Bridal sessions are one of my absolute favorite sessions to photograph! I just adore them. I’m going to be sharing some helpful tips and tricks for how to prepare for your upcoming bridal session! A bridal session is the perfect opportunity to see your entire bridal look come together. More than likely, this is your first time putting together your whole bridal ensemble; from your dress and veil, your hair and makeup, to your shoes and jewelry. When planning your bridal portraits, you may have a few questions on how to mentally and physically prepare for your session. I’m here to help, so let’s get started!!

When to schedule your bridal session

Typically, bridal sessions are scheduled approximately 8-10 weeks prior to your wedding date. However, the scheduling of your session will all depend on your final fitting of your dress and alterations. We won’t be able to do the session until your dress is completely finished, so I tell all of my brides to let me know as soon as they receive their final fitting date! This helps us to have a “ballpark” range on when we can do your session. Also, be sure to mention to your alterations department that you are planning to do a bridal session, that way they are aware of the timeline as well.

Location

There are so many options when it comes to choosing the location for your bridal session – especially within DFW! Some brides choose to have their bridal portraits taken at the venue where they will be getting married, others opt for a more unique location they love. Either way, location is an extremely important part of planning your bridal session. When considering a location, think about your overall bridal look and how that would compliment the location, and vice versa. Either outdoor or indoor locations can be absolutely beautiful for bridal portraits. It all depends on the overall look you are after.

Hair & Makeup

This is such a fantastic opportunity to do a trial run with your hair and makeup team. That way, you can see your entire bridal look come together! It’s also a great opportunity to make any changes to your hair and makeup look prior to your wedding day, if necessary. Be sure to contact your hair and makeup team well in advance to get on their books for your trial run as most wedding vendors tend to book up pretty quickly. Contacting your HAMU team in advance allows ample time for all participating vendors to coordinate for your session!

What to Bring to Your Session

Before your bridal session, be sure to think through everything you’ll be wearing on your wedding day. This checklist might seem obvious, but it’s easy to forget items if you don’t make a checklist. So take a few minutes to think through the process of getting dressed to ensure you don’t forget anything. Here’s a helpful guide:

• Dress
• Shoes
• Comfortable shoes for walking around, if needed
• Wedding ring (this one may be obvious, but you’d be surprised how many brides forget this one!!)
• Veil
• Hair pieces
• Perfume
• Belt/sash/jacket
• Jewelry (necklace, earrings, bracelet, heirloom jewelry, etc.)
• Floral bouquet

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you bring along a bag with you to hold all of your items. Don’t forget to bring along a white/light colored towel in case the ground is wet. We definitely don’t want to ruin your dress and shoes! If you’re doing your bridal session outside during the summer months, be sure to bring some bottles of water. Also bring your makeup bag with you, just in case we need to freshen up your powder and/or lipstick.

Who to Bring

Bridal sessions are always so much more fun when you share the experience with someone special. Bring your mom, sister, maid-of-honor, or best friend. I love when the mother of the bride is able to tag along with us. It’s always such a special moment! I also love having mom’s help for things like veil tosses and fluffing of the dress. I only recommend bringing 1-2 people to your session. Inviting too many people can become very overwhelming!

Enjoy This Moment!

Lastly, relax and have fun! You have 60-minutes all to yourself to feel like the QUEEN you are!! I will guide you through the entire process so you’re not left with any confusion or doubt. I will help you with posing and positioning. All you need to do is relax and enjoy this moment.

After the Session

During your session, make a note of anything you think needs to be different for your wedding day. Be sure to thoroughly check your dress for any grass, stains, dirt, etc. after your session. If any stains are found, I suggest taking your dress to the cleaners so your dress is refreshed and ready to go! Also, check over your shoes, specifically the heel, and make sure there’s no mud or dirt. If so, please set aside some time to clean your shoes. Your details photos on wedding day will thank you later!! One last thing – following your session, put all of your bridal items in a box so they are all in one place and ready to be photographed come wedding day!

View more bridal sessions here!