Bridal portrait sessions are a Southern tradition where the bride takes portraits (typically 2-3 months before the wedding) in her full wedding day attire – hair, makeup, jewelry, veil, bouquet, and of course, the dress. Generally a large portrait from the session is displayed at the reception. In many cases the large photo is given as a gift to the Mother of the Bride after the wedding, with smaller photos being given to the Groom and the Father of the Bride as well.

Bridal portraits are a great opportunity for a trial run of your wedding day look. Often times a bride will change her hair style, add more or less makeup or maybe change the jewelry she chose for her wedding day after seeing the entire look come together for her bridal portraits. It’s great to be able to make these adjustments before the wedding day. And who doesn’t love getting dolled up every once in awhile?

HERE ARE OUR SEVEN TIPS ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR AND MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR BRIDAL SESSION

GET YOUR HAIR AND MAKEUP DONE

Most brides have a trail run with their hair and makeup anyway, so schedule this on the same day as your bridal portraits.

DON’T FORGET ABOUT YOUR FLOWERS

One thing that gets forgotten about the most is the bridal bouquet! Don’t forget to talk to your florist and arrange for a bouquet if you truly want to see your wedding day look come together.

ACCESSORIZE

Don’t forget about your accessories! This is anything from shoes to jewelry to hair pieces and your veil! There are so many fun photos we can do if you plan on wearing a veil. Make sure to bring yours if it’s going to be a part of your wedding day look!

CHECK THE NAILS

Chipped nail polish doesn’t do a girl any favors for her bridal portraits. We recommend to either have your nails recently manicured or remove all nail polish before your session.

EAT

Between picking up your flowers, getting your hair and makeup done, driving to the location your session will take place and getting dressed for your bridals, it’s a busy day! Don’t forget to eat somewhere in there or pack a snack and a bottle of water. I once had a bride get sick during her bridal session and it’s because with the chaos of the day she had forgotten to eat.

THE DRESS

We try our best to take care of your dress and keep it clean, but the reality of wearing a white dress outside is that it’s going to get a little dirty. Usually this happens on the under part of the bottom layer of your dress (the part that touches the ground) and it’s not noticeable. Every circumstance, dress fabric and situation are different. Some of our brides chose to have their dress cleaned before the wedding day and some just go with it and wait until after the wedding day to have their dress cleaned.

RELAX AND HAVE FUN

It sounds cheesy, but I’m serious. I didn’t fully understand this until I had my own bridals taken, but this is one of the two times you’ll get to wear your dress and get all dolled up. Enjoy it and let me worry about everything else during your session (that’s what I’m there for). It really is a fun experience!