To the new bride-to-be, Congratulations, that ring is gorgeous! I know you are head over heels excited with finding your venue, buying your dress and booking your favorite photographer… and you should be. Wedding planning is so.much.fun. Enjoy this season in your life because there isn’t anything like it.
That gorgeous wedding dress I was mentioning earlier, the one you said Yes! to, the one you’ve been dreaming about ever since you were a little girl, the one your groom is going to see you walking down the aisle in to be his wife, that dress is SO important. That dress will carry on memories that will last a lifetime. The moment you put on your dress is when it starts to feel real! If you are anything like me, the getting ready pictures are important to you. You’ll want to look back at your wedding pictures and remember those moments before the ceremony. That’s why where you decide to put on your wedding dress is extremely important.
Room Size – I highly encourage you to consider the size of the room that you will be getting ready in. In order for us, wedding photographers, to be able to capture those moments filled with emotion when you put on your dress for the first time, we need to have enough room to move around and find the most creative angles. Add a bride, a group of enthusiastic bridesmaids, a proud mother and cheerful sisters, it can be a tight squeeze.
Available Light – The more windows the room you’re getting ready in has, the better. If you love those bright and airy pictures, natural light is the key to helping your photographer create your dream images for you. Finding a room that is bathed in natural light will go a big way.
Trust Your Photographer – Maybe your venue really doesn’t have the most spacious room, and that’s alright. If your photographer expresses that it would be more suitable to move outside where the lightning is oh-so-much-better for the final touches, don’t give them a weird look. They know what they are doing. Sometimes, the tightest and darkest rooms don’t make for the best pictures. If wedding photography is important to you, trust your photographer! You won’t regret it.
Bonus Tip: One of my Central Virginia photographer friends shared a really important tip with me this week. Gently remind your bridesmaids to keep the room tidy while getting ready. A smaller room can quickly go from nice and clean, to cluttered and dirty by the time you get 4 or more girls, their hair supplies, makeup, and dresses all in one room together! By getting all hands on deck to do a quick clean up will ensure that you and your bridesmaids will stand out more in the pictures.
This is SUCH great information for a bride to have for their wedding day photographs! I’m pinning it!
So happy you found it helpful, and please feel free to pin it.
Your photos of the bride and her dress are spectacular. Such wonderful advice. All brides should read it.
I believe choosing the right place for your getting ready pictures is extremely important as well. Having natural light available will most likely give the images a fresh and airy look.
What a great read! I wish I had thought of this when I got married! Thanks for sharing :-)
Thank you all for your feedback! As a photographer, I believe that educating our clients is really important in capturing the look and mood we had been hired for.
This is so true. A clean room can make a huge difference for the getting ready pictures.