Wedding Advice | Tips for Wedding Preparation Photos, San Jose Wedding Photographer

Wedding preparation time is such a great part of the wedding day. It is filled with a variety of emotions- anticipation, excitement, love, and nerves. It is the time when I find I get some of the most genuine and organic candid photographs of the bride, groom, and their family and friends as they help them prepare for the day in excitement. Each group is different, which is why I love this time. Some are overwhelmed with love and excitement, some enjoy quiet moments of reflection, and some start with toasts, tell old stories, and play cards to kill the time. Regardless of the type of energy during wedding day preparations, they all are a fantastic time to capture the mood and anticipation of the day.   To make the most of having a photographer present at this time, I have a few tips for my couples.  

1) Plan time for you photographer to photograph prep time I suggest having the photographer arrive for the last 30 minutes of the guys getting ready and the last hour of the girls getting ready. This allows enough time to photograph the details, shoot some candids while final preparations are occurring or while you are hanging out together, and to photograph getting dressed and finishing touches (for the groom- putting on tie, jacket, cufflinks, shoes; for the bride- end of hair/makeup, getting into the dress, shoes, jewelry, garter, veil).    

It tends to be very helpful with the timeline if both parties plan to get ready at the same location, in different rooms. If you are staying at the same hotel, ask to be placed on separate floors to ensure you don’t see each other.

2) Plan a beautiful location to get ready in The most important aspect in considering a getting ready location is light. Your pictures will be a bajillion times more beautiful if you ensure that your getting ready room has a large natural light source, or better yet, several. Bright natural light and light colored rooms photograph the best.

 

The second most important aspect is a tie between space and clutter, as these two work against each other. Take into consideration the size of your getting ready location- is it large enough to fit your 4 bridesmaids, mother, your sister’s kids, your hair/makeup artist and her assistant, your photographer, your videographer, and the bride? The morning will feel less hectic and stressful if there is enough space. Additionally, your photos will look less chaotic. The same is true with clutter- I get it. When your bridesmaids all stayed in one hotel room last night, you ordered 1am room service, painted your nails, drank from your custom bridesmaid flasks, and had a small nuclear explosion of womanly products everywhere…. it’s cool. But, just know that all of said nuclear explosion will be in the background of 90% of your getting ready pictures. So I highly recommend at least shoving everything into one out of the way corner before the photographer arrives.

 

3) Pay attention to attire Keep in mind what you and your bridesmaids wear on your wedding morning. You will need to keep your wedding hair in tact when you change out of your morning-whatever-you’re-wearing, so a robe is typically a smart choice. Whatever is on will be in photographs, so gifting bridesmaids robes, shirts is smart. Have your bridesmaids and anyone else assisting you with getting dressed, dressed and ready to go before you finish hair/makeup. That way when you get into your dress, they are already set and looking good, and are ready to run out the door soon after.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4) Pay attention to the details the night before Have any items you would like photographed in one location- this may include an invitation suite, garter, jewelry, shoes, hairpiece, veil, etc. That way, I do not have to disturb you or your maid of honor during hair and makeup time for you to collect everything.    Consider bringing a wooden or custom hanger for your dress and ensure that it has notches or clips so the dress will actually hang securely. Photographing a multi-thousand dollar dress on a not so nice looking plastic hanger is sometimes a little tacky, but it is completely a personal preference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5) Consider sending a note or gift to your partner If you send a card or gift to your partner for the day of the wedding be sure to do it when the photographer is present, or instruct them to wait until the photographer is present until they open it. This can be a sweet gesture that may be very memorable, and helps turn the stress of wedding day preparation into excitement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5) Communicate your schedule with your hair/makeup artist, family, and bridesmaids and be on time Almost every wedding runs late. There are an entire host of issues which can lead to the bride being ready late, so try to ensure proper communication so that the best attempt on all parties can be made to have the bride ready to go at the correct time. For your hair and makeup artist, don’t just tell them when you are leaving for your ceremony, make sure you tell your hair/makeup artist what time the photographer needs you ready for photos since often couples will plan a first look, or portraits with their weddings parties or families before the ceremony. I have had several weddings where we lost all of our pre- ceremony portrait time due to the bridal party running over an hour late. Yes, the wedding will not start without you, and we will work with whatever issues arise, but wedding days are tight so communicate in advance with everyone on timeline so the day is smooth and stress-free.