What are Bridal Portraits?

A few weeks ago I was getting a blowout at Dry Bar and the stylist was also engaged, so we bonded immediately. I was telling her about my bridal portraits and she had no idea what I was talking about. I assumed this was something everyone did and knew about.

So, what are bridal portraits? Bridal portraits are a southern tradition where brides get all done up, hair, make up, flowers, the whole works to take pictures a few weeks before the wedding. To kick off my wedding series, I wanted to share 5 reasons to take bridal portraits.

1. Trial – With bridal portraits you want to set up a time with your hair and make up artists to go through a trial session. This allows you to ensure your hair and makeup will look exactly how you want it on your big day. Along with the hair and make up artist, you want to talk with your florist to get a practice bouquet made. When I got my portrait bouquet, I realized I wanted less white roses and more blue hydrangeas.
2. Time – Because the whole session is about you can take your time with the session and really get the detail shots you want.
3. Location Freedom – On your big day, you won’t be able to stray too far from your venue. With portraits you can go wherever you want whether that’s an empty field or a downtown location.
4. Getting Used to the Camera – For some people taking pictures can be really awkward, fortunately I don’t have that issue, but this is a great time to get used to taking pictures and for you to get a feel for your photographer’s shooting style and vise versa.
5. Purpose – Another southern tradition is to showcase the bridal portraits at the reception. I chose to showcase my favorite portrait on the cake table, but I have seen it done where it’s placed during cocktail hour or by the entrance of the reception.

If you are doing bridal portraits, I highly recommend bringing your mom or Maid of Honor to help you. You’ll be taking your veil on and off or changing shoes and you’ll need some one to help you!

Now that I just went through this whole wedding planning process, I want to share what I learned and help you plan for your big day even if it’s tomorrow or years away. If you’re already married, I want to know your thoughts and experiences about your wedding in the comments section below!

Photography by Outland Weddings