How to Prepare for Your Wedding Portraits

As your wedding day approaches, you are thinking about so many things: what time should I start dressing, what will the weather be like, and who is going to remember to bring the marriage license?  With all those details dancing in your head, you don’t want added worry about your wedding portraits.  So here are a few simple tips to ensure that your wedding day portraits show you and your groom looking fresh and stress-free.

1)  First and foremost, hire a great photographer.  Don’t skimp on this!  Unlike most of the elements of your wedding day, the photos remain long after your wedding is over.  They highlight your day in the best light, as you have always dreamed it to be.  For this most romantic day of your life, make sure you have the right talent to capture all the memories in a beautiful, timeless way.

2)  Do a “road test” of your hair and make-up for your wedding day, and have your photographer document it.  Don’t have your wedding day be the trial run for your bridal style.  Make sure you and your fiancé like the way your hair looks, that you are comfortable with the results, and that the style will last and stay comfortable throughout the day.  An engagement shoot is the perfect way to do this pre-wedding style test.

3)  Think through your wedding day with your photos in mind.  How will you coordinate all the shots you want?  Will you have enough time to greet people in the receiving line, go to the park, and still make the cocktail hour?  Make sure you are realistic in your plans and try to make your time leading up to the ceremony as uncomplicated as possible.  A chat with your photographer will help you determine how much time you need for the photo portion of your day.

4)  If you do want the sun, moon and the stars – and you should since you’re the bride – coordinate your activities to ensure you have plenty of time to get a relaxed portrait session with an inspired photographer.  Later on, you will so glad you did.  These are the “keeper” shots.

5)  Have a contingency plan for your portrait session.  What happens if it rains?  Make sure the photo time doesn’t cause stress that will upset the real reason you’ve hired a photographer: to document your union with your mate.  Talk to your photographer about secondary (indoor) places to shoot, should something unexpected arise.  You’ll stay calmer with a Plan B in mind.

Remember to make your photo session joyous and have fun.  Years later you will be looking at these photos and explaining all the wonderful crazy things that were going on while someone was snapping away.  It goes by in an instant.  Great photos will help you relive all the amazing memories.  If you carefully choose your shooter, the photo session will be part of that experience worth remembering.