Advice for Taking Amazing Bridal Photos

We know it's the week of Chrismas and your spring bridal photos you scheduled with your photographer a few months ago may be the last thing on your mind...but we promise, they will be here before you know it! So, we can't think of a better time to share our 5 tips for ROCKING your bridal photos, courtesy of LatterDayBride! And while you browse our suggestions, you can oooh and ahhh over this gorgeous bridal shoot by Whitney Hunt of AK Studio & Design. Her gorgeous bride, Codi, is radiant in the 'Huntington', a modest wedding dress by LatterDayBride and Prom in Salt Lake City, Utah! 

1. Book in Advance

Don't wait until the month before your wedding to think about getting bridal photos done. Get them booked as SOON as you get engaged and book your photographer. This allows you maximum control over the season, scenery, and timing. Work with your wedding photographer and find out exactly how much time he/she needs to process, edit, and order any prints or albums you want displayed at your wedding...then give yourself one extra month on top of that. The last thing you want to do is worry about that gorgeous 16x24 canvas getting here in time to display by the sign-in book! 

2. Order your Dress ASAP

Since bridal photos without a wedding dress might be, well, weird, make sure you go dress shopping as soon as possible after getting engaged. Find out how much time it will take for the dress to arrive and talk to your alterations specialist to gauge how long it will be until you actually have dress in hand. Then add on a couple weeks for unforeseen circumstances.

3. Get your Bridal Hair and Makeup Done Professionally

This is your wedding day, and your bridal photos are reflective of that. Don't cut costs here. A few hundred dollars to hire a professional wedding hair and makeup artist is worth every penny. Professionals are trained to make you look your absolute best, work with your face shape, and use top-quality products that will last all day. Plus, your bridal session is a great way to get a trial hair and makeup run in before the big day! 

4. Pick a Realistic Location

So you want that photo of you as a bride with your horse standing on top of a mountain surrounded by snow? Great! But make sure you have thought the logistic through and have everything worked out with your photographer. How will you get there? Will you be able to have the best light? How will your horse get there? Who will you bring to help hold your horse? As you think about it and write down everything you need, you may find that a local field with the mountains in the background will be just as beautiful without the stress.

5. Plan on Dress Cleaning

This is a biggie. Unless you plan on getting your bridal photos done indoors in a controlled environment, plan on getting your dress cleaned after your bridal session and before the wedding. It is the nature of wedding dresses (especially white gowns) to drag behind you...and the ground is dirty. The last thing you want is to be stressing the entire shoot about getting your dress a little dirty and miss out on epic photos that might have been. Make sure you leave plenty of time between your bridals and wedding day for cleaning and choose a reputable dry cleaner who specializes in wedding dresses...the dress shop you got your dress from should be able to provide recommendations.

BONUS TIP

Decide if it will be only YOU in your bridals or if you will be doing a First Look/Formal session including your groom. There are pros and cons to both, so think long and hard about it and make the best decision for you! Thanks for tuning in today to LDS Bride Blog! We hope you enjoyed these gorgeous photos as well as 5 great tips for rocking your bridal photos!

 Vendors