Dragonfly Photography
Pre-wedding Bridal Portraits
Your wedding day is one of the most special days of your life. It’s a day when you get to marry the person you love and start a new chapter in your life together. Naturally, you want to capture every moment of this special day, including your bridal look. Generally, your bridal look is something you’ve spent an incredibly long time thinking about and planning for. This is where bridal portraits come in. In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at what bridal portraits are and whether or not they’re a right fit for you.
Firstly, what are bridal portraits?
Bridal portraits are a series of photos that are taken of the bride in her wedding attire. This usually happensin a pre-wedding photo session. They are typically taken a few weeks or months before the wedding day itself. The idea behind bridal portraits is to capture the bride’s beauty and her dress in a more relaxed and controlled setting. This allows the bride to feel more comfortable and confident on her big day. She has already had the chance to capture some beautiful images.
Bridal portraits can be taken in a variety of settings, from a studio to a scenic outdoor location. They can be simple and elegant or more elaborate, depending on the bride’s preferences. Often, brides will choose to incorporate elements that are meaningful to them. This includes things such as heirloom jewelry or flowers that hold a special significance. It’s not uncommon for the floral designer to create a bouquet similar to the one you’ll have for your wedding.
Now that we have a better understanding of what bridal portraits are, the next question is whether or not you need them. Bridal portraits tend to be more or less popular depending on your geographic location. Here are some factors to consider when deciding if bridal portraits are right for you:
Do you want to capture your bridal look in a more relaxed setting?
On your wedding day, there are many things to think about and take care of. From getting ready to walking down the aisle, it can be a hectic and fast-paced day. The last thing you want to worry about is capturing the perfect photo of yourself. By having a pre-wedding photo session for just the bride, you can relax and focus on getting the perfect shots of yourself in your wedding dress, without the added pressure of the wedding day itself.
This is especially true if you want to make sure that you’re allowing for a good amount of bridal portraits within your wedding story. It’s easier to allow for extra time when it doesn’t take away from other important moments on your wedding day. You can schedule it on another day when there are no other logistics to consider.
Do you want to capture your bridal look from all angles?
On your wedding day, your photographer will do their best to capture your bridal look from all angles. However, with so much going on, there may be some shots that are missed. What does that mean? Ultimately we’re there to capture the story of your day. We photograph in an editorial way, which means that moments are far more important than anything else. This means that when it comes to giving your grandma an extra moment to collect herself as she wipes tears away after seeing you in your dress for the first time versus asking her to step out so we can get that full fashion photography vibe – grandma wins every time.
If you want to make sure that you have a more high-fashion moment to really capture that amazing look (which we also are entirely on board with) we recommend having a pre-wedding photo session for just the bride. That way we can focus on really capturing the fashion and you’re amazingness. We can ensure we’re getting all the angles and details of your bridal look that you want.
Do you want to save time on your wedding day?
One of the most common reasons to schedule bridal portraits is that you can save time on your wedding day. When you first start wedding planning you feel like you’re wedding day will be filled with mimosas and laughter. But as you get a little closer you start realizing how many little details a day like your wedding actually encompasses. We work incredibly hard to help our couples plan intentional wedding days. Wedding days that are filled with the people and things they love the most. This way when they look at their photos years from now they remember exactly what it felt like.
Even small buffer points of extra time can be important simply because you just don’t know how emotion will hit you on your wedding day. You may need a moment that was not scheduled and that’s a wonderful thing. As long as we leave room for those moments. One way of adding time to your wedding day, can be to add bridal portraits to another day, leaving you more time to focus on spending time with your loved ones and enjoying your special day.
While bridal portraits are not at all a necessity, they can be a wonderful addition to your wedding photography. If it feels right for you. They allow you to capture your bridal look in a more relaxed and controlled setting, and can be used for a variety of purposes. Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to have bridal portraits taken is a personal one, and depends on your preferences and priorities.
