4 tips for great “getting-ready” photos

To start most every wedding even the smaller destination weddings. Brides have the “getting-ready” time before the wedding. That time to have her hair and makeup, bridesmaids hanging around waiting anxiously and the little flower girls and Mother of the Bride looking on.

Over the years I’ve noticed that the getting ready moment is a pretty important part of the wedding day. You will see thousands of images around pinterest and even on wedding blogs of this time. Here are 4 tips to get those amazing getting ready images you see!

1. schedule extra time into the timeline

For most photographers, myself included this is the time after I arrive and get started. This is also the time for those carefully thought about details, such as your ring, dress, shoes, heirlooms and gifts.

With having bridesmaids and even just your own hair and makeup done on the day of you will notice that the time flies by. So make sure you have enough time in your timeline just in case hair and makeup might run a tad later than expected. Most planners and photographers will make a timeline that runs smoothly and allows you to get those detail photos plus all of the getting ready moments. This really helps you remember those small details and candid moments later on in the years.

2. Find the best light

For my most favorite getting ready images you will always see great light in the photos. No matter what wedding venue or even home you might be at you can always find a great spot for this time.

If you’re thinking. Ok, nope… not getting dressed outside or in front of a window. Someone might see me! Let me ease you mind and know that these are done so far in advance guests are not walking around and usually your groom is far away or in another room. We make sure of it! 🙂

Trust your photographer as they will find the best spot for the buttoning or zipping of the gown. I find that most of my brides actually get in their dress in private with the help of their mom, sister or friend. THEN they come out for the images to be taken. Because, lets face it. Not everyone wants to be seen in their birthday suit or undies.

So, with that said. Find a room with great natural light and you will have these killer images too!

3. Remove the clutter

Have you ever walked in a room and all you notice is the things laying around? Candy wrapper, water bottles, brushes, bags, underwear. Yes, I said underwear.

Well, that can happen on the wedding day and it can happen QUICK. Think about how many women are in one room. What helps the best is that time before portraits is to tidy up. No, not you the bride but have your bridesmaids go ahead and gather their items. This will help the end of the night too! Trust me. No one wants to stay around for a hour after the wedding finding their clothes they wore to the event.

Having this done before your photographer arrives really helps for the getting ready pictures to go by faster. As most of us try to avoid all the clutter in your images and have been known to clean up ourselves. 🙂

4. First looks

Yes, I said looks as plural. The last year or two I’ve noticed not only the first look as Husband and Wife but also with the bridesmaids and even a short first look with your Dad.

Make sure when scheduling your day that you allow plenty of time for these moments if you are wanting them captured. They do take time to stage and of course finding those that might be needed. 9x out of 10 you haven’t seen your Dad at all the day of the wedding. So brides take that time right after they get in their dress to show their Dad. Either in private or in front of the girls it can be just as special.

You deserve these quality photos and a time that produces so much candid moments of your day. These tips above like having extra time built in, finding great light and even decluttering the room will help your day unfold perfectly and create images you will always look back on.

But, the most important tip is to trust your photographer. They will find the best light, capture the right moments and suggest elements for your day you might not have thought of just yet. Be sure to also check out my featured weddings for classic weddings and some of those getting ready moements that work great for my style of photography!

If you are interested in your wedding day captured authentically and these moments saved, reach out today!

4 tips for great "getting ready" photos on your wedding day - Krystle Akin | Destination fine art wedding photographer based in the south

Available for weddings worldwide. US, The Caribbean, Mexico, Italy, Greece, France, Ireland and Iceland 

bride, wedding ideas, destination wedding, elopement, engagement, wedding dress, wedding photography

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I'm so happy I hired Krystle as our wedding photographer. We got to meet beforehand when she was in California and took our engagement photos and it was like having a friend take our photos. She was an absolute delight to work with and helped put my husband (who hates taking photos) at ease. Our photos were beautiful and were even featured in Martha Stewart Weddings and Magnolia Rouge which was an lovely surprise. If in doubt, hire her! She is such a calming presence which helps on what can be a very stressful day. Wish we could do it all over again!

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"Krystle was nothing short of a superhero. Hands down the absolute best decision we made for our wedding was hiring her as our photographer! From the very start she totally got what we were going for, probably more than most of our vendors. Then when the day came, she went so above and beyond and saved the day for us so many times, and the pictures turned out beautifully. She has such an eye for light and color on top of being just an amazing and super helpful person to have around. I would 100% recommend her, and my husband and entire family would agree!"

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"When I started planning our wedding, I knew photography was going to be extremely important to me- not only because the photographer would be capturing the most important day of our lives thus far, but because she would be involved in so much of the wedding! After a few weeks of searching, I finally found Krystle and connected with her right off the bat. The first time we talked, we chatted for over an hour (it was just like talking to an old friend) and quickly scheduled our engagement photos with her. I was a little worried how my now husband would do taking photos, but Krystle put him immediately at ease and the whole shoot was so much fun for both of us. Once the wedding day arrived, it felt like Krystle was a part of the family."

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