Wedding Wednesday
I always tend to get lots of questions regarding a Bridal Portrait session, so I’ve decided to answer some FAQ’s that my brides…especially all of my Brides from up north… 😉 ask me!
First off, we’ll start with the most basic question, what is a Bridal Portrait? Think of your Bridal Portrait session as somewhat like a “dress rehearsal” for your BIG Day! You’re going to have SO much to think about and worry about throughout your wedding day like does everyone know where they’re supposed to be? Are the flowers here? Is the cake in place?? Nervous about how you look in pictures just shouldn’t be one of those worries! In fact, that should be the farthest thing from your mind! A Bridal Portrait session can allow you to actually see how you will look on your wedding day BEFORE your wedding day actually happens!
When does a Bridal Portrait take place? Bridals are usually taken within 5-7 weeks before your wedding day. We make sure that we give you enough time for your dress to come back from having alternations and allow for enough time to get the portrait printed and framed. After your Bridal Portrait session, it will take me a week to edit and finalize the portraits and prepare your portraits for print.
What do I do with a Bridal Portrait? Traditionally, a bridal portrait was displayed by the hosts of the wedding, the Bride’s parents. This portrait would be displayed at the entrance of the reception, typically near the guestbook or gift table. A Bridal Portrait is a very southern wedding tradition, and most southern families consider a bridal portrait as a family heirloom to be passed down within the family. Today, Brides may keep their portrait to hang in their home or give as a gift to her parents or in-laws.
Where do Bridals usually take place? We can shoot a Bridal Portrait session together in a variety of locations. To me, I prefer the look of the natural locations, so shooting somewhere outside with beautiful sunlight and in a gorgeous location is absolutely breathtaking! Don’t get me wrong, I love the look of a Bride inside a great big venue, on a staircase, or looking out a window, but there is something so beautiful about a Bride twirling in her gown in a wide open field or fluffing her dress amongst the trees. Most locations are going to be natural and outdoors, but be mindful of photography fees if you’re wanting to shoot your Bridal Portrait inside somewhere or in a maintained garden or country club.
Who can I bring along to a Bridal Portrait Session? This is a celebration of YOU! So bring whoever you’d like! You’ll be wanting to surround yourself with those who love you and who make you feel beautiful and confident (which you’ll most likely already feel like a movie-star in your beautiful gown!!). I stress to Brides that this may be a very important time to just be with your Mom or your mother-in-law, or bring along your Maid-of-Honor, or even have your Dad spend a few precious moments with you during this sweet time. We’ll laugh, joke around, have some fun, and probably even shed a few tears as you prepare for your highly anticipated wedding day!
Will you be posting my Bridal Portrait online? I won’t EVER post the images from your Bridal Portrait session until AFTER your wedding day, so don’t worry about your Groom taking a peek at you beforehand!! The day after your wedding day, most likely while you both are sipping Mai-Tais at the beach while on your Honeymoon! (Lucky devils!) I’ll be posting the blog post about your Bridal Session. This will give your wedding guests a little sneak peek at you and all of your bridal beauty and begging for more!!
Do I need to bring all of my Bridal Details to a Bridal Portrait session? Yes & No. While I stress that wearing your jewelry that you’ll be wearing for the wedding day is important to wear to your bridal portrait session, you won’t really need to bring anything else unless you absolutely want to. Since the locations of the bridal portrait sessions can vary, wearing your wedding day shoes is probably not the best idea, plus we won’t be shooting your shoes much during this time. Lots of Brides wonder if they should bring a bouquet or fake flowers, and again that is up to you, but know that we’ll be getting lots of images of you holding your bouquet on wedding day, so unless it’s included in your florist budget, I wouldn’t worry about it! Even for my very own Bridal Portrait session, I couldn’t afford to have my florist make me another bouquet, so I just picked a couple magnolias, tied them together, and viola! It looked great and was simple as can be!
How should I do my hair & makeup for my Bridals? Making sure that you do your hair and makeup for your bridals exactly how you want it for your wedding day is very important! I’ve seen lots of brides change their minds on their makeup choice or how their hair is worn simply because of how their Bridal Portrait went! Brides that thought they wanted to wear their hair down for their wedding day ended up changing their minds after they realized their curl went straight an hour into our Bridal session. This is also true for Brides who decided that their smokey eye just didn’t look good on their Bridal Portrait and went for a more natural look come wedding day. If you are having your Bridal Portrait taken, it’s like getting a trial run for your hair and makeup for your wedding day. Brides will be able to see themselves before the big day and see how long your hair and make up will take come wedding day morning.
It’s just me being photographed?! What do I do?! I will direct you and “pose” you in lots of different ways to make sure that your Bridal Portrait is natural, candid, and beautifully composed. Don’t worry, you’re not just going to be standing there in one static pose the ENTIRE. TIME. I’ll get some up-close shots of your makeup and hair. Detail shots of your dress fabric and veil. Some of you looking at me and then some of you looking away. You’ll be spinning and twirling in your dress, running your fingers down the length of your veil, and swaying back and forth in your gown. It’s going to be so much fun and really get you amped up for your Best Day Ever!
Here’s just some of my most favorite Bridal Portrait sessions from some of my previous Emma Loo Brides! I love them all!!
Laura is just KILLING IT at her Bridal Sesh! She was a rockstar! (That girl should model, shouldn’t she?!)
We took these images in early fall 2014 right before her November 2014 wedding day. Laura wanted that vintage look for her wedding day and wanted to incorporate that into her bridal session! She had asked a friend of hers to borrow his vintage car! I just LOVED it!
Ultimately, this is the one Laura chose for her bridal portrait!
Bridal Portraits don’t always have to be about the front! Sometimes the back of the dress has a lot of beauty as well! (& that birdcage veil, y’all! Holy Moly!)
Sometimes, the venue that you’ve booked for your wedding day will allow you to use the venue for portraits as well! That’s why I LOVE it when Brides say they’ve booked their wedding at Separk Mansion in Gastonia! We were able to capture these great portraits of Michele just WEEKS before her wedding day, and boy, was she just stunning! She and John were married in June 2015.
Sometimes Bridal Portraits can take place in very special locations, especially if you’re gifting a bridal portrait to your groom! This Emma Loo Bride decided to take her Bridals inside the fire station where her soon-to-be-husband was stationed! It was SO cute! He sure LOVED them! Carrie was a doll, and actually, believe it or not, she was my babysitter growing up! (how cool, right?!) I LOVED being able to photograph her May 2013 wedding.
That classic black & white tile floor is a staple in every Charlotte bridal magazine! I love shooting bridals inside the Duke Mansion! It gives every Bride that “I’m a Princess” feeling! Nikki was such a sweet bride and I so enjoyed capturing her October 2013 wedding day!
Cassie’s bridals took place down in Charleston, SC and it was a DREAM. I was honored to be with her and her Mom down in the low country! We made a whole weekend out of it and celebrated with mimosas at a downtown Charleston restaurant afterwards! She and Austin were married in May 2014. 
Chelsea was married September 2015, and goodness, was she a stunning Bride or what?! Plus, she was up for ANYTHING when it came to her Bridal Portrait session! Y’all, she hopped a fence for me…hopped a FENCE. IN HER DRESS. I will never ever forget that! She’s the BOMB! 
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