Have you been planning this wedding for 12-14 months? You have your favourite vendors booked including your Wedding photographer to capture the wedding day photos. You have everything packed and ready for the wedding day. On the wedding day you are going to be busy with your make-up, preparations and of course getting married. You don’t have time to answer all questions people are asking or go look for things. You need to read this to not just be prepared for your vendors, especially your photographer but also to be present and enjoy your wedding day.
What are Wedding getting ready photos? Why do you need to include them as part of your wedding day photo package?
Preparation photos or Wedding getting ready photos are the ones taken on the wedding day during or after makeup is done. Getting married is one of the most important decisions you make and it’s life-changing. There are a lot of emotions on this day. Prep Photos/ Video is not just to capture the details of what you are wearing on a wedding day. It is to capture when your parents first see you in your wedding dress, the bridal party fun, the happy tears, the emotions, the love and the chaos that goes in just before the wedding.

We want to capture these moments as truly as we can, so looking at the photos will take you to that moment. The Night before the wedding day is always a busy night with all the friends and family visiting. With everything going on cleaning the room is the least of the priority. It is when the photographer arrives that reality strikes. Everyone scrambles to clean the room so a messy room doesn’t end up in the photos. If you are on a tight timeline, you will end up losing time here because of the cleaning.
Here are the 5 things we suggest to all our couples.
1. When choosing a room, look for one that is spacious and well-lit.
When choosing a room, be it a hotel, Airbnb or at the venue, choose the one that has enough space to walk around. Especially when the makeup is done in the same room, you will need to have space for everyone to walk around. If you are getting ready in a hotel room, request a bigger room. If the photographer is like us, we will never say no to natural light. We love the window light. So big windows are a bonus.

2. Assign the tasks to bridesmaids/Groomsmen.
Create a list of things to do on the wedding day and assign the tasks to bridesmaids/groomsmen. While assigning tasks, make sure room clean up before the photographer arrives is top of the list on the day off. This will not only ensure that the room is clean but also will let you be stress-free and organized.

3. Have everything that you want to be included in a detail shot, packed and separated from the rest of the luggage
If you have gifts or jewelry that you want to be part of the wedding day detail shot, make sure it’s packed separately. You don’t want to go searching on your wedding day while you are getting ready. This includes the jewelry, footwear and other accessories that you will be wearing. Don’t forget to remove the price tags on everything as you pack.

4. Wait for the photographer to arrive before you change into a wedding dress
Depending on the location, the photographer might want to get a photo of the full dress before you wear it. Plan to have your makeup halfway when the photographer arrives. This will give them enough time to take the details shots and once your makeup is done, they get to focus on you. The bridal party and immediate family can also be included in these photos.

5. Time is everything
Most of the time, between getting ready and everything happening, the photographer ends up getting the least amount of time. Don’t shy away from assigning responsibilities. Friends and family are there to support you. Ask the wedding party to be dressed up before you. We suggest the bride and the groom leave for 1-1.5 hours each excluding travel time for wedding getting ready photos. During this time, we also get a few pictures of the wedding party along with the bride & groom’s immediate family.

Always ask your photographer about timelines on what they need as each photographer is different. Even if you hire a wedding planner, talk to your wedding photographer. Enjoy the big and small things on your wedding day and soak into the actual moments. In the end, the moments filled with love and the memories made are what will last forever.

Did we miss mentioning something here.. Let us know in the comments.
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