Let me first start by saying that about 90% of my brides are the type who REALLY love detail styling, they value the getting ready portion of the day and they hire me because those are some of my favorite parts of the day as well! I believe in capturing those moments before all of the day’s events really begin; not only does it help tell the story of a wedding day start to finish, there are such sweet and tender moments that happen while the bride is getting ready.
It is during this time the the bride’s mother, grandmothers, sisters and other women that are THE closest to her get to see her for the first time in her dress moments before she walks down the aisle to meet her groom. The hugs, tears, laughter and ALL of the emotions are SO important to document. Some of these moments from my own wedding day are part of the handful of photos that I cherish MOST out of all of the photos taken.
Along with these special moments, I typically style and photograph all of the little pretty details that the bride has spent so much time and thought into planning for her day. Even though they are just “things”, they ARE important. They too help tell the wedding day story. The necklace you wear, that was handed down from your great grandmother, IS something so special to document as your mother helps you place it around your neck. The piece of you grandfather’s jacket sewn into your dress IS a picture to put in your heirloom wedding album because it will be the only thing you have to remember that special gesture once your gown is packed away and sealed.
The details that I photograph by themselves include: the invitation suite, dress, veil/hairpiece, wedding rings, shoes, other jewelry, bridal bouquet, boutonnieres, perfume, and any other details the bride wants photographed! I love getting to style these details to look soft and beautiful together as my “warm up” for the day. It helps get my creativity flowing and I love starting a wedding day with the details.
As I said in the first part of this post, the vast majority of my brides LOVE my work for the detail styling and editorial feel. There are a few KEY ways to help me achieve these photos for you on your wedding day so that we create STUNNING getting ready photos. Read on for my 3 tips to get editorial looking getting-ready photos on your wedding day.
ALL THE PRETTY LIGHT
Light, specifically “good” light, is crucial in creating stunning imagery. I’m a natural light photographer, so what I’m looking for throughout the ENTIRE wedding day is soft, even, natural lighting. I cannot tell you how important it is to find a space to get ready in that has great natural lighting through big windows or french doors. If you take to heart one of the three tips in this post, it’s this one! If the space you plan to get ready in at your venue, church or home is dark with minimal natural light, you will not regret booking a local bed and breakfast, hotel suite, vacation rental or other location WITH amazing light to have you and your bridal party get ready in. If there is amazing light, the results will be… amazing :)
GATHER THE DETAILS
When I start photographing, the time we set aside for this in your timeline is minimal. So it is very beneficial to have every detail gathered up into one box so that everything is in one spot when I arrive. I can walk in, say hello and grab all of your details and get to work. It’s nice for you too because you aren’t trying to locate each detail, or tell someone where to find it and we don’t waste any valuable picture-taking time! It’s also VERY helpful to have all tags, wrappers, etc. removed from your items ahead of time.
And I’m going to sneak in another two tips here: 1. Make sure your bridesmaids/mother are in their dresses by the time you start getting into your dress! As they help you into your dress, it makes SUCH a difference in the overall look of your images to have everyone dressed and in their coordinating colors for your wedding. 2. Have your bridesmaids gather all of the miscellaneous items that have landed throughout the room and clear out an area for you to get your dress on. I will tell you that miscellaneous items on chairs, tables and floors is the easiest way to take away from the beauty of these photos and make them look busy and even “junky”. It’s best to take 5 minutes to create a clear space for you to get into your dress.
MAKE IT FUN
There can be a lot of anticipation and nerves for you before the day really gets started. It’s important to invest in a few small things that can help you and your bridesmaids relax and really feel in the moment while you are getting ready. Plan to have fun drinks for you and your girls in fun glasses. Sure it sounds corny, but when I get to drink something fancy in a fun glass, it FEELS special and is an added detail that will make your girls smile. And I’m sure you’ve seen photos of the bride and bridesmaids in fancy floral robes while they’re getting ready. Not only do they LOOK great in pictures, they are a fantastic gift for your girls that they can use beyond the wedding day. AND, these DO NOT have to be expensive! I was sent a beautiful gift set of a robe and wine glass (this one) from Bridesmaid Gift Boutique to review and I have to say the quality and appearance of the robes are really amazing for the price. The gift set with the robe and glass is great, but if your budget is smaller, the robes alone are less than $20 (at the time of writing this) and make SUCH beautiful photos! If I could do my wedding day again, I would order these as gifts for my girls!
That wraps up the top 3 tips to get stunning getting ready photos on your wedding day! I hope this helps some of my brides-to-be plan this portion of your day! Send me a message (I love to hear from you) if you have any questions about these tips!
