What are bridal sessions? If you already know, your cynical side is probably saying "just another way for wedding photographers to charge more money," (lol) but for those of you who don't (we actually met with a bride yesterday who wasn't sure), they are amazing and for a few good reasons!
One of the reasons we are fans of bridal sessions is it gives us and the bride another opportunity to further build more comfort when working together. As we've stressed before in other articles, comfort is key when it comes to your photos showing genuine emotion and we certainly don't want that emotion to be nervousness or awkwardness. A 1-2 hour bridal session can allow a bride to get used to the way a photographer/photographers will operate and can help build better communication and expectations amongst everyone.
It also gives the bride an idea of how long it will take to get ready. Between hair, make up, veil, slip, shoes, garter, & the dress itself, this will give you a good idea of how long it will likely take on your big day. Nothing like a test run to iron out the kinks especially if your schedule is tight! Getting even more into the details of preparation, this will also allow you to better decide how you want to wear your hair & make up on the day of your wedding.
Lastly bridal sessions help highlight the bride in all of her uniqueness and beauty. If we said what's the first image that comes to mind if we said the word "wedding", it would likely be a beautiful image of a bride! This is a perfect time to get some contemporary styled photos in which you can take your time finding and setting up beautiful backdrops. Patiently adjust subtle details in order to capture different feelings and looks and take the time to make it about you without feeling the stress and time constraints of your wedding day. Which is another benefit because if you are able to capture most (if not all) the individual images you seek during a bridal session, it allows more time for you to enjoy your wedding without having to make as much time for certain photos. This means more time with your friends, more time on the dance floor with your handsome new hubby, and more time to take it all in without getting caught up in the rush of a wedding day, especially if you don't plan to have a very long ceremony & reception, the last thing you want is to go through is the mental stress of spending more time with family & friends vs spending more time capturing photos, but hey! with a bridal session, you already have a good portion of them done!
We certainly love the chance to pull out our cameras and shoot portraits any chance we get but bridal sessions are truly unique. In addition to the benefits mentioned above, it also allows the option for a bride to get out in her dress and get some photos in a area that might be different than her actual venue. Scenic wedding in the mountains? Consider doing your bridals somewhere like a rustic barn or in an urban setting to mix it up! You've no doubt sacrificed time and effort preparing for your big day, now take a little time and pamper yourself with a couple hours where you don't have to stress about caterers, timelines, and invites. Let the stress of the world fade away, and let the focus be on you, and only you.
(Pictured in this blog, the lovely Jordan during her bridal session at the Olivette near downtown Asheville, NC http://olivettenc.com)