SO, I will be the first to admit that I was the WORST at sharing wedding details before the wedding. I did this partly on purpose for many reasons. For one, I wanted to keep our wedding a secret so it was special for our guests. I wanted them to be surprised with every little detail, from the colors we chose to the kind of food we would have. In addition, keeping planning to myself also kept it more fun & in my opinion made it more special too! Now that our wedding is over, I’m SO excited to start sharing all the in’s & outs of our wedding day.
Wedding: Bridal Portraits
I will be the first to say that I honestly had no clue what Bridal Portraits were prior to being engaged. Now that we live in Chicago, I have learned that this is a “southern thing.” Anyways, I have used that as my excuse for why I had no clue, haha! Long story short, Bridal Portraits are photos that the bride takes of themselves in their dress all dolled up before the wedding. I actually loved doing this (as well as many other brides) for a number of reasons.
Makeup
For one, it’s a perfect time to test hair & makeup BEFORE the big day. This is especially important if you are soemone who normally doesn’t wear a full face of makeup and you want to see how it looks. Also, it’s great to get your hair done just how you are for your wedding day. It helps you make sure you like that too! I have heard so many stories of brides who get their hair done one way for their bridals, hate it, and then change the style for their wedding day. For my hair, I didn’t use by bridals as a trial. I wanted to different look, but I did use them as a trial with my day of Make Up Artist. I loved my MUA. However, I was happy that she did my makeup before the big day. So, I was able to adjust a few things.
Another thing that I did was choose a different photographer for my Bridal Portraits. I wanted to work with a female photographer & one that shots “light & airy” photos and went with Shelby Cole Photography. I am beyond happy that I did- she was honestly amazing & captured everything that I had envisioned and brought it to life.
Shooting Bridals was one of my favorite things, but I think it can be used also for lots of beneficial reasons. Below are some tips that I learned throughout the process:
- Bring your Mom, or Maid of Honor with you! It’s nice to have a helping hand plus it’s a great time to get some additional photos with that person too
- Be sure to have a bouquet! (This is another thing I did differently). I wanted a different look than my wedding day, so I used white roses but most florists will provide an additional bouquet for your bridals if you ask beforehand.
- Use this as your TRIAL..and don’t be scared to change! Your wedding day is YOUR day. If you don’t love your hair & makeup during your bridal portraits..ask your stylists to change them. They will understand and be glad you asked…because at the end of the day what matters most is YOUR happiness!
- Wear your entire Bridal day look. From shoes, to earrings & undergarments. These photos are a perfect time to make sure everything looks how you want it to together.
- Ask your wedding venue if you can take your portraits there. Most times, they will say yes.
And finally…use these portraits to make sure you can sit comfortably in your dress! All jokes aside..I have heard horror stories of Brides who never sat in their dress until the day of their wedding when they realized that they couldn’t (Isn’t that awful!?).
I have so many other tips for all things wedding that I can’t wait to share..but hope you enjoy these for now! Head over to my instagram, @styldgrace, to see more!
Until Next Time!
XOXO,
B
