8 Reasons To Do A Portrait Session, BEFORE Your Wedding!
OKAY Madi, but what do you even mean?
Great question! Let me explain what I mean and then I can convince you to do it for yourself. This is a really popular trend on the West Coast and but it hasn't quite reached the East Coast yet and that's why I am sitting here writing this blog post. Traditionally they are called "Bridal Sessions", but they include both partners! You get dressed up in your full wedding attire complete with Hair and Makeup & Flowers and get couple's portraits at a bad-ass location of your choice. These are separate from the portraits you will take on your actual wedding day which is the key to this whole thing.
When should we do it?
Totally up to y'all! Usually people will do it a month or so before their wedding or they will do it within the weeks after their wedding. That being said, you could do it for anniversaries, just for fun, or anytime really!
Why would we do that?
Keep reading to find out, duuuuh
1.) Epic Backdrop
If you're like me and you live in Maryland, you know that our local venues typically don't include jaw-dropping views or epic overlooks. My favorite reason to do a Wedding Portrait Session is to get the backdrop of your dreams without the limitations of your wedding day venue.
2.) Time
Anyone who has been involved with a wedding knows how sacred every minute of the day is, especially for the couple who is getting married and the photographer trying to squeeze in as manny pictures as possible. Wedding Portrait Sessions give us way more time than the standard 15 minutes that a wedding timeline allows for amazing newlywed pictures because your only goal is to get those portraits!
3.)Privacy
Weddings are filled with so much love just because you are surrounded by allll of your favorite people. While that is amazing, sometimes its hard to get a minute with your partner to breathe and take it all in. Usually your guests are just so excited for you, they will follow you around all day to celebrate the love. Doing a private session allows for more intimate moments in front of the camera (sounds redundant, I know) and you dont have to worry about Aunt Suzy standing off to the side the whole time.
4.) Practice wearing your clothes!
But Madi, we were clothes all the time. Why in the world do we need to practice that? Wedding dresses and Tux's are super uncomfortable the first time you wear them. Sometimes theres beading that you need to get used to, or the shoes need to be broken in. Rather than breaking in the outfits when you need to wear them for 10+ hours, the session allows you to wear those outfits for a few hours and make sure the fit is perfect for long-time wear. Also, we love getting more than one use out of crazy expensive clothes.
5.) Wedding Decorations
What's a better way to decorate your reception than with pictures of you and your boo all done up? It's common to print out engagement pictures to have on the tables and walls, but imagine your reception space having wedding portraits of you and your partner hanging!
6.) Make sure each detail is perfect
Most of us don't get professional Hair and makeup on the regular, so it can be a little bit of an adjustment to see ourselves so done up. Using your bridal session at either your engagement session and/or your wedding portrait session allows you to get used to it, make sure it's exactly as you envisioned it, and make sure it photographs well.
7.)Picture Perfect
Weddings are long. Youa re bound to sweat, cry, get hugged, give hugs, etc. your hair and makeup will likely get messed up, your suit might wrinkle, and I can almost promise that the boutonnière will be dead or hanging on by a thread. All of that is TOTALLY normal and okay, but booking a separate day to do pictures means you can stress less about life happening and makeup naturally smudging throughout the emotions of the day.
8.) NO PRESSURE
The big kicker, no pressure AT ALL. Weddings can be so stressful, especially for the couple get married. You are surrounded by everyone you love and the attention is all on you. You will be getting pictures taken for 6-10 hours and portraits are usually towards the end of that. Rather than depending on those 15 minutes we get at sunset after a long day, dedicate time on a separate day to show up with the best mental energy!
