Bridals Style Guide!

I often get the questions "What is Bridal Portraits?" or "Why should I take Bridals?" This blog is to answer all of your bridal portrait questions, prepare you for what to bring, and to inform you of ways that you can prepare for the portraits before the day of.

Bridal Portraits are a southern wedding tradition that allow the bride to get dressed up in their beautiful gown and take portraits a couple of months before the wedding date. This portrait session includes only the bride, and often is displayed at the reception of the wedding for guest to see. I absolutely love the idea of Bridals, and I think that EVERY bide should take them.

Here's Why you should take them

1. Hair and Make up Trial: We all know you have a Pinterest board full of make up and hair styles. This is a great opportunity to meet with your Hair & Make up stylist to decide on your look for the big day. You will also get the chance to see how it looks in photos and tweak the make up/ hair styles for the day of! During my bridal session, my hair fell down due to humidity, so my hair stylist made the necessary changes to keep it up for the entire night of the wedding a month later.

2.The Look: You have the shoes, the gown, the veil, the accessories, the hair and the makeup. Why wait until the day of your wedding to see how it all looks together?! When I was planning my wedding, I felt like I was putting together a 10,000 piece puzzle without seeing the full picture. Taking my bridal portraits allowed me to at least get a glimpse of how I would look the day of the wedding. It also gave me the chance to get comfortable wearing a gigantic gown and break in my shoes ( PRACTICE NOT FALLING). I felt more at ease on my wedding day because of that.

3. Timing: You want to spend as much time as possible on your wedding day with the love of your life and your guest! You don't want to take hours out for picture sessions. Bridals save time for the family pictures, and even gives a little more time for pictures of just you and your husband. But still allows you to have many pictures of you and that beautiful EXPENSIVE gown that you will never wear again. Did I mention more time with your guest?

4. Location: You can take bridals anywhere you want! If you're getting married in a church this is an awesome solution to Have outdoor pictures at a Beautiful venue and still have your church wedding.

5. The DRESS: You will get to wear your dress again! You paid for it, you should be able to wear it more than once. These things are expensive, don't you want to capture it and your beauty for years to come. Think about showing these pictures to your daughter and grand daughters in years to come <3 !

So Now your hooked and HAVE to take bridals, but how should you prepare?

If you have chosen to take bridals- get excited! You get to feel like a princess and real life model while seeing your entire wedding day look. It truly is a special experience, and you end up with pictures that are all about YOU.

Since this is most likely your first time taking bridals, you might need help in preparing for the session!

1.Schedule your bridals EARLY. Sessions book up, and also you will want to know when you need your dress by.

2. Make sure that the bridal shop/ alteration people know that you are taking bridals and the date/month that you will need your dress ready by.

3.Location: Choose a bridal location that fits the theme of your wedding, the style of your dress, your personality, and remember to consider the overall limitations of your dress.

4.Location: It is important to remember that some locations will charge fees to take bridal portraits. Check these before you book, and understand that these fees are the bride's responsibilities to pay.

5. Schedule your hair and make up trial. Once you see your final images, you can discuss any changes that need to be made (if any!) with your hair/makeup team

6.Bring any accessories that you will be wearing on the wedding day. This includes: earrings, bracelets, necklaces, shoes, veil, heirlooms, etc. This will help you check and make sure everything is up to your standards, doesn't cause any problems, etc. Bring them in one bag for easy transportations.

7. Get a Bouquet! The flowers MAKE the the pictures. They just tie everything together. Again, this is an awesome time to see what your bouquet is going to look like and see what you maybe want to change.

8.Get a spray tan if you want (DAYS EARLY) Make sure if you do this that you have a few days for it to wash off and look like a natural tan and not orange! We don't want it all over your dress.

9. Bring help. You will need someone to help you carry things, get in and out of the dress, and even to cry and get excited with you. I always suggest a few bridesmaids and a mom or grandma! Make sure the people you bring are positive, encouraging, and uplifting so that you can enjoy the session!

Most importantly Relax and have fun. It is so much fun taking the time to get pampered all day ,and pretend your a model. You don't need to know how to pose (I'll walk you through that), but you are more than welcome to bring ideas. All you need to do is be yourself, smile, and have fun! YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED!

XOXO,

Brittany