When I meet with wedding clients, I always ask if they would like an engagement session or a bridal session.  Most everyone quickly says “yes!” to an engagement session and frowns and asks me what a bridal session is.  Bridal sessions used to be something that every bride did.  They got dressed, had their hair & make-up done, ordered flowers and showed up at a professional photographer’s studio for their bridal portrait.  They would then display their canvas or large framed print at the wedding reception so that their guests could see their dress and admire their beauty without the bride standing in front of them.  Then, usually, the parents-of-the-bride would hang the finished portrait in their home after the wedding.
When I began in the business 11 years ago, everyone was still getting a bridal session, but they were breaking the rules and shooting them outside!  Can you believe it?  They were taking the chance of getting “something” on their dresses!  NO!!  As the years past, I noticed a trend in shooting less bridal sessions.  Brides felt uncomfortable with the thought of having a whole session dedicated to just themselves.

Today, I think bridal sessions are back.  I think they’re great fun and a great learning experience for a bride to have a session all by herself.  It gives her the opportunity to see how well her dress fits, how quickly she can move, works the kinks out of shoes and under-garments and gives you an idea of how much you’ll like your hair & make-up in photos.  It’s great practice and it’s a ton of fun!

I had the honor of photographing one of my June brides last weekend and we had a ball!  I wish I could share the whole session, but we want to keep things under wraps until after her wedding, but here’s a awesome shot of her bouquet, made by Ever Thine Vintage Rentals + Event Design.