Maybe you've been dreaming about your perfect wedding day since you were a young child or maybe you haven't put much thought into it and you have been engaged for a year already... Every individual approaches wedding planning in vastly different ways, but shares the same goal: to get married!
Through our client education series, we are sharing our experience as seasoned wedding photographers in the Bay Area to help your wedding day go smoothly and look fantastic! Today's topic: where you get ready on the morning of your wedding.
A few things to consider as we dive into this topic are:
- Everyone and every wedding is unique; your wedding should not be designed to look exactly like those millions of weddings on Pinterest. Make your wedding a reflection of who you and your partner are as a couple!
- Budgets are a real thing and while there may be some flexibility, we understand that is not always the case. We'll try to share options for if your budget is on the tight side of the spectrum.
- Photos and videos do not always represent the entire story. Our goal as wedding photographers and videographers is to help tell the story of your wedding day, but we also want to balance aesthetics and capturing images/videos you'll want to look back on. Sometimes this requires creativity... we'll get into more of this in a bit!
As we get started, this article will go over our thoughts on what to look at while selecting a space and modifications you can make if you have already found where you'd like to get ready.
Even lighting in the room or space.
To get great photos, you need great light!!! This can be windows, interior lights, whatever... We are personally huge fans of as much natural lighting as possible but understand not all spaces are conducive of this element.
If the room is dark, your makeup artist will most likely add additional lighting and we will most likely open blinds to help increase the light, but this can also make coloring funky in the editing phase which means it may take longer to edit your images. If you are between a couple of location options, send your photographer and makeup artist a few photos and see if they have any insight.
A clean room or space.
This may sound pretty basic, but due to the busyness the morning of a wedding can bring, it is easy for your getting ready location to get messy.
Declutter before your photographer and videographer arrive! This helps us be able to shoot from any angle without worrying about dirty underwear or twenty shot glasses in the background of your gorgeous getting ready moments.
Consider all of the spaces that may be used at your getting ready location and ask a few of your close buddies who are present to help manage the mess throughout the time there.
Somewhere to hang your wedding outfit that isn't a closet.
We love capturing wedding day details, including what you will wear. We try to do this within the getting ready space to help maintain any secrecy around your outfit. However, this is a huge challenge if there isn't anywhere but the closet to hang the clothes as this typically isn't a great photo spot. If the space doesn't have an option to hang your wedding attire, we will often opt for close up detail photos instead.
Enough space for the amount of people getting ready.
No matter the size of your wedding party, it is important to consider the size of the space you will all prepare in. This not only includes hang out space, but bathrooms, mirrors, and dressing space!
If you need more space than a hotel room, check out Airbnb or VRBO as options for a larger location.
Envision the photos and video you want captured.
This is a crucial element to your entire wedding day. Beyond just your ceremony and reception venues, the space you get ready in is also apart of the wedding day.
If your dream wedding has a getting ready space that feels like a cozy cabin and you get ready at a hotel, you may not be quite as crazy about those images. Likewise, if you have a goal of doing a first look with a parent right after you get dressed, but there isn't space at your getting ready location, you'll need to either adapt your timeline, goals, or getting ready location!
As photographers and videographers, we want your final gallery to be full of the photos and video you desire, but we are also constrained to the reality of the day too.
Getting ready at a different location than your partner.
Timing logistics play a huge role in planning a smooth timeline for your wedding day. As you look at your options for getting ready, consider the distance between where your partner and you will get ready.
We are happy to work with our clients to ensure their timeline has enough space in it for their photography and videography team to travel between locations since we understand not everyone chooses to get ready at the same location.
The fun stuff!
Don't forget to have FUN during your getting ready. Whether that means a champagne toast, confetti, or gifts for your loved ones, build in some fun to help the day get off on the right note!
