Lately, it seems like most of my brides are opting to add a bridal session on to their wedding photography package.  While bridal sessions are not completely necessary, as I will most likely get a shot of just the bride in her wedding dress on the big day and most couples display wedding day images that include both the bride AND the groom in their home, moms LOVE bridal sessions!  My parents, who have four daughters, have an entire wall dedicated to their daughters’ bridal portraits, which were shot, picked out, and framed before the wedding day.  It is also traditional, living in the south, to have a large bridal portrait displayed at the wedding reception.

If you are thinking of having a bridal portrait session, there are some great benefits to having one.  It lets you see your full wedding day look/style before the big day, which will give you plenty of time to change anything you see fit.  It also lets me, as the wedding photographer, see what angle the dress photographs best from.  Just like bouquets and people, certain angles work best for different dresses.  Lastly, some wedding day timelines are rushed despite our best efforts.  Knowing this and how much time/money was dedicated to finding THE PERFECT dress, it could be beneficial to spend a little more time photographing the dress outside the stress and time crunch of the wedding day.

Here are my tips for a successful bridal session:

1) Match your session to your wedding theme/feel and pick your location accordingly.  If you’re having a rustic wedding in a nature setting, having an urban bridal portrait would clash with your wedding decor and the two wouldn’t mesh well.  Make sure your bridal session location gives a cohesive feel to your wedding day, especially if you’re going to put any of your bridal portraits into your wedding album.

2) Bring an extra pair of shoes for walking.  Sometimes, wedding heels can be less than pleasant to walk in.  (I wore boots under my wedding dress, so I don’t speak from personal experience.)  Some of my brides change their shoes after the wedding ceremony for dancing shoes at the wedding reception.  In that same frame of thought, bring shoes that are comfortable for you to get from set to set during your bridal session.  

3) Bring wedding day details or funky accessories.  You can bring your exact wedding attire (bracelet, necklace, earrings, and veil) to see how everything will photograph together OR change it up a bit and accessorize with items you LOVE but won’t wear on your wedding day.  Of course, you can always change the accessories halfway through your session if you cannot decide which way you want to go.  I also suggest putting the veil in halfway or wearing it throughout your session.  Sometimes, veils don’t come cleanly out of hair.

6) Have your hair/make-up done Professionally.  If you chose me as your wedding photographer, you have probably already heard this when you were planning your engagement session, but it is important enough to repeat here.  You should always do a trial run with your hair and make-up artist.  This helps them to know what colors look best for you (which saves time on the wedding day) and lets you see how it will photograph before your big day.  This lets you make any changes needed before time runs out on the wedding day or, worse yet, regret doing a certain style because you don’t like the way it photographed.  

7) Bring a positive and confidence-boosting friend/family member.  I want you to have fun at your bridal session and I want you to feel good about your images.  If you bring a positive, upbeat friend or family member who will keep the giggles coming, we’ll all have a blast!  I don’t know my brides quite like their friends do, so they’ll have inside jokes (or dances, as the case is sometimes) to bring out TRUE, natural smiles from the bride.  These smiles/laughs are GOLD.  

8) Have Touch-up Necessities: Lip gloss, bobby pins, hair spray, powder.  Humidity does crazy things to my hair.  My make-up doesn’t always last through hot days, either.  If you hired a professional make-up and hair artist, you won’t have to worry about this as much, but be sure to ask for a sample of extra lip gloss.  These are great for touch-ups between sets and water breaks.  Currently, I also encourage bringing bug spray as the mosquitos are quite bad.  I’m sure I left something off here, so bring whatever you think you may need to look fresh after an hour of shooting.   

9) Bring a mock bouquet.  Some florists include a mock, or trial, bouquet in their floral design quote.  What better day to have yours made than for your bridal session?  You can give your florist the go ahead AND have it for your portraits. 

11) Get your nails done.  I’ll probably get shots of you wearing your engagement ring or a detail shot of you holding your bouquet.  You’ll want your nails to look polished for these shots.

12) Wear your engagement ring and have it cleaned.  I say to bring your engagement ring because one of my brides took hers to be sautered with her wedding bands the week before her bridal session and didn’t get it back in time.   She was pretty bummed about that.  More than having it with you, you’ll want your ring sparkling for the close up shots.  Some ring shops offer free cleaning to people who bought their rings from that shop.  Take advantage of this offer if your shop does this. My mom has jewelry cleaner that I used to use when I visited her.  My cousin said using a certain toothpaste works for her jewelry.  I have this pink jewelry cleaner that Dylan bought for me at the Bridal Extravaganza that works WONDERS!  

13) Avoid Strap lines.  Certain bras can leave strap lines if they don’t fit correctly or if you’ve been wearing it for a while.  These lines are not always covered by your wedding dress.  To avoid this, wear whatever bra you’ll be wearing with your dress for the hour or so before your session is set to start. 

14) Bring Props.  This one is totally up to you!  If you want to bring fun props, DO IT!  The sky is the limit here, so feel free to show some personality!

15) Scheduling your session.  I suggest scheduling your session 6-8 weeks before your wedding day, so that I have time to edit your images and you have time to order them and have them framed in time for your wedding.  It should also allow you to get your dress cleaned, if needed.  Another option to consider with timing is what season you want your session to be in.  Most brides avoid summer due to heat and winter due to bare trees.

16) Arrive early to put on the dress.  Some dresses are complicated to put on or take time to button.  I start all portrait sessions 1.5 hours before sunset and every minute we spend on figuring out the dress is time we’re losing to photograph you in it.  Knowing this, it is a good idea to arrive early to put on all the undergarments that may be needed for your dress and to make sure all buttons get looped.  In my experience, buttoning dresses can go much faster with a crochet hook.

17) Avoid tans/sunburns.  Some brides want to look tan for their bridal session, but when they get back from their day in the sun, they’re beet red with sunburn!  Sunburns, as you can imagine, are not fun, are extremely uncomfortable while wearing a wedding dress, and don’t photograph gracefully.  If the tan does go as planned, the next question I get is “can you photoshop this tan line out?”  A lot of variables go into that answer, but this work takes me quite a bit of time, which does cost more than what is covered in the session.  To avoid these, some brides opt for spray tans or tanning lotion, which don’t always go on evenly.  Worse than that, it can leave some skin tones looking orange.  If these things are not in your usual beauty regiment, don’t try them out for your bridal session.  The same goes for hair coloring or major changes to your hair cut.  

18) Have fun!