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Tips For Stunning Getting Ready Images

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Tips For Stunning Getting Ready Images

I’ve been wanting to share some tips for stunning getting ready images for awhile. I simply LOVE when it’s time for the bride to put on her dress! I have heard bridesmaids exclaim many times, “It’s really happening!” When the bride begins putting on her dress, the day will begin to fly by. This is when the day really begins. This is also such a wonderful opportunity for romantic, classic images. If done properly, this time of day can yield some stunning images!

But how? There are a few things that can make a big difference in your getting ready portraits, and I’m going to share! These things can make the difference between portraits you end up forgetting, and portraits that make you say, “Wow!”

Make sure there is natural light in the room where you’ll be putting on your dress.

Sometimes you can’t really help where you put on your dress. It’s nothing to stress over. I like to think I can make any situation work!! But, IF you can, pick a room with neutral colors and natural light! Natural light is what I use whenever possible. These two things will give you the clean, and airy look that most of my portraits have.

Tips For Stunning Getting Ready Images

Be prepared with details.

I’ve never had a problem with my bride’s having their details ready. I think they like details just as much as me! This really helps prepare us for getting ready photos.
- I love to use the details as backdrops in getting ready photos. For instance, maybe I’ll have the bouquets sitting on a table in the background. I’ll do the same thing with the shoes and jewelry.
- And, by having all of these items already gathered in one place, it makes getting dressed actually flow better, producing more realistic, relaxed images.
Keep it clean.

One of my jobs on wedding days is to clean up the area where the bride is going to be putting on her dress. That’s because I don’t want random stuff in all of the photos. Obviously! 🙂 If you can designate a room for your bridesmaids to keep their belongings ahead of time, it will drastically reduce the amount of time I have to spend cleaning the “getting ready” room. That means more photos! For instance, maybe a dark room, or a spot where others won’t be hanging out. You would be surprised how much stuff quickly piles up when you have a group of girls getting ready for the big day!
45 minutes.

Most people are pretty surprised when I say we need 45 minutes for this part of the day. This is such a sentimental, important part of your wedding day, that I would never want to rush it. Imagine how slowly you’ll most likely be putting on your wedding dress, with the assistant of your mom, sisters, etc. And, then you have to put on jewelry, shoes, veil, etc. When all of this is done there are usually a few tears. This is such a special time, and such a great time for candids. I also love to capture a few portraits of the bride in the exact place where she first puts on her dress. This is when we usually do a bridesmaids reveal, or a few portraits with mom, sisters, or bridesmaids. So, you can see how 45 minutes is quickly filled up!
Plan enough time for hair & makeup

The part of the day that’s almost completely out of your photographer’s control is hair & makeup. If this part of the day falls behind significantly, then I’ll be forced to make it up somewhere in the schedule. Since putting on your dress will be the first thing you do when your hair & makeup are complete, it can be a bad note to start on if we are already behind schedule. Make sure you plan ample time for hair and makeup so this doesn’t happen. You do not want to feel behind before we truly begin. If we need to speed things up when putting on your dress, we can. But, it’s definitely a little more difficult to get those gorgeous, relaxed portraits.

I hope you found this helpful! I love helping brides with parts of the day they may not have thought about before! After all, you haven’t done this before!! Happy wedding planning!