For this month’s addition of Bridal Tips, I wanted to chat about Bridal Portraits! Bridal portraits have a very special place in my heart and one of my favorite moments to photograph. There are two different types of bridal sessions, one with your fiancé and one without
Bridal Session without your Fiancé
A true bridal session is typically without your fiancé and takes place about a month before your wedding or once the dress has finished being altered. For me, I love the idea of being able to wear your dress twice and really soak in the moment of what is yet to come. It is the beauty in the realization that the dress you are wearing is not only the most important dress you will ever wear, but also the start of something new. It symbolizes the start of the wedding planning process as typically it is the first item you purchase for your big day, brings joy in feeling like the princess you had imagined as a little girl, and its purpose is so incredible special in being created just for your wedding.
My bride Janelle met me out at Sydonie Mansion in Mount Dora for her bridal session. I love how we utilized such a special place that has so much meaning to my bride since her wedding reception took place there.
Bridal Session with your Fiancé
Over time new traditions have come to be, one of which are bridal sessions with your fiancé. While a true bridal session typically takes place before the wedding without your fiancé, a more modern idea is to include your fiancé for a bridal session that is either before or right after your wedding. A bridal session before your wedding with your fiancé is somewhat of a ‘first look.’ A first look is where you see one another for a moment alone right before the ceremony. Typically we budget around 30 minutes for a ‘first look’ during weddings, however with bridal sessions we budget around an hour and a half or more. The extra time is nice in having a moment that has no timeline limit and does not feel rushed.
Bridal sessions with your fiancé after the wedding are a great addition to newlywed photos. My couples who opt in a bridal session after their wedding love the time they have in exactly that – taking their time. During the big day, we typically budget around an hour for formal portraits depending on wedding party and family size. Out of that hour roughly 20-25 minutes are used for newlywed portraits. Having the additional bridal session is a nice way to have even more newlywed portraits.
My sweethearts Alex and Jake met me out at the LDS Orlando Florida Temple for their bridal session together a few weeks before their big day. Just like Janelle’s location had meaning to her, Alex and Jake’s location was also meaningful to them as it was the temple they would wed in. Photographing their session at night was a fun contrast to their daytime sealing.