4 Tips for the Best Getting-Ready Photos
Most wedding photographers arrive during the “getting-ready” portion of the day - aka anytime before portraits. So many important moments occur during this time period; spontaneous dance-offs, grandma surprising you, mom getting emotional when she sees you in your dress, etc. Also, you are putting on your wedding dress - yes, this is very important.
Yet, so often, bridal suites are dark, windowless, and very small.
I’ve compiled my top 3 tips for having the best getting ready photos to enhance your experience before portraits begin.
1) CHOOSE A VENUE / AIRBNB WITH GREAT WINDOW LIGHT.
For the best getting ready photos, I suggest making sure your venue has a bridal suite with lots of windows, or a maybe fewer windows with plenty of window light. You'll look your best with natural light & it feels so timeless! An airbnb with great window light is a great alternative, and it could be where you stay the night before or the night of your wedding - two birds, one stone. I’d recommend choosing a place that is open, light, and has space for great moments, even if it a corner of a well-lit room. Ask your photographer to help you choose a place that would be great for lighting and/or setting the scene, and I’m sure your photographer will be grateful you asked!
I highly recommend looking into getting-ready options with lots of windows. If you will have a h/mu artist, they will need as much light as possible. I suggest doing your h/mu next to the window.
2) CLEAN UP THE SPACE.
A cluttered, messy, dark room takes away from the beauty of the day. A big tip: have your girls move their bags into their cars before we start taking photos in the room. Who wants photos of curling irons, mixed print bags, and spanks everywhere? This will make all the difference in the world for photos. If you are in an airbnb, have all the girls get ready in a different room - no cleaning. I love efficiency, and this is a great way to not have to clean on your wedding day.
3) GIVE YOURSELF TIME FOR NATURAL MOMENTS TO OCCUR.
In general, putting on your wedding dress and finalizing your details takes longer than expected. I love not rushing through this time. Dress details can take 10-20 minutes, but that includes using the restroom for the last time, putting on any necessary undergarments, brushing teeth, and then putting on your dress. This really shouldn’t be rushed - you may have been waiting for this moment for many years. Relish in this moment, soak in how beautiful you look, and give yourself space for you and your closest friends to enjoy this with you. For example, after mom // step-mom // sister helps put the wedding dress on the bride, I usually ask her, “how beautiful does she look?!” In that moment, she is able to take in a full look at her, and a natural emotion emerges - usually tears or laughter of pure joy. It is an emotional moment, and you deserve to be celebrated.
If you want to have a first look with your bridesmaids or dad, make sure you add in at least 15 minutes of time for this. Almost every time this has happened, dad is nowhere to be found or the bridesmaids are fully ready yet - build this into your timeline and make sure your wedding coordinator knows this is meant to happen!
BONUS TIP: BE FLEXIBLE!
Your venue may have a small, dark, windowless bridal suite - but you didn’t pick your venue for the suite, you picked it because it’s beautiful for your wedding! If you want these photos to turn out beautiful, be flexible in the location of getting ready. Your photographer may find a private space somewhere else in the venue to get ready, and it may turn out so much better.
For example, in this photo below, the venue was absolutely gorgeous but the bridal suite was a disaster. It was small, and had mirrors on every single wall, so it magnified the clutter x20. In the reception space, there were these massive walls full of windows. I asked the bride if she would be willing to get ready in there, and we would block off the space. They turned out so stunning, and what I thought would be the ‘worst’ photos of the day turned out to be some of my favorites. I was able to photograph a lot of natural light, and a lot of moody light. It was amazing.
I hope these tips have helped you plan for the ‘getting-ready portion’ of your wedding day, or that you can use these tips to be a superb bridesmaid for one of your friends!