The Getting Ready Photos

The preparation time, the day of the wedding, is a major part of any wedding and as such needs to have a plan that will allow you to get through it and enjoy every part of all its hectic, memory filled moments.

As important as the make up, the hair, the shoes, the jewellery and the gown are, the location of the "Getting Ready" time is really crucial to making your day truly special. 

When you consider how much you have spent on the wedding, the ceremony and the reception and then think that close to a quarter of the pictures that are taken (and will probably be the most personal for you and your family) are the ones during the "Getting Ready" moments, then giving more thought to the location and how it will appear, is well worth the advance effort.

Need an extra pin to hold that piece of fabric that seemed to fit perfectly just the day before? That is easy to find, if you are in your parents' home or some familiar location, but then maybe your home is not big enough to accommodate the bridal party. 

What about a rented hotel room, suite or even a whole rented house for the party to get ready?

Whatever the locale, it should be where you can be happy and comfortable with your family and attendants during these exciting few hours.

Here are just a few ideas to help you get this all to work and accommodate the taking of some great photographs to help keep these memories alive:

- when you have your pictures taken the rooms with a lot of natural light will give you the best and most pleasing shots. Don't forget the outside if the locale permits and the weather cooperates!

- let your bridesmaids know when they should be ready. It is really lovely when the bride's mother and bridesmaids are all dressed when they are there to help you get the jewellery and that all important dress on for the first time that day. The emotions always overflow at this time and make for some of the most touching photos which you will treasure forever.

- try to keep the area as clean and neat as possible - clothes and bags all over the bed and dressers do not make for the best shots when you are looking at them after the fact.

- the theme or style of your wedding should be reflected in the "Getting Ready" pictures as well as the ceremony, bridal party and reception photos. If you are having an outdoor wedding at the beach, then the preparation location could have some decorations that would reflect this as well.

- often having the right "props" available can be great for a special photo. Plastic hangers can really ruin an otherwise nostalgic "dress" shot, so make sure you have a nice hanger near by. What about a mirror? It could be a large fancy one, but small hand held mirrors can often do just as well.