I love spending wedding mornings with the girls. It’s like they are little girls again, playing dress up, giddy with excitement for the bride on her big day (and coffee and mimosas are in full swing). I love seeing my brides be totally present and relaxed with her girls, knowing that the months and months of planning are behind her, and today is all about her and her soon-to-be hubby (who she cannot wait to see!) Here are a few tips that will help the getting ready morning run smoothly for both you and your photographer.

1. Timing:

In working on your timeline, don’t worry about having the photographer arrive to the salon first thing in the morning when all the girls arrive. Likely you (and maybe your gals) will be getting their makeup done and won’t want ‘bare face’ photos anyway (Although I will argue all day you are all stunningly beautiful without makeup on). It’s great for the photographer to arrive in the middle to end of the hair/makeup getting ready so that we can still get some shots but the girls are ‘photo ready’. Timeline not allow for the photographer to come to the salon? Don’t fret! Even if your makeup and hair are 100% done by the time the photographer arrives, there is always an opportunity for the bride to get a few ‘faux touchups’ for getting ready photos.

2. Getting Ready Attire:

There are so many amazing resources for getting ready attire. The main reason for the planned attire is to not distract from the ambiance of prepping for the big day. Don’t get me wrong, workout clothes are adorable, but that neon yellow lulu lemon tank on the bridesmaid will be loud and distracting in photos. Robes are always a crowd fav (I especially love the trend of printed robes! Check out a local MN gal Oh Sugar Studio who makes the softest and most beautiful robes!) On a budget? You don’t have to drop big money on fancy robes. Basic neutral or wedding color tees or tanks from a bargain store will be perfect! Or ask your gals to throw on a flannel button up over a white tank for a mismatched but still coordinated look.

3. Group the Details:

Right away when I arrive to the girls, I plan to grab your dress, shoes, jewelry and any other detail pieces (garters, perfume, ring box) to shoot detail shots. (This is often a great time for me to do dress shots because the groom has not yet arrived so I don’t have to worry about sneaking around with it). I will likely take these pieces out of the getting ready room for more creative shots, so grouping them together for me to grab is SO helpful! It alleviates the bride from running around digging through her bags when she should be relaxing and enjoying the morning (and sipping a ‘bride’ coffee or celebratory mimosa).

*Bonus - Bring your invitations/save the dates for an invitation suite shot! You worked hard on those details, let’s be sure to document them! Group these with your details so the photographer can do this shot right away too.

4. "Stuff Corner"

In the getting ready area, distinguish a corner or area to tuck everyone’s “stuff” to keep the room clutter free for candid photos. Girls roll with lots of bags, makeup, shoes, water bottles, phone chargers (I could go on and on, and for real, no judging, I’ve never packed light in my life), but keeping the stuff in one area will allow for the photographer to get better candids that focus more on the gals and less on the stuff in the background.

5. Dress On (You too, helper!)

On every timeline I have my brides set a ‘dress on’ time to keep the morning (and first look) on track. I also let them know that whoever is helping them into their dress (mom, maid of honor, etc.) also needs to be photo ‘ready’ at this time. Whether that is fully dressed or in their cute bridesmaid attire is up to the bride, but we don’t want to catch Mom in her sweats with her hair in rollers giving us the ‘say whaaaa?!?!’ look when we say we are ready for her to be in photos helping the bride into her dress!

6. Find the Light

As a natural light photographer, I walk into a room and instantly look for windows so I can find my best light source for photos. If you are getting ready in a dark room, I will likely ask if it’s ok for us to do the ‘dress on’ shots in a secondary location with better light. Don’t worry, you won’t be changing into your wedding dress in the hallway, you will simply slip on your dress in the getting ready room, and then we capture the details of the buttons/back closure, and jewelry/detail shots in the beautifully lit location! You will love the getting ready photos so much more with the beautiful light, I promise.

6 wedding day Tips For the bride & girls Getting Ready