Bridal portraits are one of my very favorite type of portrait session.  Why?  Because it’s so much fun to spend time with my clients as they see themselves as BRIDES for the very first time!!  For most of them, this is the very first time they are seeing everything together – the hair, the makeup, the dress, the veil, the bouquet, the jewelry… their excitement and joy is contagious and we always have such a fun time shooting bridals together!  We are able to take our time and have fun together, all while my bride is glowing with excitement and anticipation of the actual wedding day.  I highly recommend doing a bridal portrait session, even if you’re not planning on displaying anything at your reception.  It’s still such a fun time for us to create beautiful images of you in your beautiful gown without the stress of the wedding day.  Brides often ask me what they need to do in order to prepare for their bridal portrait session.  Below are some of my top tips on how to prepare…

1.  Plan ahead and schedule early.  If you want to print and display any of your bridal portraits at your wedding reception, you should plan on scheduling your bridal portrait session at least one month prior to your wedding day. If you’re not planning on displaying anything at your reception, then you can schedule your bridal portrait session anytime before (or even after) your wedding.  Once you have some dates in mind, let me know as soon as you can to ensure you get on my calendar.

2.  Consider a weekday.  I know it’s not ideal to take off of work prior to your wedding day for a portrait session, but most venues will not be available for rental during the weekend… and most of my weekends are booked with weddings.  So plan on looking at a weekday for your session, for the most flexibility.

3.  Have a rain plan and rent a venue!  There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to bridal portraits.  You’ve booked hair + makeup, ordered a bouquet, picked up your dress, gotten on my schedule… if we don’t have to worry about rescheduling due to weather, that’s amazing!  So the best way to avoid having to reschedule due to weather is to book a venue for your bridal portrait session.  During the week, you can rent out venues like Lowndes Grove, William Aiken House, Thomas Bennett House, Gadsden House, and Legare Waring House by the hour.  The grounds of each of these properties are AMAZING and the indoor options are great too!

4.  Book your hair + makeup trial.  It’s always advisable to have your hair + makeup done for your bridal portraits by the same team who will be doing it on your wedding day, so that you can do a “test run” of your entire bridal look.  If you’ve already scheduled a second separate hair + makeup trial for your wedding day look, feel free to switch it up for your bridal portraits and do something a little different.  There really are no rules!

5.  Wear comfortable shoes.  If you have a special pair of shoes for your wedding day, you can definitely bring them if we’re shooting indoors.  But keep in mind that you can also just wear a different pair of heels, flip flops, or even Uggs under your dress!  We won’t see your feet in your bridal portraits – and especially if we’re shooting outside, you won’t want to wear your beautiful wedding day shoes and get them dirty.  Keep them pristine for your wedding day detail photos!

6.  Bring a coat or blanket if it’s cold – or, if you want to go the extra mile, bring a fur stole!  Bring water and blotting cloths if it’s hot.  We can utilize these things in between photos to keep you as comfortable as possible in the case of really cold or really warm weather.

7.  Don’t stress about being outside in your dress.  Trust me – I would never ask you to do anything that would intentionally dirty your dress.  And even if it does get a little bit of dirt or grass on the bottom, it should be easy enough to remove before the wedding day – and at the end of the day, no one is going to be looking at the bottom hem of your dress with a microscope on your wedding day!

8.  Bring your jewelry and veil.  If you’re still undecided about what you want to wear on your wedding day, this is a great time to bring all of your options to see what photographs best.

9.  Order a bouquet.  Some florists include a complimentary bridal portrait bouquet in their pricing, so check with your wedding florist to see if that’s the case.  If not, that’s okay – just make sure to bring a bouquet along so that you have something to complete your bridal look.

10.  Ask your mom/sister/cousin or a close friend to come along with you.  Most of the time, they are able to notice the tiniest of details better than I will.  After all, they know how you like your hair to lay, what you may be self-conscious about, whether you’re cheesing too hard, etc. way better than I do.  They’ll be able to spot a wrinkle in your dress, a stray hair, or perfect the way your veil lays far with ease!  It’s always nice to have a second pair of eyes – someone who knows you well – plus the moral and emotional support is always fabulous as you see yourself all done up as a BRIDE for the first time!

11.  Want to do something unique?  Why don’t we do your bridal portraits on a sailboat?  Or in the middle of a wildflower field?  Or at a really cool bar?  What about an art museum?  In front of a fun graffiti wall?  With a cool vintage car?  Do you owna horse?  Let’s do your portraits at the barn/stable!  Love your dog?  Bring your dog – and a floral wreath collar to match your bouquet!  The possibilities are endless and it’s okay to think outside the box.