The Bride Guide for Bridal Portraits
When you fall in love, you just know.
Before the dress was even clasped, I knew it was the one. The lace, the tulle, the beautiful blush pink color. It was perfect! My heart leaped as I stepped into the dress my mother held open in the mirrored dressing room. Though it was only my fourth dress to try on, I knew it’d be the one I’d say “I do” with my future boo. I literally stayed in that dress for forty-five minutes, sipping champagne and twirling in the mirror surrounded by my bride tribe. You know it’s right when you don’t want to take it off. Never in my life would I have thought of having such an emotional attachment and reaction to a piece of clothing! But it was so much more than a dress. Somehow, the dress made it real. I could actually imagine the moment of walking down the aisle and seeing my soon-to-be-husband waiting for me. So, for any bride who has finally said “yes to the dress,” you know how significant that moment can be.
As a wedding photographer, I get a lot of brides asking if Bridal Portraits are worth investing in. The short and sweet answer is YES. ABSOLUTELY! Bridals are perfect for so many reasons. A bridal session is a great time to preview your complete wedding look. It’s also an opportune time to meet your hair stylist and makeup artist. Not only that, your bridal portraits can also be used on the day of your wedding for décor. Having your portraits at the reception can be wonderful for your family and friends to gush over them and you. But all that being said, my hope of writing this is to share with you all the tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years as a wedding photographer. I want to help make the most of your portraits should you decide to have them. Aside from answering some frequently asked questions, I’ll share timelines and how to keep your dress clean during portraits and tips when traveling with your dress for the session. I’ll even share with you tips from my talk with the amazing woman who sold me my wedding dress, Talyn Vickers, the Bridal Specialist at Lasting Bridal Couture. She shares the ins and outs of wedding dress care and truths about tailoring and sizing after your dress is picked.
I’ve chosen my dress. Now what?
After you’ve chosen your perfect dress, it takes about four months for it to come in for pick up. The dress you try on will not be the dress you take home. The shop will order the dress in your size, after which you’ll schedule to come in for a First Look. Once you confirm the dress is the right size, it will be sent away for alteration to be tailored specifically to your shape. Alterations typically take anywhere from six to eight weeks and can require multiple fittings from the bride depending on the dress and specifications requested. If you’re a perfectionist like me, it’s best to plan for 10 – 12 weeks for alterations before the bridal portraits.
When should I schedule my bridal portraits?
I recommend about two months from your wedding day for your portraits to be taken. This gives you plenty of time to receive your photo gallery and print portraits. With this additional time, you can also make sure you’re happy with your hair and makeup in how they came out in the photos. It also gives you enough time to get your dress spot or dry cleaned before your wedding day. It’s best practice to use the cleaner your bridal shop recommends. Dry cleaning can take up to three weeks. If you give your dress to the bridal shop, they can rush it and return it within a few days to a week if necessary. I recommend allowing additional time for this process just to be on the safe side and avoid any unnecessary stress.
Should I bring a friend?
YES, of course! Bring someone with you who helps loosen you up. Having someone there to make you laugh helps in sparking that genuine smile and twinkle in your eye. Avoid brining anyone to your session who may cause you to feel stressed, give unwarranted comments, or who may dampen the mood. You know who I’m talking about. They may pressure you in bringing them along, but stay strong sweet Bride! We want to keep that beautiful smile and good vibe for your portraits. Also, if you have a long veil or train, your go to gal can help fluff or toss your veil to get that perfect shot!
How do I keep my dress clean during my session?
There are several ways to ensure your dress is perfect and clean for your big day. Of course, the best way is just to be careful during the session. Make sure you pick up the dress when we walk, don’t drag it and minimize sitting and touching. If needed, bringing a white pillow case or bed sheet to stand on can also help avoid any smudges. There is a fabric protector, Scotchgard 3M, that can be sprayed along the hem to block stains and repel liquid. Dry cleaning and spot cleaning can be done after the session as well.
Tip from Talyn: Ladies, a spot clean and dry cleaning are different things! Spot cleaning removes minimal smudges on the fabric. Bridal shops often offer this service for their dresses upon request. On the other hand, dry cleaning is a full clean and beautification of your dress. Many bridal shops have a preferred cleaner that they can send the dress out to. Also, remember that steaming your dress will remove any wrinkles created from travel or storage. Shops, such as Lasting Bridal, offer one free steam on the Monday before your wedding day. An additional steam can also be purchased for a low fee prior to your bridal portraits for the best results in your photos.
How do I travel with my dress?
Whether you’re traveling out of town or just heading to the venue from the hotel, traveling with a freshly cleaned dress can be a bit nerve-racking. For my wedding, we drove nine hours to our venue in Big Bend National Park. Because we were traveling with two large dogs, I had my mom travel with the dress laid flat in the garment bag as the only item in her trunk. It arrived with no damage or even wrinkles. Having a plan for dress transportation can sometimes be forgotten and it’s important to remember to factor this in when planning.
Tip from Talyn: Keep your dress in a garment bag when traveling. It’s best if you can hang it or lay it flat in your car if driving. If you must pack it in a suitcase, fold it as little as possible and do not pack it with other items. If flying to your destination, take the dress as a carry on. Know that in business class there is usually a place to hang items and again, keep it in the garment bag at all time.
If I’m losing weight, will this change when we should do the bridal portraits?
About 98% of brides are trying to lose weight before their wedding day. Girl, I get that. My boo cooks with heavy cream. Leading up to my wedding, I was so worried we would get way out to Big Bend and discover that the waist line of my dress no longer fit. Depending on how much your body is changing can definitely change when we schedule bridal portraits. In this case, it’s best to schedule the bridals about a month out, but no less than 3 weeks from your wedding date. We want to schedule it close, but not too close. You still need to leave enough time for the photo gallery to be returned and any cleaning that may need to be done for your dress as we talked about earlier.
Any other tips I should know?
One item that’s often forgotten on the day of the wedding is a hand steamer. It sounds so simple yet so important! Having wrinkled bridesmaid dresses, suite pants, and most importantly the wedding dress, can show in the photos. While there is Photoshop, catching every tiny wrinkle for an entire wedding party can be tricky and simply steaming the dresses and suites prior to the ceremony can make all the difference. It’s all in the details!
Oh and one more thing…
Obviously, I can’t talk about picking out my dress without sharing a few photos with you! Yes, I was ugly crying but my girls were there for love, laughs and support. And huge shout out to my own wedding photographer, Jaime Burrow. The portraits from my own bridal session in Big Bend are stunning. We chose to do a sunset session and I have no regrets - my husband and I love them so much!
