "You'll always be the most beautiful person to me even when you won’t change out of your yoga pants.
5. Practice out loud (seriously)
It might sound a little awkward, but this really is the best way to prep for reading your love letter to your partner at your engagement session. You want to DELIVER that letter and leave them feeling like… whoa! Thinking ahead to your pictures, consider using your hands expressively (but only in small gestures). You might even pick a part where you reach and put your hand on your partner (imagine this photo: your partner’s eyes getting all watery, staring at you in admiration, while you smile at them as you read your letter aloud…. that’s gold!).
6. Finalize your love letter into a clean copy
The paper you read from should be legible, so even if you're working on it right up until the day before, use a fresh piece of paper free of cross-outs, arrows and notes. And give some thought to the presentation too because it'll likely end up in the photos. Personally, I recommend you keep it hand-written.
And there you have it! You’ve got an ace up your sleeve to kick off your engagement session with true, raw emotion. It’ll be something you and you partner look forward to, and something you will never forget…
PS Your love letter should be between 1-2 pages… or a few minutes of reading time. It’s a letter, not a haiku…. you want it to be long enough to draw out emotion for your pictures.
