I love a Bridal Shoot! The beaming Bride, beautiful dress, and a time to capture all of the joy, excitement and love that the bride holds during her journey to marriage.
In order for the Bride to get the most out of her shoot and thoroughly enjoy the experience; both the Bride and photographer need to prepare for the session. Here are a few tips and suggestions from my experience.
For The Bride
Present your best “you“
- Get good rest the day or week before the shoot.
- Drink water to keep you and your skin well hydrated.
- Treat your face, hair, teeth and nails to a “spa” day. You can do this at home or go to a spa.
- Don’t use this time to experiment with new things (hair color, skin treatments) Now is not the time to find out your skin is allergic to the avocado face peel or that “red” really isn’t the best hair color for you.
- Iron or steam your clothes. Wrinkles show up in photos.
leggings and flip flops - Wear comfortable clothes and shoes that are easy to slip in and out of. Athletic Leggings are a good choice, their smoothing and slimming abilities make them a great substitute for shape wear. Be sure to use the smooth textured ones, so your dress can easily glide over them.
- Pack light, but efficiently.
For The Photographer
Maybe you will need it; maybe you won’t
In addition to your regular gear, these are some things that I “wish I had had”.
- Some kind of nondescript cloth to layer between the brides dress and the ground. Sometimes that “perfectly lit spot” is in a slightly moist or dirty spot, and you don’t want the Bride worrying about her dress staying clean.
- Bring extra hair pins and safety pins.
- Re-positional Velcro and tape can get you out of a bind from an unexpected wardrobe malfunction or keep things in place on a windy day.
- A Cart or wagon. If you or the Bride have more than one bag, carrying them for a distance may be grueling. Rolling it along is so much easier.
- Tissue and a few bottles of water.
For The Session
Shared Expectations
- A face to face or phone conversation to go over the expectations of the bride. This also gives you a time to get to know one another’s personality.
- Talk about the time frame of the session and be realistic. You can’t expect to do 3-5 shots in 4-5 different location in an hour of time. That is a set up for failure and
A smile break while walking to our next spot frustration. Set a pace that will allow a comfortable pace for all. It is hard to smile rushed and frustrated; for that matter it is hard to take a good photo under those conditions.
- A signed contract detailing what will and won’t be provided
And my biggest tip of all is to HAVE FUN!! Sure you want some phenomenal pictures (you’ll get them), but you also want this time to add to all the great memories of the wedding journey. You want these photos to be associated with a fun time and laughter.
I hope these few tips will help prepare you for a great Bridal Portrait session. Relax your mind, and enjoy the time there. Laugh a lot and snap a lot of photos.
Check out the Bridal Photo shoot of this beautiful bride Waller Wedding – Bridal Portraits
Did I miss some of your favorite tips? If so, please share them in the comments below.