Getting ready photos are, in my opinion, often overlooked in the planning, but they always have some of the best moments with the bride and her family and maids, and the groom with his family and men. There’s laughter, face making, beautification, and the all important getting into the dress shot. I say this is often overlooked in planning because sometimes we arrive to photograph folks getting ready and they are in a deep dark dungeon aka basement with only one flickering florescent light to give illumination. This provides us a massive challenge to overcome, but with a little planning and forethought, you can ensure that your getting ready photographs are just as magical as your portraits.
We have a number of questions for you to consider as you think through the logistics of your wedding day and come to a decision about where you are going to get ready in this two part blog post.
First, how well lit is the space and what kind of light? For photographers, the name of the game is light. Light makes or breaks photographs. So, when you tour the facility, ask to see if they have a bridal suite or what the hotel room looks like. Make a mental note of if it seems bright or dark, if it had windows, if it was big enough for you and your entourage to fit without being crammed. These things will make a big difference in how your getting ready images turn out. Mazell had a beautifully bright and spacious hotel suite for her and her ladies in waiting.
A large hotel suite with big open windows let light come flooding in for Mazell’s getting ready photographs.
Any room big enough to fan all this beautiful dress is a-ok in our book!
If you decide to get ready at your house or your parent’s house, ask these same questions. Also, check to make sure that things are picked up and put away. You don’t want your laundry in the background, or a lot of odds and ends hanging out on your dresser. We’ve had some lovely homes opened to us for getting ready shots lately, including Diana whose family actually decorated to celebrate her wedding.
A clean bed with a favorite childhood toy to adorn it makes photographs less distracting and draws attention to the sentimental value of this little stuffed bear.
A clean and tidy desk and shelves add some color and personality without being distracting.
The white tulle on the banisters added a lovely wedding day touch to Diana’s parent’s house as she came down the stairs for a father daughter first look.
Secondly, consider how many people will be with you when you are getting ready. That includes your bridesmaids, parents, hair and makeup, videographers if you chose to have a video made, and of course, us! That can be a significant number and sometimes the space you think you need is actually not quite big enough. If you love the space for getting ready, consider having your hair done at a salon and just having a makeup artist with you. If you are planning to have a large bridal party in a hotel room, consider having them get dressed in their rooms so that there aren’t lots of clothes or bags crammed into yours and cluttering the background. Perhaps assign a person to be a bouncer of sorts to keep extra people out of your room until you are dressed to conserve the space. If you have a suite with multiple rooms, leave one room clean for when you get into your dress.
We always do our best to avoid having videographers and our second shooters in your photographs, but sometimes when there is a lot of people in a small room, it’s unavoidable.
Don’t forget the kids too! They count in the number of people getting ready.
Julianne kept the bedroom of her hotel suite tidy for when she got into her dress.
The clean room allows the focus to be drawn to the action instead of a distracting background.
This tender moment remains pure and distraction free by Julianne’s forethought to keep this room separate and tidy for her to get dressed in.
We will have a few more thoughts on getting ready next Friday, including some thoughts for the gentlemen.
