Tips For Beautiful Getting Ready Photos
Delegate Wedding Day Tasks
It’s the morning of your wedding! Hopefully all of the little details are taken care of and you’re relaxing with your best friends while your hair is being done. If certain items haven’t been checked off of the to-do list, it’s time to hand them over to someone else. Delegation is a key part of a stress-free wedding day. I know it’s hard to hand over the decorating duties and all of the last minute things that need to be done, but it really is important to relax the morning of your wedding. The rest of the day is going to be fast paced and filled with a lot of emotions! Take advantage of this down time.
Know Who You Want To Help You Into Your Wedding Dress
Are there certain women in your life who would appreciate seeing you get into your gown? Some brides want very few people around for this moment. Other brides love having aunts and grandmas present, it’s totally up to you! A few other things to consider…as you get ready to put your dress on, refrain from putting any jewelry on. I love shooting all of those final steps once you’re in your gown! Speaking of the gown, if your gown is on a plastic hanger, make a note to bring a wooden hanger for pictures.
Prepare The Bridal Room
Keep the area near the window cleaned up, this is where your bridal portraits will be taken! By having just a simple window in the bridal prep area, I am able to create beautiful portraits with soft light. Natural light is the best light, so the more windows the better!
Gather All The Bridal Details
The whole day begins with the DETAILS! This is one of my favorite parts of the wedding day, because it allows me to prepare and get my creative side warmed up for the rest of the day! I photograph a bride’s details in a way that matches and showcases the style of the entire wedding day. So, in some ways, the details set the stage for the look of the whole wedding and I love having ample time to stylize, and shoot everything from the dress, to the jewelry, to grandma’s handkerchief! I ask brides to gather any details they have before I arrive so that I can walk in, say hello, give you a big hug and then begin with all the goodies! (Please assure your mom that I will take GREAT care of the dress, I promise)
Wedding Day Details Checklist:
Dress
Veil/hair pieces
Rings (all three)
Shoes
Bouquet
Jewelry
Perfume
and Invitation Suite
Add Cushion To Your Wedding Day Timeline
When you’re planning a wedding day timeline, the best advice I could give is to ADD CUSHION TIME! Sometimes the most simple things can take an extra 20 minutes and then all of a sudden, the whole morning is thrown off. I have seen “getting the bride in her dress” take almost 40 minutes because of a button malfunction. It’s a smart idea to add in an extra ten minutes here and there (especially to hair & makeup and any travel time during the day) so that we have some wiggle room to work with! This way, if one part of the day gets thrown off by 20 minutes, I can help you compensate that time in other areas. It’s Murphy’s Law…everything will not go as planned, and I promise you that is completely normal!!
If you’re not already a Captured By Kelsey Bride, and this sounds like the type of morning you want to have captured by your wedding photographer, you can check my availability and request detailed pricing by filling out my contact form here.
For more wedding day timeline tips, see:
