One of my favorite part of a wedding day is when the bride and groom are getting ready with the most important people in their lives. Whether a dozen family members or just one lifelong friend, the amount of love in the room is so indescribably beautiful.

This part of the story is so much fun to capture that I have decided to put together a quick bunch of tips to help with the planning process, so that the images are even more lovely.

 

1.Think about the light

The number one piece of advice I give to brides for finding the perfect getting ready room is to remember that the more natural light that can come in, the more dreamy those pictures will be. You want lots of windows and open spaces so that we can see those rays of gorgeous sun!

2. Consider the crowd

The more people who join you for this part of the day, the larger your room will need to be. Don’t underestimate the amount of space you’ll need for all of your things and to move around comfortably. Limit the number of people in the space to those who are essential. Sure, you might need your mother, your bridesmaids, and your hair and makeup artists, but anyone else will be happy to see you later in the day.

3. Keep it simple

One thing that will not make for pretty pictures is a room filled with clutter. Once you’re finished getting ready, you’re not going to want to worry about cleanup anyway. Take a couple of minutes to move all of the bags, clothes, and supplies to one designated area of the room so that they’re not in the background of all of your photos.

4. Don’t forget the overall aesthetic

The getting ready photos shouldn’t look completely different than the overall theme of your day. If you’re planning a timeless wedding with lots of neutral accents and bright spaces, an orange getting ready room with neon floral curtains is going to look very out of place when you look back on your day. I use this space to capture all of your precious details too, so you want it to fit with your vision.

5. The groom

Don’t forget that we can capture the groom getting ready too. While there aren’t quite so many details involved, there are just as many special moments with family and friends. This is so much easier when the bride and groom are getting ready in the same venue or hotel. That way, we don’t have to waste time traveling between locations, and everyone is on the same page.

 

I hope these tips will be helpful for current and future brides and grooms! I’ll touch on some other wedding preparation tips in the weeks and months to come, but if you have any questions about planning a specific part of your wedding day, please send me an email and I’ll do my best to help!