Tips for Amazing "Getting Ready" Wedding Pictures - New York City Wedding Photographer

Better wedding day "Getting Ready" pictures. Top Wedding Photographer — Better wedding day “Getting Ready” pictures

Gansevoort Hotel, NYC Meatpacking Wedding Pictures by Josh Wong Photography

Tips for Amazing “Getting Ready” Wedding Pictures

Sometimes brides forget just how important the “getting ready” pictures are. After all, getting ready for the wedding day sets the tone for the rest of the day. As story tellers, we love to document the entire day. This allows the couples to go back and remember exactly what happened. In this series, I’ll be giving you my experience on how to make your “getting ready” pictures even better.

The Environment:
Have a great and beautiful environment to take pictures in. Not only should your ceremony location and reception location be beautiful, but your hotel bridal suite should also be warm, relaxing, and inviting as well. Boutique hotels are the best as they provide a unique look rather than those big chain hotels.
The Mood:
Never forget your other senses. Provide great music. Music always connects with people in different ways and will loosen people up. Having a glass of champagne with your bridesmaids (which in of itself provides for a great photo op) will relax you.
Cleanliness
Although documenting your day in a natural setting is great. There are things that really don’t look good in photos. Plastic water bottles, packaging materials, shoe boxes all over the place, paper towels and napkins, paper bags, plastic forks, and knives….. Do you get the picture? Schedule housekeeping to come in to re-make the bed and tidy up the suite before your photographers arrive. Also, have someone in charge of keeping things tidy will also help. But don’t go crazy about cleaning up though, as we want to document everything so if there is a large case of empty beer bottles laying on the floor. Leave it alone! =)
Punctuality
Be on time, especially if you are having your hair and makeup done off-location. Hair and/or makeup can take longer than expected and will easily delay you an extra 30 minutes if there are any issues. Love your Hair & Makeup artist! Do your research and find someone who is awesome.
Parents vs. Friends:
Whether or not you have a bridal party, you should always have a couple of close friends around to help you and support you. Parents can be around but should not be the only people. Yes, you love your Mom dearly, but they can sometimes push the wrong buttons.
Timing:
You are the last person to get into your dress. Your bridesmaids should all be dressed before you so when they help you put on your dress they are in the shot. Schedule enough time as well. We can work fast but the more time you give us, the more relaxed and brilliant the photos will be. I recommend two hours for getting ready with the final 30 minutes for bridal portraits.
Items To Bring:
There are a few items that I believe are always forgotten and are missing when taking getting ready pictures. The first is the invitation and Save the Date. Your wedding starts well before the day of. It starts when you invite people. The second is a beautiful hanger for the dress. We don’t like dry cleaning and or plastic hangers. Finally, a small pretty round mirror. We love reflections. So, try to bring these or have these items made available.
Last but not least:
Have a smile on your face, be happy, and cherish every moment of the day! I’m sure you’ve heard about how fast the day goes… Well… Let me tell you that it’s absolutely true. The year it took you to plan your day goes poof in a matter of hours. There can be many small things that will not go as expected, but don’t fret and try not to let any of it upset you. The camera will pick up all those emotions!

Stay tuned next month as we dive into tips for engagement pictures or if you would like for me to cover a certain topic, leave your comments below.
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