Why in the heck would anyone want photos of themselves getting ready for a wedding?
That’s actually a really good question.
For me, taking photos of a wedding is made that much more special with being allowed to start with the bride (and groom) before they arrive at the ceremony location. There’s an energy of excitement, of quiet (and loud!) moments with family and close friends who the couple have chosen to be with the bride before she joins her life to another.
Getting ready photos allow, in my opinion, for a fuller telling of the story and for some often requested and desired detail shots of the important elements of the couple’s person items.
A bride’s preparation for her wedding is a careful one, with all of the details of which earrings to wear and how her make up will look being dreamed of long before the day.
Often times, as the photographer, I’ll take a few moments to capture items while the bride is getting ready. This too allows them to get used to the idea of having another person in their space, photographing them.
I will always ask, if time permits for the bride to wait getting into her dress until I have had an opportunity to photograph it, and then to be able to photograph her getting into it as well.
Photographing a bride getting into her dress gives a unique opportunity to capture special moments between a bride and her close family, like her mother, or her bridesmaids.
There is often laughter and joy in those anxious getting ready images, which show how important it really is.
The last-minute preparations by a bride, capturing her thoughts, writing her vows or a love letter to be passed off later to her soon-to-be husband.
This time often allows for capturing images of the wedding party in their element as well.
Honestly, the getting ready images are some of my favorite of the entire day. They exemplify the nervous and excited energy before vows are said. These images capture the bride with her closest friends and relatives as they send her off to her new life with her partner. It’s exciting! It’s fun and it’s full of love.
Angie Griffith Photography 