5 Reasons to do a Bridal Session – Martinique Bridal Session – FYI Friday

Lets be real. Most of us ladies have put WAY to much thought into our weddings. I’m talking about before it was anywhere even remotely close to happening. Like age 5. I remember playing MASH and having wedding dress color as a category. Not gonna lie, I still think a big, tulle navy sparkly wedding dress for a nighttime candlelit wedding would be pretty cool. With all of the thought and planning that goes into your ideal wedding style, it should be well documented. That time well spent (we’re talking from age 5 here people!) needs to be properly appreciated! If you’re still not convinced, don’t worry I came up with a list of reasons for ya. 5 reasons to do a bridal session. Mainly because I just like lists.

1. The Weather Doesn’t Give a Crap About Your Plans

It’s no secret that the rain here in Virginia has been a little overwhelming. It may or may not have gotten to the point where I started researching Seasonal Affective Disorder. As a photographer, the rain tends to make a mockery of my plans. It doesn’t care about my travel plans, my hopes for that perfect golden hour glow, or me walking through wet grass all day while shooting a wedding. That’s ok. I’m here to tell you that not all is lost! Booking a bridal session is a great way to punch rain in the face. Martinique booked a bridal session a few weeks before her wedding. Did it rain during the bridal session? Yup. Did it rain during their wedding? Yup. And guess what? This bridal session was a TOTAL lifesaver! Rain on a wedding day typically means moving things around and a timeline that disappears faster than a jar of Nutella. Which means that we might be in a rush to get family portraits, bridal party portraits and of course bride and groom portraits. Sometimes that means very little actual bridal portraits. That just doesn’t work well for me.

2. You ever think of something in your head, then say it aloud and realize it maybe should have stayed in your head?

Yea wedding styles can kinda be like that. Especially when brides are swimming (ok maybe drowning) in Pinterest boards. The ideas can be scattered all over the place. Maybe a look that you saw on another bride caught your eye. Then you do the trial run at your bridal session. Sometimes brides realize they want to do things a little different after seeing it in person. Up until this point, all of your wedding visions are in your head. You don’t get to see them come to life until the wedding day. Except a bridal session says “yea, no….that doesn’t work for me.” You get to do the trial run of hair and makeup and see how it photographs. I’ve even heard stories of a bride not liking how her dress photographed and ended up changing it after seeing her bridal session. Literally just a few weeks before her wedding! Silver lining to that story, yes she found her dream dress and yes it was ready on time! Not only does Martinique have tons of gorgeous photos wearing her dress, but it made for a great trial run too. Oddly enough, one of her shoes actually broke during her bridal session. Not a big deal. We made it through just fine. Best part? It didn’t happen on her wedding day and she had time to get it fixed before the big day! We also realized the intricate lacing meant it was going to take a little longer for her to get in her dress than we had already planned. So we went into the wedding day knowing that. These are tiny issues that could have become big issues if they hadn’t occurred at the bridal session first!

3. Work, work, work, work, work

Every time you and I work together before your big day, it makes it that much smoother on the day of the wedding. Which is why I include a complimentary engagement session with each wedding. A bridal session takes that one step further. It’s the same as most other relationships in your life. The more you are around each other, the more comfortable you are with each other. I’ve been told I’m part of Martinique’s family at this point. Even with warnings from her mom that I won’t be able to get out…..I’m kinda loving that. Having those connections with my couples and their families are what make my job so amazing!

4. Break All the Rules

There are no rules. Martinique decided to do her bridal session at her venue. Which turned out perfect because the historical home and the large porches made for a great solution to the rain. But you can do whatever you want. Lets go to the beach, or a field. Lets play with your cathedral veil AND a flower crown. Why not? Big, fat, fluffy peonies are never a bad thing. Seriously, you can’t go wrong. They make everything look great. =] You pour your heart into finding the right dress, wear it and play in it as much as you can!

5. But Maybe Still Be a Little Traditional

Lets have some fun, avoid possible rainy wedding woes, break some rules and have a gorgeous canvas of you in your dress at your wedding. It’s one of those little things that makes a big impact. The moms love it. Oh and the grandmothers…..well they just gush over them. I love watching the family members hover over that canvas and just ohh and ahh over my brides. Not to mention a framed bridal portrait makes a great thank you gift after your big day is over.

If you enjoyed reading 5 Reasons to do a Bridal Session, you may want to check out another FYI Friday here!

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