I never thought to talk to my brides and grooms about this, until the first time I arrived at a brides house to photograph the bridal preparations, only to find the bride having her hair done by the hair stylist right next to the kitchen sink! Behind the bride, all I could see was an open pantry full of ketchup, tomato sauce, bread, cans of beans, and jars of sugar! My natural instinct was to cringe and scream ‘noooo! Let’s move her!’ but of course the hair stylist had all of her equipment setup next to the microwave, and she wasn’t prepared to move any time soon. Not to mention that wedding day schedules already run pretty tight! From that moment on, I made sure to talk to my brides and grooms, and mention to them ‘make sure you get ready somewhere that is going to look aesthetically pleasing in your images!’
During her bridal preparations, Hayley got ready at her parents house. There were a lot of spacious areas lit with large doors and windows to let in a lot of natural light.
Another bridal boo boo I came across was back in 2012. I had a very whimsical bride who was full of emotion. She was Irish, and she giggled constantly. Her reception was at home, and some of the best wedding receptions I have seen have been the at home weddings. Beautifully decorated garden, and a quaint dress. Only when it came time for me to photograph the dress, I realized she didn’t have any nice coat-hangers. Now if you walked into this girls bedroom, you would think ‘WOW! She is just like Carrie Bradshaw from ‘Sex and the City’ and she’s going to have anything and everything you could ever want! The master bedroom was her wardrobe, and the smaller bedroom was where the bride and groom slept at night, and where he kept his clothes. Reality was she certainly did have everything you could ever want in your giant wardrobe slash bedroom, except for pretty coathangers! I went through her wardrobe and clothes racks (with her permission of course) looking for any sort of coat-hanger that didn’t look like a plastic pink Kmart hanger, or a scarey wire hanger.. (Think Faye Dunaway in ‘Mommy Dearest’ screaming “NOOO WIRE HANGERS!!!!”) So now, I try to remind brides ‘pick yourself a pretty hanger for your wedding dress!’
‘It’s always important to listen to the photographers reccomendations as to how much time they suggest spending with you, and what time you should put your dress on. It’s amazing how many dresses or veils, or even shoes, can be complicated to get right. You want time for candid photographs that document what’s happening, as well as some fun and more organized shots.’
Then there is the topic of bridal emergency kits! Would you believe I’ve seen a wedding dress strap break before? New Years Eve 2009 and right before the wedding reception, Annette realized that her one strapped gowns strap had broken. They pinned it back together, but it still wasn’t strong enough to be load bearing. So imagining all of the potential things that can happen on a wedding day, lets give you a few key points, as well as a list of handy things to make sure you and the bridesmaids have on your wedding day.
- Make sure you have a nice uncluttered room to get ready in. While I am your photographer, the photographs are yours. So ask yourself “Do I think I would like this as my background?” You may be thinking “But I don’t have a nice big house?” – and many people might not. It may not be that your house isn’t nice, but just that it isn’t spacious, and has a little clutter in the background. Or perhaps it’s an older home that doesn’t allow more light in. Great options are hotel rooms, or asking a friend or relative if you can get ready at their place!
- Make sure you have a nice hanger for your dress
- Have an emergency kit consisting of a sewing kit, sanitary items, band-aids, phone numbers, bobby pins, lip gloss, those soft slipper shoes they sell for when your heels are hurting, roll on deodorant, and some perfume!
- In the place you’re getting ready in, make sure you have snacks for yourselves. You don’t want to get a headache later because you’re dehydrated and hungry.
- Pack a snack box and water bottles for the bridal party for the day.
Below are some shots from the bridal preparation of both Rowena, and Rebecca. Both of these girls got ready at hotels that were close to their ceremony location.
Rowena’s fiance Jordan got ready in another room at the same hotel, while Rebeccas fiance Brad got ready at their spacious home that had a lot of long and clean (uncluttered) walls that were great for photos.
