How to Get Great Bridal Pictures
January 26th, 2010
The Dress - Make sure your dress will be ready in time for your scheduled bridal pictures. Have a seamstress check to make sure your dress fits in all areas and make any final adjustments. Have your dress steamed to remove any wrinkles because they will show up in the photographs.
Hair and Veil - Schedule an appointment to have your hair done professionally. Make sure you try on your veil to figure out the proper placement. I would recommend not wearing your veil for the entire photo shoot but instead bring another hair piece such as a flower or feather hair clip so you have a variety of different looks for your photos.
Makeup - Schedule to have your makeup done professionally by the same person you plan on having do your makeup for the wedding. Have the makeup artist put on false eye lashes and request extra lip gloss or lipstick for touch ups during your photo shoot.
Flowers - Order a bridal bouquet from your florist for your bridal pictures. This will be a smaller and less expensive version of your main wedding bouquet. This is a very important prop for your bridal pictures so don't forget to order flowers. If you realize you forgot to your order a bouquet for your bridals then make sure you pick up some flowers from a local florist or grocery store.
Shoes - Make sure you bring more then one pair of shoes for your bridal pictures. Bring your regular bridal shoes but also bring comfortable shoes for walking from one location to another. I would recommend bringing at lest one pair of colorful shoes if your bridal shoes are white. Most photographers like to photograph your shoes so make sure you get your nails done if you have cute peep toe shoes.
Jewelry - Figure out what bridal jewelry you will wear with your wedding dress. Make sure you wear your engagement ring for your bridal pictures and get a manicure before your photo shoot.
Props - Figure out if you want to bring any props with you for your photo shoot. A few great props are: an umbrella, gloves, a shawl, a chair, a hat, and balloons.
Location - Talk to your photographer about your bridal style and figure out a great location that will fit the look and feel of your overall bridal style. Email your photographer a photo of your wedding dress and brainstorm some indoor and outdoor locations for your photo shoot.
Seasons - No matter what season your doing your bridal pictures make sure you bring some bottle water and a small snack. Have a friend or family member come along to help carry small items and pick up the train of your dress. Make sure you bring a white sheet or shower curtain to put under your dress so it won't get dirty. Bring a warm coat and gloves if your doing your bridal pictures in the winter.
Bring the Groom! - Many brides are deciding to bring the groom along for the bridal session and making it a 'groomal' session instead. If you bring the groom along for the photo shoot this give you peace of mind that you already have some great bride and groom pictures before the wedding day. So if you have bad weather or your running 30 minutes behind the day of the wedding you know you already have some great bride and groom photos. Also, you can display your groomal pictures at the reception.