getting ready. it’s one of my favorite parts of a wedding day. there is so much anticapation surrounding this big day and the unspoken knowledge that “it’s finally here” fills the room. lots of giggling and popping open bottles of champagne and you can just FEEL the excitement in the air.

how smoothly the “getting ready” goes can be a precursor to how the timeline for the rest of the day will go. not only do i know this because of the many many weddings i have shot, but also from personal experience from my own wedding day. the problem is, you plan your wedding day once- so brides really have no experience to base their decisions on. there is no overall knowledge for what works and what doesn’t. you can ask friend’s opinions, but again, most likely they have only planned a wedding once.

so this is where we come in- your vendors! if there is one piece of advice you take from this blog post it’s to check with your vendors and trust their opinions. they are doing this EVERY weekend. for all sorts of weddings, and all types of brides. sometimes you may hear things you don’t want to…such as 30 minutes will probably NOT be enough time to shoot your entire family, grandparents, bridal party, and bride and groom portraits and still have enough time to drive 45 minutes to the reception where i will get the entire exterior and interior of the venue, cocktail hour, and the cute family dog. i don’t care how good of a photographer you are- some things just don’t work. i promise your vendors are not trying to ruin your wedding day when they tell you these things! they are being honest so that you can make the best decision possible with the knowledge that you have.

so with this in mind, i figured i would give you some of the advice i give my own brides (hi girls!! :) ) for the beginning of the day:: getting ready

1- always exepect things to take longer than anticipated. this includes hair, makeup, lunch, driving time…etc…i would say only about 1 % of the weddings i have shot have actually been 100% on time.

2- get ready in a room with lots and lots of natural light. big windows with beautiful sunlight shining in make for stunning getting ready photos.

3- if there is room in the budget, get your hair and makeup done. it just makes it more fun and stress-free. plus typically your hair and makeup will last longer if you get it done professionally.

4- in general, the less you are driving from one location to the next, the more relaxed the beginning of the day. this goes with everything takes longer than you expect. the less variables for things to fall behind (such as trying to get 8 bridesmaids in the limo all at the same time without any of them forgetting their purse, lipstick, or etc) the better of you will be.

5- if you are considering wearing fake eyelashes, all i can say is they look awesome in photographs :)

6- have your maid of honor have all the important keepsakes you want photographed in one location so your photographer doesn’t have to waste any time tracking these things down, and instead can have more time photographing the fun going on (dress, garter, shoes, jewelry, hankerchief…etc…)

that’s all for now. again, these are just my personal opinions from my own experiences. and of course sometimes all these things just aren’t possible- but i hope that at least this helps some of you out there who aren’t sure what to do with your timeline. and again, i can’t stress enough- if you aren’t sure- just ask your vendors! i love it when brides consult me on their timelines. it ensures that we are all on the same page and everyones expectations are in line.

so…here are some of my favorite getting ready moments.