Bridal Sessions are meant to be FUN!


When you’re prepping for your bridal session, there are a few things to keep in mind. This is supposed to be FUN! This is the shoot with no pressure. Your bridal session is your chance to get to know me, get comfortable with how I work and have FUN in front of the camera. Now don’t get me wrong, your wedding day will be a BLAST! But it’s so helpful to have a great bridal session before the big day so that you know what to expect! My couples that have a bridal session are PROS by the wedding day and it shows!

After you book with your photographer, whether it’s me or someone else, you’ll need to start thinking about when you want your engagement and bridal sessions to be done. Some couples prefer to have their portraits done in the season opposite of the season of their wedding. So if you’re having a spring wedding, it may be nice to have a fall engagement session and a winter or spring bridal session. Now, you also have to take your photographer’s availability into consideration. We book sessions about 2 months in advance and we only shoot engagements on weekday evenings. This will vary with every photographer and every season.

01.

Outfits


Most couples wear their formal bridal gown and tux or suit to the Bridal Session. I highly recommend wearing all the details you would wear on the big day as well such as the shoes, jewelry and any momentos that are important to your outfit so we have an additonal oppotunity to emphasize the little details.

02.

preparing your groom


This is the part that all of you brides need to pay attention to! You know your groom better than anyone else and so only you can help prepare him for this shoot. If your fiance’ is completely unaware of this style of photography, he is going to think it’s really strange when I tell you two to “Nuzzle” or get “Nose to nose”. He’s expecting a few pictures smiling at the camera, showing off the ring and that’s it! So it’s your job to explain to him why you love this style of photography and help him know what to expect! I suggest sitting down with him and showing him 3 of your favorite engagement or bridal sessions that I’ve shot to give him an idea of what he’s about to experience! :)

03.

relax and trust your photographer


As you’re preparing for your session, remember that your photographer doesn’t expect you to be a pro at this. I work with normal, everyday couples ALL the time. I hardly ever work with models! I can’t speak for all photographers but I tell my couples that it takes a good 20 minutes to warm up at the beginning of their shoot. So relax and don’t be nervous! You’re going to be great at this! Trust your photographer, allow them to be creative and you’ll have an amazing shoot!

04.

be on time


This is really important. What most couples don’t realize is that natural light photographers are 100% dependent on the sun and if their couples show up late, they will lose that amount of time during their session due to the lack of light. Now I realize that things happen beyond out control like massive amounts of traffic and accidents. If at all possible, try to be on time so that you don’t lose any of your shooting time and pretty sunlight!



Hair & Makeup & Spray Tans


I highly recommend hiring a professional for your bridal session as well as for the big day! It helps to have someone who is professional to help highlight your stunning features in a way that reflects well in photography. If you do plan on doing your makeup yourself, I highly recommend not wearing too much of a baking or setting powder that is reflective or white to avoid a white "cast" in any images where light would be more directly on your face.


Spray Tans can look wonderful in camera as well as long as they are done well and are not too orange. I recommend trying it out a few times before the bridal session or your big day before committing to that idea to make sure you are comfortable with the shade and the application process. One thing to consider as well is to not apply spray or fake tan to sunburnt or extremely dry skin as it becomes very difficult to edit that in a way that looks natural (while I am an editing pro, that is something very difficult and time consuming to do and will result in an editing up charge).