Bridal sessions are some of my favorites! The trend has taken over in the past few years, especially in the south. I love that brides can spend more time in their dream wedding dress and have those photos forever. If you’re thinking about a bridal session, read on!

Bridals Meaning

Bridals are photo sessions dedicated entirely to the bride and the wedding dress. Bridal session duration depends on your photographer and the package you choose. Generally, one to two hours will be spent actually shooting with your photographer. You should plan on coordinating with your hair and makeup team as well as your florist to ensure you have everything in line for your bridal session. I recommend having a good idea of what your vision is at least three weeks before your bridal session so you can get your bridal photos looking pretty close to how you’ll look on your wedding day.

Here are some undeniable reasons brides should invest in bridal sessions!

1. You will have twice the photos of you in your dress as you would on your wedding day. Think about how much you love your dress and how great it would be to spend an extra couple of hours in it. If you’re anything like me, you’d sleep in your dress because you love it so much.
2. This is a chance to trial hair and makeup, and any other things that need to be tested. For me, I ended up buying two different dresses and couldn’t decide which one to wear for the ceremony. The photos helped me decide that. Even the smallest things like your lip color or whether or not to wear a necklace can be obvious after your bridals photos.
3. Bridal photos are a chance to get more comfortable in your dress and in front of the camera. Your photographer will help you pose in ways that are flattering to your body (yes, even my girls with a little extra fluff!). Have you ever had someone take a picture of you on a phone? If yes, then you most likely have said “lemme see” and then requested a few more in other poses you feel more comfortable and confident in. This is what bridal sessions do for you! It’s a chance to have a relaxed experience with your photographer where you can see what adjustments you’d like to make, like standing up a little taller or pushing a hip out a little more. Then, on wedding day, you’re a posing PRO!
4. Bridals photography can be an amazing feature in your wedding, and then your home! I can almost guarantee your future spouse will LOVE having a big canvas print, or even an album, of just you in your wedding dress.

Bridals Photography – Choosing Your Photographer

Usually, your wedding photographer will be the one doing your bridals photography. For some people, bridals photos are more important than the actual wedding photos! If you’re prioritizing your bridal session, here are some tips on finding the best photographer:

1. Find someone who knows about great locations in your area. A location can make or break bridals photos.
2. Bridals photography is very different than wedding photography because it’s less of an event and more of a portrait setting. Ask your photographer if you can see some examples of their work with bridals photography.
3. Your bridal photographer should know how to pose you in flattering ways. Search their portfolio for different body types and pay attention to how the photographer may pose differently based on their type. The last thing you want is a photographer who has only ever worked with one body type and it’s not yours!
4. You should decide on whether you want a studio bridal session or one with natural light outdoors. This should heavily influence who your photographer is. IMO, every wedding photographer should be solid inside and outside, no matter what the light is like. But, we don’t live in a perfect world. Make sure you look at examples of their work based on what setting you’d prefer.
5. Finally, if you have insecurities about your skin (ME), make sure your photographer is well-versed in editing photos. Study their images in high-resolution if you can to see if they are softening skin in their editing process.

Bridal Session – Do or Don’t?

It’s ultimately up to YOU! My mantra is it’s better to be safe than sorry. I would rather wayyy overdo it than underdo it any day! If you’re on the fence about it, I say go for it! I don’t think you’d ever regret it. The ONLY con I can think of is that there is a risk your dress could need to be cleaned after a bridal session. If you’re worried about this, think about opting for a studio or indoor bridal session rather than outdoors (especially if you live in dusty ole’ West Texas like me). If you’re worried about your future spouse sneaking a peek before wedding day, have your photographer send a private gallery or wait until after the wedding!

Cute Ideas for Your Bridal Session

This bride requested that I show her bridals photos to her spouse after their wedding and in person! I was so stoked because I got to see his reaction to them, and lemme tell ya, it was one of the sweetest things I’ve ever seen. I see bridal sessions as a gift to your future spouse AND to yourself. You can incorporate sweet things to honor your relationship. Like April met her husband a little later in life after facing some struggles. I chose to capture her tattoo that says “This too shall pass” because her new husband signifies that the struggles have passed!

If you and your fiancé have a special item between you two, talk to your photographer about incorporating it into your photos.

Another favorite of mine is getting some good memories from the couple before the bridal session and prompting the bride with little tidbits of their favorite memories together to get an authentic emotion on camera.

My all-time favorite is bringing your dog! A lot of venues won’t allow pets and if you’re like me, you want to include your dog in everything you do. If you can’t take your best pal to your wedding day, bring the fur ball to the bridal session so you two can still have your moment!

As always, happy planning!

XO, Kensey

See a full bridal gallery here

If you’re looking for bridals photography, send me a message any time! I’ll give you all the tips even if I’m not your photographer!