We've got the inside scoop on how to get the best "getting ready"
bridal and groomsmen photos!
We love the "getting ready" portion of the wedding day so much! It's one of my absolutely favorite parts of the wedding day- hanging with your closest besties and listening to music, all that nervous excitement and energy when you think about you're marrying the love of your love in a few short hours. Not to mention all the mimosas, whiskeys and snacks!!
Bu we also realize you'll be needing all the things to get ready which can sometimes lead to a disaster of a hotel room (we've seen some doozies!). Well, here are few things to help mitigate the chaos of a wedding day room to leave you with the most beautiful photos of you and your crew preparing for the big day.
3 Tips to make sure the location you have for those getting ready shots is EPIC.
1. CHOOSE A SPACIOUS ROOM If at all possible, a large room is perfect for those getting ready shots. This ensures there is enough room for all your people to have some space and plenty of angles for your photographer (hopefully me!) to work with.
This can also help the photographer blend into the scene. It all depends on how your photographer shoots- some like to insert themselves right into the scene and take charge, while others will hang back and watch. I think a good balance of the two is what I aim to do, and a large room is perfect place to be a fly on the wall.
The bigger the space will also allow for some really diverse shots to really tell the story. In a larger room, it will be easier toget a mix of wide shots, mid shots, and close ups, not to mention making sure all your people are easily able to be seen in the full shot. Even in a small room, sometimes a wide lens isn't enough (unless your photographer has a fish eye in their bag!).
2. NATURAL LIGHT- (and lots of it!) Natural light is the way to go with getting ready photos- and arguable my favorite light to shoot in. If you can, make sure your room has a lot of windows and, if possible, bright walls (white please!) to get ready in. If your room doesn't have the best light, ask a friend of relative if they'd be ok with you getting ready in their room- it happens ALL THE TIME!
But why is this important? When you have indirect light or a cloudy day, the light coming in through the windows is soft and super flattering. Even with a sunny day, that gorgeous sunlight streaming in through large windows is going to be SPECTACULAR. The natural window light is truly a photographers best friend and just really lends itself to the dreamy story that is about to unfold!
3. KEEP IT TIDY! No one wants to see clutter in the back of their photos, most of all ones on your wedding day! Try to see if you can stash a bunch of stuff in a family members room. And we know you're doing to want to stay fed and hydrated to there will be things out, but try to keep things contained to one space and as tidy as possible (maybe appoint one of your wedding party members who just loves to organize to be on top of this- they will love it!)
It might seem like a lot to ask (we know so much is going on!), but I PROMISE you it will be worth it! Sure, photographers can photoshop some things out, but to photograph a whole ton of crap out of scene (even with the beta AI programs) it's a tedious and consuming process, and a lot of photographers may not go the extra mile to do this. Taking the extra time to tidy up is goign to go SUCH A LONG WAY!
So there you have it: 3 tips and tricks to make those "getting ready" photos be flawless!
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