The big day has arrived and you’re in getting ready mode for your wedding day! Your photographer arrives and the photos get started.  As a wedding photographer, there are some things to think about and prepare beforehand to make sure you have the best photo experience while getting ready. In today’s blog I’m sharing my top 5 tips for great wedding getting ready photos!

1. Organize items for wedding detail photos.

For easy access for your photographer, I always recommend gathering all of your wedding detail items and putting them together in a box, tote, or in a designated area. I don’t want to miss out on photographing any important details, so gathering everything together beforehand will help. 

Here is a list of items you might want to include for wedding detail photos:

• Invitation suite
• Rings (ALL the rings!) It’s so convenient if they are all in one place!
• Ring Box
• Jewelry (earrings, necklace, bracelet, etc.)
• Shoes
• Watch
• Perfume or cologne
• Tie/Bowtie 
• Cufflinks
• Boutineer 
• Vow book
• Letters 
• Special, unique items or family heirlooms.
• Nice hanger for wedding dress

Bonus Tip!

Make sure one of your bridesmaids or a family member also knows where your wedding details are! Just in case your photographer arrives and you’re in the middle of hair and makeup, someone else can find it or show it to your photographer! 

I have more tips on how to prepare your wedding details in this blog post! 

2. Try to keep the getting ready space tidy.

This one is HARD! It becomes even more difficult with large groups getting ready together, but it’s not impossible! Let everyone know to *attempt* to keep their things mostly contained to a certain room or areas of the room where the main bulk of getting ready (hair/makeup/getting dressed) is not happening.

You can’t really predict where your photographer will want to do robe and champagne photos or have you put on your dress. It’ll likely be in the areas of the room that get the most light from windows and have a nice background. Regardless, attempting to keep things tidy will help everyone stay organized with their things and will make it easier to clear off spaces or move things around for photos.

3. When should your photographer arrive?

As a photographer, I typically recommend that I show up an hour to an hour and a half before hair and makeup is scheduled to be finished. This is a great amount of time to photograph the details, the final touches of makeup and hair being finished, attire being put on, etc! With bigger groups, more time might be necessary, with more people to photograph! 

Trust me you’ll need more time than you think! This is an area that I’m always happy to provide guidance on for my couples to make sure we design a timeline to capture what’s important to them.  

Bonus Tip!

What if you want photos of your partner getting ready too? If you want photos of your partner getting ready then it’s best if they’re getting ready in the same location/hotel. You’ll still need to add-in time to the timeline for those photos-usually 30 minutes is plenty! If your partner is getting ready at a different location then talk with your photographer about the logistics and this is where a second photographer could come in handy!

4. Plan for Getting Ready Group Photos

If there are any specific photos with your bridal party you want to do while getting ready, it’s important to think of those ahead of time and to make sure they are added to the timeline. The two most common group photos during getting ready are: 

• PJ/Robe and champagne toast photos.
• First look with bridal party once you’re dressed and everyone else is dressed.  

Bonus Tip!

Also, think about who you want helping you get dressed because they will need to be dressed and need to know this ahead of time! They likely need to plan to bring their wedding attire to the getting ready room too unless they are staying nearby. Trust me, it looks best if everyone who is helping you get zipped into your dress is also dressed! 

5. Set aside 15 minutes for fun getting ready portraits!

If you’re hoping for fun, creative photos either before or after you’re dressed, set aside about 15 minutes to do some portraits with your photographer! These can be romantic photos admiring your dress/details or something fun involving a bathrobe, bath tub and a bottle of champagne! This could also be designated time for bridal portraits before heading off to a first look or going to the venue. 

Hopefully, these tips give you some ideas on how you can best prepare for the getting ready photos on your wedding day!

Las Vegas Wedding Photography 

I’m an elopement and wedding photographer based in Las Vegas! I would love to be a part of your dream day, so head to my contact page to get in touch!