Bridal sessions, what are they?
Bridal sessions are so fun! I love when a client comes to me and expresses interest in doing a bridal session. I feel like they are not as known or popular in Southern California so I figured I would explain what they are. This is when the bride or the couple get dressed up in their wedding attire and take bridal pictures. This allows for a first look opportunity but more importantly allows for the couple to get all the golden hour pictures before the wedding. This is beneficial for both scenarios. If the couple is doing the first look on the actual wedding day, then the bride can just do the bridal session. If the couple is doing the first look during the bridals, then more pictures can be taken which lightens the load of pictures needed on the wedding day.
This is the perfect opportunity for run throughs of hair and make up along with other venders like flowers or photographer. I have a list of vender referrals so feel free to reach out if you are needed makeup artist, flowers, suit\dress, or venue recommendations. Bridals also allow for pictures of a hairstyle that is maybe not ideal for a wedding day but will look great for 2 hours of pictures. I recommend all my brides to do hair and makeup run throughs before the wedding day and bridal sessions allow for the run through to be put to good use!
Weddings are wonderful and one of the best days of people’s lives but are known to be stressful and hectic. Since they are such a long event, it can be hard to remember exactly what pictures needed to be taken. It is important to get all the pictures but with lighting and timeframes, it is harder to get the best pictures all in the golden hour time slot. Bridals allow for the couple’s big chunk of photos to be complete which allows for the wedding party photos to take place before the ceremony. This helps the photos taken during cocktail hour to go quickly and are reserved for big family photos along with some special golden hour pictures of the bride and groom.
One of the special things I have seen happen after a bridal session, is a picture of the bride in her dress or the couple is able to be printed and hung at the wedding for people to see. It is awesome to already have the pictures taken and framed to make the day even more special. Bridals also are known for having beautiful locations that would not always work for an actual wedding. This allows for different backgrounds and scenes to be in all the wedding pictures. If the wedding venue has less nature and more building, then the bridals can be taken in more of a nature setting. The possibilities of photos and places is endless for bridals because an event does not have to take place at the location.
Bridals add so much to the wedding experience. One of the biggest reasons I suggest them is the flexibility they bring to the wedding day. They allow for pictures to be taken before the ceremony so that the cocktail hour and reception can have the bride and groom present and not focused on getting the right golden hour shot. The timeline of the wedding is able to change and flow a lot easier. All my brides that have done bridals come back after the wedding and say how amazing it was to have the main bridal couple photos taken care of and the lack of chaos or rushing there was during the wedding.
I love the special moments the couple get to share as well during bridals. There is no pressure or stress during that day. They get to bond in a more intimate way and get some amazing photos. I love getting to see couples interact during these sessions because you truly get to see the love, they have for each other. They are getting ready to start their lives together and the magic is flowing through the air. If you are engaged and planning a wedding, definitely consider adding bridals to the schedule. There are some amazing locations in Southern California that would be stunning in formal attire. As always, remember I am here to help as your photographer and can’t wait to capture more amazing couples in the future.
