April, 2023
The Bridal Portrait Session: Pros & Cons
It’s getting close to the big day! Your dress has been altered, your hair and makeup have been decided on and now the only details left are the small ones. You’re in the home stretch!
So, what now? Time for your bridal portrait session!
Whether you are having your bridal portraits done on the same day as your wedding or on a separate day before, we are going to talk about the pros and cons of it all! As many wedding things, there is no wrong choice or as to having them done before or on the day of. It is all about what works best for you!
Below you will find the pros and cons of a stand-alone bridal portrait session. A stand-alone bridal portrait session is exactly what it sounds like. It is a single portrait session before the wedding day for the bride.
Pros
Trial Run
Having a bridal portrait session is the perfect opportunity for a trial run on EVERYTHING! You can do a trial run with your hair and makeup artist, florist, and dress! That way, if there are any minor adjustments that need to be made you or your maid of honor can take notes and send them to the vendors. It is also a great opportunity to see just how long it will take to get into your dress, shoes, and veil so we know exactly how much time to allow for that on your wedding day.
Less Rush
A wedding day moves SO fast! There is no way to capture as many individual photos of the bride in 10 minutes on a wedding day as in a full bridal portrait session. Having a bridal portrait session before the wedding allows time to get a variety of photos. It also allows time to get a little creative with the flowers, ring, veil, and shoes. While we always love detail shots, they are much less rushed during a bridal portrait session. The bride is also more relaxed and can simply enjoy being in her dress without worrying about every second that ticks by.
Bridal Portrait for Wedding Day
Displaying a bridal portrait at the reception is a long-standing southern tradition! While not a necessity, it is an added touch of southern elegance to any wedding. During a bridal portrait session, we also have the option of a few boudoir type photos. These are great gifts to give the groom on the wedding day
While there aren’t many cons to a stand-alone bridal portrait session, there are reasons some brides opt out of them.
Cons
Dirtying the dress
While we do EVERYTHING in our power to keep the dress clean (white sheets to stand on, staying away from mud, holding the dress high above our head while moving, etc.) it is always possible for accidents to happen. Most dress boutiques offer at least one clean and steam BEFORE the wedding for the reason of bridal portraits. However, to some it is not worth the risk. And that is ok!
Saving the moment
Some brides want the first time they step into the dress to be on their wedding day! Waiting for this huge moment to get “jacked up” as we say is a great reason to not schedule bridal portraits before your wedding day. You only have this opportunity once, so it is perfectly understandable to want to experience the whole thing on your special day.
Whether or not you have your bridal portraits done before your wedding day or on it, there is no reason to stress! If you wait until your big day, you will still have a gorgeous portrait to cherish forever. It just won’t be ready to print in time for your reception. There is no wrong choice, as long as that choice is what works best for you!
In our next blog post we will be talking about tips to nail your bridal session! So stay tuned.
