Bridal Prep moment to photograph or not to photograph. What is the question ?

Bridal Prep to photograph or not to photograph. What is the question ?

There can be a number of choices and decisions that can influence your choice on whether or not you would like your wedding photographer with you during your bridal prep. Anything from budget to whether or not you would like someone with you, photographing you a little while before your big day can influence you decision to have the photographer in the room with you. I have put together this little post to briefly touch on the most prominent questions and hopefully add a little light on the subject.

So do you really need a photographer for your bridal prep ?

Short answer : No

Long answer : Maybe. (I’ll elaborate as I go on)

Is it a Good idea to have a photographer with you during bridal prep ?

Short Answer : Yes.

Long Answer : Definitely!

Now allow me the chance try explain why, in my own convoluted way, I think having a photographer is an excellent idea.

Well firstly, while you spend all morning and even a fair portion of the rest of the day before getting ready and making sure everything and every bit is in place and perfect, your other half may very well be sitting on a couch, in his old shorts watching a rerun of the weather while wondering if he remembered to feed the cat this morning. The Groom may only get ready 30 minutes before it is time to leave, and that may include time for a cup of coffee and a biscuit.

Now, you know that getting ready as a Bride will take to a special kind of effort, which starts off as a blank canvas and emerges as a work of art and beauty greater than the groom ever imagined possible.

I should be fair to the Groom, many do spend the time before to check their speech or follow up on last minute details to ensure the day runs the it should. Of course the Groom may still be doing this while half-dressed, but he still is doing his bit.

Surely this is an excellent reason to have the photographer present, to capture the moments as the bride is allowed to show herself to the most stunning degree. In fact this will be even better if you have a second photographer to snap a few moments with the Groom, as he watches the weather re-runs and as he metamorphosises into a well groomed fellow that the bride may not even recognize.

The next point for me is the one I believe is the best reason to have a photographer with the bride during bridal prep, and the same reason to have photographer with the groom: Friends and Family. During this time of organised chaos, whether it is in a house or in a hotel room, the bride is surrounded by family and friends helping to create the perfect day, all the while she is getting ready.

It is during this time that someone special might pop in and say hello, share a tender moment, which may not happen at any other time of the day. The bridal prep is a time when the bride ( and the groom ) surrounds herself with people that mean so much to her –  these are the people she wants to celebrate the entire day with. The might be champagne and toasts, perhaps a few tears, there will definitely be laughs and smiles and those special moments of knowing. Each part of a wedding day is unique, and has its own moments and the bridal prep is most assuredly not an exception, there will be moments worth remembering and nothing can quite jog the memories as well as photo of the moment it all happened.

Bride sharing a toast with her bridesmaid while getting her makeup done

 

This is as true for the groom as it is for the bride, the groom will definitely have someone on hand to help check that his shirt is tucked in and that his socks match, depending of course who is there with him he may leave for the ceremony with mismatched socks. These are the photos the photographer will be happy to capture and be sure to include.

If you worried that a male photographer might intrude on the moment, or if the option of a female photographer helps you decide then make sure to mention this. This can be the one bit that helps swing you over the fence to get a second photographer. Now of course if you quite comfortable with your photographer ( male or female ) then there really is not problem there.

 

Now, it really is up to you and you know best how your day will come together with everything that makes it special, and if you’re thinking about whether or not you would like someone there to photograph this very personal part of you day, I do hope I have added a few useful thoughts.

In summary, getting a photographer for those precious moments when you are getting ready is invaluable, as they capture both your transformation as you are getting ready as well as those important but quickly forgotten precious moments with family and friends.