If you were raised north of the Mason-Dixon line, chances are high that scheduling a bridal portrait session is not on your radar. That being said, bridal portraits are not only a southern tradition, but can prove to be beneficial to the wedding planning process, for both brides and vendors alike.
One of the greatest benefits of booking a bridal portrait session, is that it gives your hair and makeup artists an opportunity to do a trial run before the big day. While you can spend hours scouring photos on Pinterest, sometimes styles that look perfect on your vision board don’t compliment your features or sometimes even your dress, in the best way.
Additionally, it’s an opportunity for you to gather all of your jewelry, shoes, and undergarments prior to the wedding day. I know that for me personally, there were several pieces of jewelry that I liked on myself in the store, but when I put them all on together with the dress, they weren’t quite right.
Another benefit of a bridal portrait session, is the chance to get photos taken at a beautiful venue that may not have been available for your actual wedding. There are several venues, plantations, and historic homes that offer their space to photographers for portrait sessions for exactly that reason-- which is particularly appealing if you are getting ready in a church multipurpose room or other space on the morning of your wedding that has less than perfect lighting.
Perhaps most importantly, it gives you an opportunity to work with your photographer before the big day. Oftentimes, couples forego their engagement session photos or can even win a free session from another photographer, meaning that their wedding day is the first time they will be working with their wedding photographer.
While many people say that they don’t want a large photo of themselves to hang in their home, there is also a chance that they may change their minds later on down the road. For example, maybe a portrait isn’t appropriate for a starter apartment, but would be more suited for a larger home later in life.
In the event that you do decide to book a bridal portrait session, you will need to coordinate with your photographer, hair and makeup artist, florist, and venue leading up to the day, so it’s definitely not something you want to wait until the last minute to schedule.
Collectively, I am a huge proponent of booking bridal portraits. My bouquet was not at all what I had asked for at my portrait session, and while I was disappointed on the day, there was an opportunity for me to meet with her and make adjustments before the wedding day. So whether you were raised in the south and have always known you would have them done, or are just anxious about how the details of your day are going to come together, bridal portraits are a wonderful option either way.