I was recently asked by a future bride what the point was in having a bridal session if you can just make some time on the wedding day for bridal portraits so I want to just take a couple minutes to talk about several of the benefits that come with having a separate bridal session, because there are a bunch!

First off don’t get me wrong, I’m from the northeast so I totally understand why someone may think they don’t need to have a separate bridal session. They aren’t really even a thing there or at least they were not in the past.  It seems like carving out time during the wedding day would just be sufficient enough but that can never be guaranteed and there are several advantages for the bride and even for the vendors in doing a separate session before the wedding day.

1. Bridals are the best way to test out some of your vendors before the big day! You have the chance to see exactly how you will look before the actual wedding day and you get to see how it all reflects in your photos thus ensuring  you are totally  happy with your final look or have the chance to make any necessary changes.  This goes for your hair, makeup, dress alterations, bridal bouquet and photography.  If you aren’t totally happy with something, it’s an easy opportunity to make adjustments.  I had a client recently, that just wasn’t happy the way her wedding dress looked around her mid-waist in her bridal photos, so she took it back to alterations and they took out a few of the layers underneath to flatter her body shape better. If she had not booked a bridal session, she may not have been able to see that she needed to make the change until after her wedding was all said and done.

2. Bridal Sessions give you an extra chance to see your venue before the big day. If you have a venue coordinator, it’s a great way to also take a few moments to tie up any loose ends with your timeline or clarify anything you may still be uncertain of. This can definitely help calm the nerves a bit as well! If you choose to have your bridal session at a separate location, you can still do all that with just giving your venue a call, plus you  have the chance to do something totally different from your venue to give you an additional location and look to the photos. You can totally have fun with your location, bring your dog or include something unique about yourself!

3. Ummmmm, you get to wear your wedding dress one extra day! Ok, you put a lot of effort and money into your  wedding dress to have it be a perfect fit for you. Who wouldn’t want to get all done up for one extra day so they can twirl around in their wedding dress for a bit!? Come on, this should be a given 🙂

4. Bridals are pretty much totally stress-free and it’s a fun experience to bring along your mom, sister or maid of honor along. Make a day of it! With wedding days, although  you have a timeline, things happen and sometimes run a bit behind.  There is a chance you may not be left all the time you originally set aside.  Typically, photographers are pretty good at playing catch up but sometimes there just isn’t enough time to do it all.  This leads into my last point….

5. Even if  you schedule some time on the wedding day for bridals, it will never compare to having a separate session because the time allotted will be much less. Booking a separate bridal session, will bring you another memorable and relaxing wedding experience. You also receive an entire gallery of images to choose your favorites. Let’s face it, some of us ladies can be a bit picky with ourselves (I am totally guilty) so having a full session of bridals gives you many more photos to choose from and you also have a chance to pick favorites that you can display at your reception.

With all that said, I am sharing Macey’s stunning bridal portraits! She was just absolutely radiating with elegance at her session last month at her venue, La Cour in McKinney, Texas where she was also married this past weekend. Holly Viles Design  provided the perfect vibrant pop of color with her bouquet and the Blush Bar did an amazing job emphasizing her natural beauty!

Venue- La Cour Venue 

Hair & Makeup – Blush Bar 

Floral Design- Holly Viles Design