Devin Reveals Her Unpopular Opinion • Hot Takes • Ladylike 

I think Devin is more against the opulence and grandeur of engagement photos. The pressure and expectation to look perfect, grand poses, and full 'life' seasons that aren't the couple's real life. I get what she means. In India, pre-wedding photos have become an an entire experience. The couple basically shoots their own version of a music video, complete with drones and music.

I like how Jen tries to keep everyone level headed

My fiancé and I got engaged last month. I took 4 or 5 pictures of us and my ring right after, me with puffy eyes and everything from crying. And that's it. Those mean more to me than any professional photos a few weeks later ever would. And i look forward to taking nice pictures for our invitation and at the wedding.

I'm engaged and I honestly fully agree with Devin.

I actually agree with Devin, social media I think has forced people to do unnecessary things in front of a camera. Not just engagment photos, but also gender reveals, millions of baby photos, and any other life achievement. Unless its pets, pets are always cute.

I think the whole modern wedding concept is overpriced and over done

devin has turned into a young hippie grandma

Kristen is probably my favorite Lady in the group, but she was being kind of a jerk about this argument. She is taking it way too personally.

I do think that engagement photos are ridiculous and unnecessary. But if you want to take them, you do you.

I have always felt engagement photos were fake and way too staged. I have only seen a handful that actual make me say YES that is what love looks like or OMG you can see how much they love each other. So I agree with Devin 100%. I am not anti pictures just anti staged, ridiculously expensive photos that dont show your version of love towards your partner.

Everything related to the wedding ceremony is a scam. Stick the word "wedding" or "engagement" in front of a normal word like "dress", "cake" or photo and watch the price go sky high. We don't need posed photos of what it's like to be engaged. It's all anticipation of being married, which is pretty awesome if I say so.

My biggest wedding pet peeve is how EVERYONE takes their pics or has their wedding in some kind of barn, plantation, haystack, etc. Stop. We all know you've never even stood near a cow in your life. Stop pretending you have a country aesthetic when you grew up in the city. I guess I just hate when people pretend they're totally different people for their weddings.

We didn’t do engagement photos. Still married 17 years later. Just money we didn’t want to spend.

I meannn....she's not wrong lol. Engagement photos seem really redundant. Especially for a couple that's also going to take wedding photos too. I personally dont see the point in both. Take the standard "engagement ring strategically placed in front of camera" photo and call it a day. Im unsure what the purpose of a photoshoot weeks after the engagement is for.

You can tell Devin is a capricorn 😂😂 save them dollars to buy something useful, yes girl.

Jen is my favorite person because she’s saying they should listen and being fair and unbiased. Also I don’t like these kind of videos because it feels mean

I feel like a lot of wedding culture is waaaayyyy too overpriced and is normalized by society. Like dropping $2K+ on a dress that’ll you never wear again, inviting everyone and their uncle that you haven’t seen since you were 5 instead of the just the people that actually matter, going way over the top with the venue, etc. Like yes it should be a special and wonderful day/night but like in the US the ave. wedding cost $25K and that’s just too much.

I have a pretty intense opinion about this. My best friend was about to get married and got really beautiful engagement photos. Two weeks before the wedding, her fiancé was killed in a car accident. The photos they got for the engagement were the last pictures they have together. I think if you want pictures to immortalize your marriage before it happens, you should. Treasuring moments together isn’t for other people, it’s for the people getting married.

Lmao I love how much Devin hates engagement photos, yet she had the most extra Christmas card with her cats 😂

I feel like Kristen was actually really mad 😂😂😂

People shouldn't post EVERY LITTLE THING on Facebook and Instagram.... They just shouldn't....

Forget the pictures. The entire wedding is a scam. Save that 10k for a House. You’re gonna have emergencies and life problems as well and you’ll wish you saved that money

I think taking engagement photos are more of an American thing to do

Wedding photographer here. Little known fact! Engagement photos are often included in wedding photo packages and used to help you get comfy with 1. your photographer (you have to hang out with us for your whooole wedding day!) and 2. being in front of a camera. Kristin's arguments are on point!

Engagement photos aren't necessary, but nobody said they are. If you want engagement photos then you can buy it. It's not a scam it's a product that you buy just like anything else because you prioritize having photos of you two

Agree. My (now) husband proposed when we were out on a date, we took a few selfies of us and the ring during our happy moment, and kept it moving. Lol Photographers (while I find very talented and useful for some occassions) can be way too expensive for broke folk, and I believe the money can be put to better use than engagement photos, IMO.

Am I the only one who feels like this series is filled with so much hostility 😂

I think Engagement Photos are pointless. But than again I think most aspects of weddings are too expansive and unnecessary. In saying that, to each their own.

Love Devin and all the girls of lady like but this reads as very hypocritical. Devin is someone who has done numerous professional photo shoots for Christmas cards, Vacations, and Lingerie. Why throw shade at people who want to have an important moment in their life captured in pictures? You're young, you're in love and you have far greater opportunity to be creative than in the wedding photos themselves. Have at it, if you like! Who cares what anyone else thinks, do what makes you happy! I do agree though that you shouldn't feel pressured to do them. If you can't afford professional ones don't be afraid to ask a creative friend or family member for help as DYI project everything looks great with a instagram filter ; ). Also if you don't want fancy photos or wedding you don't need one. The important thing is the people in your life and if you are engaged you have likely found someone very special. Enjoying time with that person is all that matters.

haha, yea I kinda agree with Devin though. I would love to see engagement photos of people sitting on the couch watching Netflix rather than people on a beach at 5am

I agree with Devin, save that money for the wedding, honeymoon, baby photography. I feel like the engagement can be unproffesional photos, it's the wedding and if you have a baby, baby photos you should splurge on.

If Devin doesn't want engagement photos then cool, don't do them. But, don't discredit actual professional photographers by calling engagement photos a scam and not worth the money when most of the time engagement photos are part of the wedding package and real legit photographers are just trying to make a living, just like she is. They spend loads on equipment, education, taxes, insurance. It's pretty insulting of her to call it a scam and say get a friend with a dslr to do it instead. So, basically take income away from actual photographers bc she personally isn't into that type of photography?? Being in a creative environment herself, she should know better....

Hi, wedding photographer here. LISTEN TO KRISTEN! If your photographer doesn't include a package for engagement photos, maybe pay for it but most photographers include it. It gives you such a good opportunity to get comfortable with the person you're about to share the majority of the day with on your wedding day, besides your spouse!

I think the whole thing is symptomatic of a larger problem with people's lives being weighted towards their wedding as soon as they get engaged. They ultimately care more and put more time and effort into their wedding than they do to their marriage. Engagement photos aren't any more of a scam than wedding photos, wedding bands (the musical kind), calligraphers, invitations, tuxedos and wedding dresses. My own engagement was 8 months long, the entire wedding party was 8 people (including my wife & I) and they only found out about it 4 weeks beforehand. The whole day came in at about £1,000 including the casting of our rings, marriage licence fee and dinner. Everyone had a fantastic day because WE GOT MARRIED!

Not going to lie I literally thought the exact same things Devin did. My now husband proposed to me when we were 20. We both were living paycheck to paycheck so he actually couldn't even get me a ring. Which also meant we couldn't afford engagement photos, save the date, invitations, and the whole shebang. We waited two years before we were finally able to afford a small wedding in Conroe, Texas. My husband's cousin was going to take the wedding photos for us. Not a professional but the thought totally counted. However, a week before the wedding we had a hurricane and had severe flooding. Our venue canceled on us. We scrammed to find a venue in our hometown Tyler. Finally found one and the day before the wedding the hotel where we were going to have the wedding canceled on us due to them having to host hurricane victims. Which totally understand however that forced us to scram again 24 hours prior to the wedding. We were able to find a church and honestly it was the worst experience of my life. The church venue had no AC so everyone was a hot mess. Our photographer was not able to come. A friend took pictures but they were not the best quality and it also took them almost half a year to get them to us. Our wedding guests were only people who were in the wedding party, my parents, his father, and his grandparents, and three cousins. I seriously regret not having taken engagement photos or had someone with more experience take the pictures of our wedding. The pictures I do own honestly make me sad to look at. It may seem a little unnecessary to spend so much money on a photographer but that's such a special day and to have it captured forever is truly priceless.

I was so grateful to our wedding photographer. We called him randomly, and had no idea that he is a world-class photographer. Normally, he needs booking 3-4 years in advance... but, miraculously, he was available for our weekend (he was around the 50th photographer we called, and no one was available). We really couldn't afford it, but decided that photos were going to be our splurge, as our friends and family hail from 5 different continents and we were basically never going to get everyone all together again. Well, he gave us a huge discount, gave us an engagement session for free, and he had such a blast at our simple wedding that he ended up staying the whole night, taking pictures, even though he was only paid to be there until 10pm. I suppose that he isn't at the top for nothing, but to this day we are so very grateful for him, and thought that this vid was an awesome place to share the story.

I agree with Devin. Engagement photos as well as extravagant weddings are very much so an American thing. Many European countries just do a simple wedding with direct family or friends and that’s it. It’s an unnecessary cost in my opinion. Also NO WONDER that so many couples declare bankruptcy after getting married. The American ideal of weddings and everything surrounding them is so bizarre.

As a student photographer who was asked to do a wedding for a very low budget with 0 experience, I can guarantee that spending more money and meeting the couple beforehand is SUPER beneficial. I had no idea what the couple were like, how they were with each other, how I could act etc so I just took photos like I would with a portrait photograph and it didn’t turn out great. Wedding/engagement photographers are SO underrated and if they do a good job, they’re worth their price rate.

I didn't have engagement photos. I thought they were pointless.

Over priced just like anything else related to weddings 🤷‍♀️ it’s a scam. FYI, I’m married and been through the process.

I dont take photos or selfies on the daily so having an excuse to take really nice photos that make me feel beautiful, create memories of a fun day and have something really beautiful as a couple to remember why we decided to get married, before actually being married and reflect some of what we love to do together could just make those hard days as a couple just a little easier. A reminder of the days that brought passion and love and why it was there and that it is still there. I'm not married, I've been engaged at one point but honestly. I think this take comes from photos no longer being precious luxury but a daily convenience. Devin would definitely not be talking like this if they were her grandparents' posting their engagement photos from decades ago on FB if they had had the luxury to take them.

My husband and I did engagement photos because we wanted to use the photos on the wedding invitation and in the wedding decor. We also used them in the guest book and we did a calendar. So they're not a scam, they can be useful in many ways.

I just got engagement photos taken! We weren't planning on getting them but then the photographer we loved and could afford included engagement photos in all of her wedding packages. She said that she enjoys getting to know the couple before the wedding day. I also love our photos! I'm so excited to have them to capture this exciting time! I hear Devin on social media normalizing hiring expensive professionals for things like weddings and basically just spending more money in general, though. I hear her. Targeting engagement photos alone is just a tiny part of it though.

I can't stand Kristen. She drives me up the wall every time she opens her mouth and thinks she is always right... That's my HOT TAKE!!

I don’t think engagement photos are any different than senior pictures, wedding photos, maternity pictures or family pictures. If you hire a photographer they capturing a time period of your life you would like to remember. While social media may have encouraged engagement photos, social media has encouraged all photos. Cat photos, food photos, selfies, and event photos. All pictures should be up to the individual... engagement photos or other wise.

I 100% agree with Devin on ALL accounts AND I’d like to add on similar sentiments for pregnancy photo shoots. I didn’t do engagement photos and my save the date had no photos on it. I got post card sized paper, printed them on my printer at home, and fancied it up with a floral stamp and some gold ink. Cost me MAYBE 3 cents each without postage. Also, meeting your photographer for lunch after vetting their website is PLENTY of bonding/chemistry assessment for the wedding. Yes. “Just take a picture of what your love actually is.” All our photos post engagement and pre wedding were of things we actually just happened to be doing at the time: photos taken with our own iPhones of us mountain biking, rock climbing, having lunch at a local burger place, etc. not laying on a blanket in the grass with candles and wine.

This photographer has a new found respect for Kristin. GIRL PREACH IT!!!! Good photography is a luxury item. Not everyone values that, but many people do.

i agree with devin IN SO MANY LEVELS

Lmao Kristin can't take it! Sorry love but some people just don't want engagement photots, its fine if you want to do it though.

I agree with Devin 100%. Engagement photos just make me want to roll my eyes and drink, also the point of perpetuating everyone has to get married.

I am LOVING this series! Spill all the tea, ladies! Also I agree with Jen's comment at the end about how engagement photos aren't a scam but the pressure to take them is the scam

Kristen was being mad rude like she’s getting so heated for no reason it’s someone’s opinion it can’t be wrong.

Okay as a photographer, I'm just trying to eat and capture your memories. Also, yes, my engagement photos are apart of my wedding package. And they are essentially announcement photos after the actual Engagement and are typically sent out with the invitation!

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Kristin was being kind of rude. TBH

“Do you care? No” KILLED ME.

I got my pictures for free from my cousin... WITH HER PHONE and they are fantastic

Thankfully I can’t relate as a Brit (engagement photos, pregnancy photos, wedding showers and gender reveals aren’t common)

i think that spending more than $100-$500 on wedding/engagement photos is ridiculous

“Hot take time, hot take time, hot take time at lunch!” I love The Office reference!

I feel like people who get this upset at engagement photos have too many “friends” on social media. If you’re truly happy for your friends then they are just happy they are happy regardless of how expensive, cheesy and possibly tacky their photos are. I love seeing my friends post those pictures. I love seeing them happy and commemorate that special moment. It doesn’t even cross my mind if it expensive or not. Lol. Even if their photos were taken by someone less expensive, I have a feeling Devin would have still been bitter about the staged aspect of it all. Just let people liiiiive!

I hate engagement photos too! I didn't get any and I have no problem with that. Where I live people also do wedding photos before they get married and I hate that too.

watch devin get engaged and take engagement photos😂😂

Who takes engagement photos? I didn't.... we got 6 years already. Get wedding photos fine

I have been married for 8 years. Most expenditures for a wedding are over priced and a waste of money. Invest in a home and premarital counseling.

girl we watched ya'll take Christmas card photos with your cats. You think i care about that? Its the same concept. You and your cats in unlikely situations for a card the people you sent them to are going to throw away after Christmas is over. I'm not telling you to stop taking Christmas photos with your cat or that its a scam. Engagement photos are along that line. Just like the cat Christmas photos, those photos mean something to the person who had them taken. If you don't like them, don't get them done.

Married 10 yrs. My money was better spent on trips vs fake posed photos, and a large over the top wedding. But everyone is different. 🤷‍♀️

As someone who had engagement photos done, I think this is fair. My photographer was someone I knew from high school and she was building her portfolio. She let us have an amazing deal for engagement and wedding pictures, in exchange for us being her first wedding. Before we decided on her, we were looking at other photographers and they were like 5k for just the wedding... I think we should pay everyone for their talents and skills, but damn... the photos were lovely, but not necessary. I’m glad I got lucky with my photographer.

Ugh. Let people have their sentimental photos and leave your friends with their DSLRs alone. These shoots require a lot of editing and a good eye, not EVERYONE with a DSLR is a photographer.

“you know WHAT devin?!!!”

I mean her opinion is her opinion. Let her have it. An opinion can’t or shouldn’t be considered wrong. If that’s how she feels towards engagement photos then let her feel that way.

Instead of being a "waste of money" think about all the photographers and artists that you are supporting by having these photographs taken. You are feeding these people's families and supporting the arts. More power to you, but as a photographer I have to disagree.

Wedding photographer here! Engagement photos are great because it helps the couple get comfortable in front of the camera before the wedding day. Also, many photographers include them in the wedding package for free (like Kristin said) because it's the best way to get to know the couple before you are spending an entire 8+ hour day with them! I do this and my couples are always happy with it, because they know what to expect from the photographer. 10000% with Kristin on this one!

Hi. I’m new to LadyLike and this Hot Take was interesting. I’ve been married to my love since 1995. We’ve been together since 1991. We did engagement photos prior to our wedding. We didn’t have the internet back in 1995. Our picture was placed into the Sunday Engagement section of the newspaper. Engagement photos have been happening long before FB days. We celebrated our engagement. Yes, the photos were $$$ but well worth it for us to reminisce and cherish that memory.

100% agree - as someone who is married! Unpopular opinion: Add pregnancy announcement pictures, gender reveals, anniversary photos, babies first birthday, birth photos etc to this list!

I didn't get engagement photos but I did see a chubby squirrel the day of my engagement and took a million free pictures of him.

Girl! I have been married for 12 years and my family basically pressured me into getting engagement photo and they are a SCAM! It was a complete waste of money and time! Thank you for saying it out loud!!! I love you Devin!!!!!!!!!!!

These are very mild takes

I'm married and I fully agree with Devon

I just got engaged & everyone is waiting for engagement pics.. 1000% not doing engagement photos took a few pics of my ring & that's all I needed PREACHHH ITTT GIRRRLLLLL

Maybe Devin is wearing that shirt because she’s spilling the T😜

I completely 100% agree with Devin. Go girl❤️

Engagement photos have been around before Facebook, lol. They are made to put in the announcement pages in the newspaper. Maybe that's why millennials don't understand they don't read the engagement/wedding/anniversary announcements in their local newspaper. .

"It has everything to do with you being petty." amazing

I'm a professional photographer and I agree with a few points like the social media aspect but engagement pics are not a scam. Photographers don't force them on people, they are usually a complimentary part of their wedding package and even when they are not most clients want them. My hot take: Devin as much as I love ya, you're being a real bitter betty. If these photos make the couple happy then leave it at that. We need more love and happiness in the world. The photos are not for you they are for the couple. If you don't like them that's fine, just keep scrolling your feed and move on. 🤷‍♀️

Engagement photos have been happening for decades. These photos were usually displayed at weddings, or bridal showers. However, what FB did change was the production of the actual emgagement. People all the sudden have full on hidden professional photographers taking pictures/ video of the actual engagement. That to me is the unnecessary part for sure. 🤷‍♀️

*Good engagement photo:* Take a selfie with your significant other, with the rings in frame.

i love devin’s ring that she’s wearing on her right hand

I actually agree with Devin 🤷🏽‍♀️

I think the thing that all the girls are overlooking is the photographer's side of it and WHY they are expensive. Photography equipment is EXPENSIVE. A good camera will cost anywhere from $350 to $2000 depending on how many bells and whistles you want. Additional lenses also go for about $200+ a pop. Printers are then super expensive, especially if you want to be able to print large format photos. Most photographers have expensive laptops to edit those photos with and they have to pay for the photo suite on Adobe which is about $20 a month. On top of that, they need to pay monthly to have a website so people can look at their portfolio. This is why photos are so expensive, you are essentially paying the photographers credit card bill. Some photographers do this full time so they need to actually make a living off of your photos. So yeah, they are really expensive, but you are supporting someone, typically a local person, in your community as if you were buying from a local owned store instead of a national chain.

I love getting to see engagement photos and wedding photos. Many of my friends have had absolutely gorgeous shots. But the expectation that everyone will do them and then have fantastic ones that they share everywhere is frustrating

This is super fun and I love it when people can express wildly differing opinions without getting thrown under the bus (or throwing anyone else under there either!). This is actual debate, instead of the name-calling and bashing to which we seem to have become accustomed

I agree with Devin. Engagement photos are ridiculous and just one more thing people try to get you to spend money on. Its like one more thing people have to 'preform' for social media and the camera.

I dislike pregnant belly photos. 😳creeps me out!

My engagement photos were less than $300, the photographer was wonderful. She followed us around for an hour and took candid shots and a couple staged. They came out wonderful and we used them for the Save the Date cards. I truly enjoyed it. Good memories 😊

As someone who has recently gotten engaged, this has been helpful for thinking about what to expect and consider when I can start wedding planning

have to disagree with devin, fo' real. my engagement pictures were included in the wedding package, but also... they're the only pictures my fiance and i have together that we genuinely like. our photographer took the time to make sure she captured our personalities and she was also super sensitive about having flattering angles of both of us. there's plenty of iphone pics of us as a couple, but usually either of us think we look weird or unflattering (even if the person taking the picture is super good at taking pictures). basically I think engagement pictures are awesome and don't feel ashamed for sharing yours all over facebook. do your thing. :)

I truly closed my eyes, participated in the visualization, and then burst out laughing at Devin's whispered "do you care?"

My husband and I did photo booth photos for our Save the Date, added a card w fancy writing printed on paper from our printer a few ribbons and boom, done. Everyone loved them.

Engagement pictures were so important for my groom too. He is shy and by the end of the engagement pictures he was so relaxed and really enjoyed our photographer. Plus, it’s nice to have more casual pictures to put up besides just wedding photos.