You’ve seen them and you love them: romantic, gorgeous bridal portraits that grace all of the wedding blogs and magazines. And I’d be willing to bet that you want bridal portraits like that of yourself!

I want them for you, too!

While I always try to provide my brides with these romantic, etherial bridal portraits, the truth of the matter is that without a separate bridal portrait session, you’ll likely only be able to take a few bridal portraits on your actual wedding day.

On a typical wedding, that’s running on schedule, brides have between 45-60 minutes from the moment she’s in her wedding gown to when group photos begin. That means there are 60 minutes to do her first look, take couple photos, and take individual portraits of her and her soon-to-be spouse.

That’s enough time for plenty of couple photos but not enough time for both that and a lot of individual portraits.

So, in order to get more bridal portraits, with lots of variety, I suggest adding a bridal portrait session to your wedding photography collection.

1. Test out the final look

I like to schedule my brides bridal portrait sessions the day they have their hair and makeup trial. By scheduling bridal sessions then, my brides get to have a full dry-run of their wedding look and can communicate any needed changes to their makeup artist or hair stylist. That translates to more hair and makeup security and more overall confidence for those brides on their wedding day.

2. Take photos are a more relaxed pace

Y’all know I’m all about cultivating an environment of peace and tranquillity on wedding days. When we take bridal portraits before the wedding day, we’re able to devote more time to these special photos which means we won’t be rushed at all. If we’re not rushed, we’re more relaxed. If we’re more relaxed we think more clearly. If we think more clearly we take more creative photos with better light. If we take creative photos in better light you look better in your photos. It’s a no-brainer win-win!

3. You gain more time for other photos on the wedding day

This is simple math – if we don’t have to spend time taking bridal photos on the wedding day, we can use the time we’d normally spend taking those doing something else. We can take more getting ready photos, more couple photos, or more any other kind of photos you might want. It’s a total win for you!

4. You have more breathing room in your timeline

Similarly to #3 above, you can use the time gained to relax and enjoy the day stress free knowing you have fewer “have to’s” to do on your wedding day. Again, it’s a 100% win for you, your fiancé, your wedding party, and your guests.

5. More confidence in your wedding day poses

Practice makes perfect and that is equally true for posing. Gaining posing experience before the wedding day, means a bride will know her best angles and most flattering poses. This in turn gives her more self-confidence and the assurance that she’ll nail all of her photos on the wedding day.

Do you think you’d like to add on a bridal portrait session to your wedding photography collection? Let me know in the comments!

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