Have you thought about having bridal portraits taken prior to, or after your big day? Besides being *another* fun reason to get all dolled up and don your wedding dress (not that you need one!) there are some pretty solid reasons to consider having them done! guest post: Kelcey Boyce of Kelcey Boyce Photography.
If you have been wondering if bridal portraits are right for you, then I have some valuable advice to help you make your decision!While bridal portraits have been around for years, they have been more popular in the South than here in the PNW. As a photographer, I absolutely love these types of sessions, for so many reasons!Many brides see photos of styled photoshoots that I have done, or photos in magazines, and have commented that they don’t think they could ever look that good.I’m here to tell you that you are wrong, and you can (and will!) look that amazing if you do a bridal session. Here are the top reasons I think you should do bridal portraits.
1) You get comfortable in front of the camera. Your wedding day can stressful, and since your photographer is going to be for the duration of the whole thing, it can be a bit much to have a camera trained on you if you’re not used to it. If you do a bridal (or engagement) session beforehand, you get used to being in front of the camera, get to know your photographer and therefore, end up looking much more natural in your photos.
2) Your beautiful wedding gown! You spend so much money for a dress that you get to wear ONCE. Why not make the most out of your investment? You can choose to do your bridal portraits either before your wedding or after…getting to wear that gorgeous gown again with a different headpiece or your hair down instead of up might be really fabulous! Finding a unique location that complements your dress (and a place that you most likely wouldn’t have time to go to on your wedding day), can make for some incredible portraits.
3) How do I look? You’re most likely getting a hair and makeup trial anyway, so being able to put everything together – hair, makeup, accessories, veil, dress – can make you see exactly how you will look for your wedding day. You’ll be able to see exactly what does (or doesn’t) work, and give you time to change it before your big day. (For instance, I had a bracelet that kept snagging my dress, so I ended up taking it off after the ceremony. If I had known it would do that, I would have chosen something else!) Also, being able to see exactly how you’ll look in your photos will help give you that bridal confidence that will make you shine even brighter on your actual wedding day. And again, if you want to do photos after the wedding day instead, you have the option of the “Trash the Dress” session!
4) TIME! A wedding day is inevitably scheduled and harried with a packed itinerary. In most cases, that hour or so you have for wedding portraits usually dwindles down pretty quickly. With a bridal session, we’re not in a rush to head to the reception on time, so we can spend the time getting amazing photos.
5) A gift! On top of those four important reasons, you can also use the photos as a gift to your groom on the day of the wedding, or even as part of the reception decor! Vendors: Photography: Kelcey Boyce Photography MUA: Make-Up Studio Florals: Anemone Paper Florist
