The Dress in Action: Bridal Pictures

Warning: tons of pictures of me coming up.  There's really no other way to do a bridal picture post, though, right? Forgive me for looking like a self-absorbed princess. 

You know the story with wedding dresses and the regret, right?  It seems like no matter how happy with your dress you are, how beautiful you feel in the store, or how perfect that dress is, some kind of doubt starts creeping up.  I love my dress, and I never had any full blown dress regret, but in the months of waiting for my dress to come in, and waiting until the time came to do alterations, I did have some moments where I wondered if the dress was the right one.  I completely believe that most of those problems stem from the cruddy pictures we have in dressing rooms and bridal salons.  The lighting is bad, the dresses aren't the right size or are unaltered, you're standing on a pedestal and the person taking the photo might be sitting down causing all kinds of double chins, and you aren't done up in hair and makeup!  What's my point?

The biggest cure for any dress regret - bridal pictures!

All photos via Eau Claire Photographics

I spoke about this Southern tradition before and mentioned that I was taking them at the plantation in my hometown.  Ormond Plantation isn't the biggest or grandest plantation, but they were an absolute pleasure to work with!  We could go anywhere for the pictures, they didn't impose a time limit on us, and we were really able to get creative and take advantage of the beautiful weather and lighting.  I'd highly recommend a location where you have flexibility over one that is really pretty but you get hustled out after 45 minutes.  A good photographer can make any location look pretty!

Okay, so it didn't hurt that we had a gorgeous day with beautiful lighting to play with. 

I also loved being able to work with my photographers, since we didn't use them for our engagement pictures.  Sure, Sphinx's first time with them was on the wedding day, but he became a pro after e-pics and just rolled with it. : ) Sandra and Sam were so great to work with, and they were really dedicated to capturing all the shots I wanted.  Two weeks later, I had a link to my proofs - 150 different shots, each saved in color and black and white!  

Everything I know, I learned from Tyra. 

If you're curious, I took my pictures about a month and a half before the wedding day.  My dress was finished alterations, and I wanted enough time to get a canvas printed of these pictures for the wedding reception.  I took them right before my Vegas bachelorette, so that I could eat and drink as much as I wanted there.  Priorities, you know?

Wind in the veil, be still my heart.

I know it's not the norm everywhere, but if you're on the fence about bridal pictures, here's my breakdown of pro's and con's.

Pro:

• Dress rehearsal.  I was able to trial run my undergarments, veil, shoes, and dress, to see how they all worked together and if anything needed to be adjusted.  My mom ended up sewing in a little hook and eye into the top of the dress so that it was a bit tighter for the wedding day, which was perfect.  I also know someone who did bridals and realized they hated how their hair looked pulled up with the dress, and wore it down on the wedding day.  You never know what will pop up, and it's nice to have the time to fix it!
• Work that dress.  I was so comfortable in my dress on the day of, because I'd already had several hours of practice with it.  People kept trying to help me walk around or go up stairs, but I was good because I was used to the heels and the train.  
• Solo pics - check!  We didn't have to dedicate much time at all to pictures of just me on the wedding day, because we knew that we had good ones already.
• Get to know the photographer.  Which we've discussed.  It helped for the day of to be comfortable with both of them, to understand how they work and each others' personalities, and to get comfortable posing. 

The picture displayed at the front of the reception.

• Blow it up.  A picture, that is.  I printed a big canvas (from Canvas on Demand with a groupon)  which was placed at the entrance table to the Board of Trade.  I wanted to choose one that showed off my train and long veil, since I was bustling and removing the long piece for the reception.  

My mom also printed this one, since it was everyone's favorite.  We put it on the table with the family photos.

Con's:

• Coordinating.  I talked about how hard it was to find a venue available on a date that was good for the photographer and me, but I also had to figure out the hair and makeup.  My makeup artist lives a bit out of town, and the hair stylist wasn't available.  So I had a friend put my hair up based on pictures of the trial, and I did my own makeup.  I think it turned out great, but the wind and veil wreaked havoc on my updo!  At least I was able to tell my day-of stylist to lock that hair down for the wedding (and she did).  
• Price.  In my case, my photographer offered an engagement or bridal session.  If we had not gone to Disney World for our engagement pics, I would have picked e-pics with Sandra.  But then I would have had to pay extra for bridal pics or skipped them.  You also have to consider the cost of using a venue, hair, makeup, and flowers.  My florist just pulled together something simple for me, but it was still an extra cost.

The "L" ring was my Maw Maw's, passed down to me as the next "L" in the family.  I didn't wear it on the wedding day, but it was the perfect accessory for pictures.

• Risky. You run the risk of getting the dress, veil, or shoes dirty or torn before the wedding day.  The underside of my dress was dirty, but it wasn't bad enough to necessitate cleaning before the wedding day.  Just be careful, and take your time getting around.

Twirling in the grass could have been hazardous to my dress's health.  Also - great shot of the buttons we added to the dress, to match the bolero. 

I would say, if you're considering doing them, just do it!  My family members really like having these pictures, and it was really fun to get comfortable taking pictures in the wedding dress.  Especially if you're planning to DIY makeup, hair, or flowers, this is a great opportunity to try it out and see how it photographs.

Love.my.CHOOS.

The biggest con - what the heck am I going to do with 150 pictures of myself?  Down the road, I think I'll be really happy to have these pictures.  For now, I'll just share them with the Bee!  If you'll humor me a little longer, I've got to share a few more of my favorite shots.

Veil snuggles.  A favorite activity.

Eat your heart out, Katie Scarlet O'Hara.

It was about this point that I was starting to loosen up and have some fun.

Okay, maybe a bit too much fun. 

The greenery outside was so vibrant that day.

The veil that wouldn't quit.  

 Since I've seen what my photographers were able to do with these pictures, I'm beyond excited and ready to see what they captured on the wedding day!

Are you doing bridal portraits? Did you find them helpful to subdue any dress doubts or trial run your wardrobe?  Would it be weird if I wore this veil out to parties in the future? It's my favorite accessory.