As you are starting to plan your wedding, you most likely have an engagement session on your list of things to do before your wedding, but there is something else you can do as well: bridal portraits.
There are so many benefits to taking bridal portraits and, as a wedding photographer myself, I love when I am able to take some time and take these photos with my couples!
So, if you are on the fence about bridal portraits, here are some of the top benefits to getting them taken!
What Are Bridal Portraits?
Before we jump into why you should get bridal portraits, let’s take a second to talk about what they actually are. Bridal portraits are just what they sound like, photos of you in your wedding outfits.
Now, there are a ton of different ways to do this (which we will dive into later) but, in general, bridal photos are not only a way to capture more of the beauty of your wedding outfit, but also give you even more photos to tell the story of your wedding and remember this incredible time in your life!
Why Take Bridal Photos?
Work Through Wardrobe Malfunctions
Wardrobe malfunctions happen all the time with wedding outfits. A stitch tears, a button falls off, something doesn’t fit exactly right, and when this happens on your wedding day, it can sometimes be really stressful and feel very overwhelming.
One of the best things about bridal portraits is it allows you to work through any of these small malfunctions in a lower stress environment to make sure that when you step into that outfit on the big day, everything goes exactly as planned. You also get a chance to move around in your outfit during a bridal session, so it gives more information than trying it on in the alterations store.
Now, this does also mean that it is a good idea to bring some extra materials to your bridal portrait session. You don’t have to go all out, but bringing a small sewing kit or any extra buttons/materials that you received when you got your wedding outfit is a great idea.
This way, you are able to address any issues right on the spot and can make sure your outfits look just as you planned for your photos!
Extra Time in Your Wedding Clothes
Bridal portraits also mean extra time in your wedding clothes. Most of us spend so much time picking out the absolute perfect outfit for our wedding to only wear it for a few hours and then never touch it again.
Your wedding outfit is amazing and you should be able to show it off and capture how incredible you look in for more than just a couple of hours on your wedding day. Bridal photos give you another opportunity to wear your wedding outfit and really feel confident and connected to it!
You Can Choose a Separate or Special Location
Another thing I love about bridal portraits is that it gives you a chance to choose a separate location other than your wedding venue to capture images. You are most likely going to get portraits taken on your wedding day and those are undoubtedly going to be amazing.
But, these portraits give you the opportunity to add more variety to your wedding album and take pictures in a place that is special to you. This could be somewhere that is significant to you, your family, or somewhere significant in your relationship that you want to remember.
Gives You Time to Have a Special Moment with Your Parents or Wedding Party
While you can definitely do your bridal portraits alone, you can also have anyone important in your life come with you to make it even more special. One of my brides, Jessica, had her mom come with her to the session, and she actually wore her mom’s wedding dress, which made the bridal portraits even more special.
You can even have some of your wedding party come with you to the bridal session and take some group photos during it. This is really a time for you so, just like everything else in your wedding, you get to choose who you invite and spend this time with. You can make it as special and meaningful as possible.
Allows You More Time to Get Comfortable in Front of the Camera
Finally, bridal portraits give you even more time to get comfortable in front of the camera before your wedding day. This is definitely one of the best benefits of doing an engagement session, but the more time you can spend taking pictures, the better.
Plus, since this is a more relaxed and low key session, you are able to try more things during this that you just may not have time to do during your wedding day because of your wedding timeline.
At the end of the day, the more comfortable you are in front of the camera (and with your photographer) the better your photos are going to turn out so the more opportunities you have to get pictures taken the better!
What About My Partner? Can I Take the Portraits with Them?
Now, a big question you may have is do you have to do this alone, or can you do these bridal portraits with your partner. And the answer is that it is totally up to you and what you want to do.
These photos are just for you and your partner to enjoy and look back on years from now, so if you want to take them with your partner, you absolutely can. And, you can still get individual photos during this time if you would like.
One of my couples, Amanda and Mic, didn’t mind seeing each other in their wedding outfits before the big day so we actually did a bridal session with both of them about two weeks before their wedding date.
We had so much fun during the session and they were able to really enjoy themselves and get excited for their wedding day all while capturing some incredible photos.
If you don’t want to see your partner before your wedding (or in their wedding outfit) you can do something similar to what Kayla and Jada did. They wanted to keep the big reveal a surprise but both wanted bridal portraits so we opted to do separate, but consecutive, portraits.
This allowed us to capture stunning photos of both of them in the same place (so their overall album felt very connected) all while ensuring the first look was saved for their wedding day!
At the end of the day, how you actually do these photos is totally up to you and your partner and there are no rules on what you can and can’t do.
Can You Do a Bridal Portrait Session After Your Wedding?
Now, all of these sessions we have talked about have all been pre-wedding sessions, but can you do these bridal portraits after your wedding day. Yes, you absolutely can, however, some of the benefits of getting these photos taken (like sorting out any outfit mishaps and getting comfortable in front of the camera) will be lost by doing a post-wedding session.
However, a post-wedding session may be a great option if you want to do the photos with your partner, but don’t want to see their wedding outfit until your special day.
One thing to keep in mind, however, with a bridal portrait session after your wedding day is that you will need to make sure that your outfits are still clean and look amazing after your wedding.
There have been plenty of weddings I have been a part of where one thing or another happened to a wedding outfit so if you are planning on doing this after, just make sure you are keeping your outfit clean and looking amazing!
Final Thoughts on Bridal Portraits
Hopefully, this helps you decide whether you want to take bridal portraits. In the end, these are just even more incredible photos that you can add to your wedding album to look back on years from now and remember this special time in your life.
If you are still looking for the perfect photographer to capture your bridal and wedding photos, I’d love to connect with you. You can take a look at my wedding photography services here or reach out to me directly to talk about your wedding or to answer any questions you may have!
