I love photographing the preparations happening at the beginning of a wedding day--all the anticipation and excitement and the emotions that come to the surface. There's a lot there, and those photos are meaningful.
Here are some tips to help make sure your photos are all about you and the moment, and not the distractions that can also come with day-of wedding prep!
Choose a room that's not too small and has good light.
When you're choosing the space to get ready in, make sure there is enough space for everyone and all of their things, and enough space to get all the extra things out of the way. Look for a room with plenty of windows so there is good light coming into the space.
Keep the room clean.
Having a lot of random items strung about will be distracting to the eye. When you want the focus of the photos to be on the moment, you don't want something in the background of the photo that will draw the eye away from the subject. Ask your entourage to stay on top of water bottles, cups, plates, etc. One of the biggest distracting items I typically see aside from cups and bottles are the bags, purses, and makeup bags of all the bridesmaids of varying colors. Have them keep these items tucked away once the photographer arrives.
Have coordinating robes or pj's for the ladies.
On the same note as the last point, having colors that don't coordinate can also be very distracting. To keep things cohesive, make sure the girls are wearing something that goes with your color choices for the wedding.
Gather details items in one place.
Your photographer will probably give you a list of details items they'll want when they arrive. I have a post about that here. Designate a place to have all of those things ready where they are handy.
Go by the photographer's timeline.
The professionals you've hired are there to help and give you all the knowledge of their experience. Do your best to stick to the timeline the photographer has laid out for you. This is the only way to ensure you actually have time to get all of the photos you want, and is so good for not having to feel rushed, which will keep stress levels to a minimum.
Have the ladies get dressed before the bride.
Be sure that the whoever will be helping you into your dress is for sure in theirs first, if not all of them. This way, the photos of you getting into your dressed will be accented by their beautiful outfits, the colors will be cohesive, and no one will object to being photographed since they'll be feeling their best too.
Wait to put on your accessories.
Hold off on your jewelry and other accessories until you have your dress on. Putting those items on makes beautiful photos, but you want to be in your dress for those. Even putting on your perfume can make a pretty photo at this time.
All of these tips are small things that you can do that will help make the photos of this part of the day all the more beautiful, and help make sure that the focus is on you, your group and the moments.