Wedding Tip Wednesday is a new series I wanted to start to share with brides, in hopes it will act as a guide during their wedding planning process. I was a bride 3+ years ago and wished I had known or thought about some of these overlooked details as I was planning my own wedding.
Today’s tip is about location, location, location. The location where you are getting ready can change the look and feel of your ‘getting ready’ images.
Light. If your wedding photographer shoots with natural light (like myself) and you want your images to be light and bright, consider the room you will be getting ready in. What kind of natural light will it have during the time you will be getting ready. How large are the windows? How many windows are there? Will it be nice and bright during the hours you will be getting ready? Keep in mind, this doesn’t mean there needs to be harsh rays of sun beaming into the window. Besides your photographer, I know your makeup artist would appreciate a great source of natural light!
Color. The color of the walls and decor can affect your images. Things like red carpet or orange walls tend to reflect the same color on to you and your dress. This can also make the room very dark. Consider choosing a place with white or neutral colors. Lighter colors can act as a natural reflector for the natural light already coming into the room. Bonus!
Just say no to clutter. Lets be honest. You probably don’t want to see trash, your bridesmaids’ bras, or random bags in the background of your wedding day images. These will be in an album that you will be looking at for many, many years. If getting ready at a hotel, consider booking a large suite…maybe even the largest they have. This way there will be a room that can be designated as clutter free and ready for when you want to get into that gorgeous gown you have been dreaming about for months. The separate rooms can also serve as a place to quickly de-clutter a space in order to get it picture ready by placing unwanted items in another room. If getting ready in a home, this can apply. Try to keep the clutter to a minimum or have a different room to keep it all in. And as a bonus, you and your new husband will have a nice big room to enjoy after the reception ends! This is one thing I did consider during my own planning and really glad I did.
What’s considered a crowd? Have you considered how many people you want in the room with you while you are getting ready? Is it large enough to accommodate you, the bridesmaids, the mother-of-the-bride, hair stylists, makeup artist, photographer, videographer, etc? Will Aunt Jane be stopping in to watch? Bodies can add up quickly! Space is key. Consider limiting the number of people in the room with you. Not only will it give space for everyone to move about and for your vendors to do their job but it can lead to less stress, for everyone!
A final tip, just because your venue has a bridal room for your use, that doesn’t mean you have to use it. If you are unsure about a place, have your photographer meet you there and check it out together. I know I would be happy to meet my brides at a potential location and give them my professional feedback.
Cheers! -Sarah
