Planning the little details for your wedding day can be completely overwhelming, I know. It seems like every time you turn around, there’s another decision to make. Pretty soon you’re not sure what you really need, and what’s just one more thing on your “list” for the sake of it.
Is a bridal photography session really necessary? And what’s it for, anyway?
I got you, fam – we’re going to talk about those very questions today. I’m gonna give you five reasons to get a bridal session done before your wedding day!
1) Checking that dress fit
You’ve been dreaming about your wedding dress for forever, right? And now you’ve finally bought it and you’re totally in love with it. You found just the right one for you. The only problem is that wedding dresses rarely ever fit perfectly, hang at the perfect distance from the floor, or are otherwise going to fit you like a glove right away.
So, you’re going to be spending some time with your seamstress between now and your wedding day. You want to make sure you look like the perfect princess you just knew you were going to be since, like, five years old.
But standing on a pedestal in a bridal or alteration shop is only going to go so far. You’re only going to be standing still for approximately .05% of your wedding day, after all. What you really need to know is that you’re going to be able to MOVE in it. Will you be able to swan gracefully down the aisle, without tripping over your hem? What about all of that sitting/standing/sitting/standing/sitting again you’ll be doing during your ceremony?
You don’t want to find out the hard way that there’s a seam or corset bone in your dress that didn’t bother you during fitting, but will drive you absolutely insane on an 8-hour wedding day. A dress that’s awkward to walk in is for sure going to make your walk down the aisle a little nerve-wracking!
Having a bridal session before the wedding day is a great way to really spend some time in your dress. You should take note of anything that may be in need of last-minute tweaks, so that you can be confident in your dress all day long.
2) Hair and makeup dry-run
You know when you look your very best in photos? When you feel confident – and a good hair and makeup artist is worth their weight in gold, there. Working with great people on your wedding day can make you feel like an absolute rock star. However, even the best of hair and makeup artists aren’t mind-readers. A bridal session is a great excuse to do a practice session with your hair and makeup, to make sure your beauty artists know exactly what you want before your big day.
A bridal session also gives you a chance to make sure that the look you had your heart set on is really practical for you. Is that complicated up-do going to leave you with a massive headache two hours in? Are you going to need TWO layers of set spray to keep your makeup look on point without melting off of your face?
I can’t even count the number of brides I’ve had who have changed their hair and/or makeup look, based on things they’ve noticed during a bridal session. Working with your vendors before your wedding day can pay big dividends in time and frustration savings for your day.
Plus – getting your money’s worth out of that hair and makeup is a perfect excuse to schedule a date night with you honey! Go ahead – get your fancy on.
3) Wedding day time-savings
Your wedding-day timeline is going to be packed – I speak from experience, here. On even the best-run of days, it’s difficult to squeeze in time for really nice portraits of you in your dress. Not the run-and-gun-five-minutes-until-go-time type of portraits. You want the kind where you can really slow down and take some timeless portraits of you looking flawless. The kind that you’ll pass on to your kids one day (and then the grand-kids will one day see them and you can have the pleasure of cackling, “LOOK! I was hot in my day!” as you show them off).
The point being is that you deserve really nice portraits of yourself in your dress – you worked really hard on finding the right one, choosing your awesome bouquet, and pulling together the perfect hair and makeup team to make it all come together and fulfill the dream you’ve been building in your head since you were a kid. Schedule some time to just take a break from the planning mania, and create some really unique, personal portraits to preserve this time in your life – you’ll never live these moments again!
4) Reception decor bonus
Maybe you’re wondering what you’re actually going to do with these images. Fridge magnets? Key-chain photo frame for your honey? Temporary tattoos as wedding favors? The possibilities are endless, really (and, for the record, I heartily approve of that last option in particular. Think of the guests’ reactions!).
What most brides do is to have a print on display at the reception, usually near the sign-in table. You’ve been keeping the details of The Dress on lock-down for months, now, and a bridal print is a great way of showing off those details with your guests. They’ve waited so long to see you decked out! When the reception is over, the bridal print makes a great piece of art to hang in your home together. It also makes a great heirloom to preserve your story for your family. One day, your present will be their history!
In addition, bridal prints are a great gift for parents and family members – you’re their pride and joy, after all, and having a beautiful bridal print on their mantle gives them every opportunity to brag about how flawless you looked on your wedding day to all of their friends!
5) Bouquet tweaks
Just like your hair and makeup, flowers are something that you usually don’t see in person before the wedding. A practice run with your flowers can save you a lot of frustration! You don’t want to find out that your bouquet wasn’t exactly what you wanted on your wedding day. Having your florist mock up something for you beforehand gives you the opportunity to provide feedback to them. If you’d like something tweaked, let them know so that one more thing can run smoothly when the time comes!
I’ve had many a bride love the look of a huge, full bouquet – only to realize that they are going to need to hit the weights HEAVY in order to be able to support it! Others have decided to make flower or color changes at the last minute. And then, some walk away with an extra measure of confidence that their florist just gets them! One less thing to worry about later – check!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog post! If you’d like any recommendations on wedding day vendors – please feel free to drop me a line!
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