Here are a few things that will help the time before your ceremony be more meaningful and help the quality of the photos.

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Intentional Spaces

Be intentional when selecting your getting-ready spaces, as they can set the tone for the entire day. Since preparation images contribute significantly to your wedding day narrative, carefully choose the location. Opt for a place with style and character that aligns with your wedding's aesthetic. Look for a space that is well-lit, spacious, and exudes a bright atmosphere. Choosing to get ready at your family home adds a personal touch, with everything around being meaningful to you. However if this is your chosen location, ensure that the house or the specific room(s) is as neat and clutter-free as possible.

This ensures that the focus of the photographs remains on you, without distractions from other objects in the surroundings. Alternatively, think about booking a nice apartment or house, there are a lot of great options on AirBNB. Make sure it’s only the people that need to be there present; bride, bridesmaids and parents for example. It can become chaotic otherwise. It’s a good idea to use one room to store all your bags etc and have another room to get dressed in. Note: hotel rooms can have poor lighting making it more difficult to capture really beautiful images. If possible, having the boys and girls getting ready locations close by is a huge plus for photos. I won’t be spending valuable time driving between locations unless you’ve booked a second photographer. Note: Allow 1.5 hours between hair and makeup finishing and the time you want to leave for the ceremony.

Tidy Spaces

Keep spaces clear of clutter as much as you can. I will help with this, but if you can have a designated “tidy area” near a window space where you do your getting ready photos, this will make for much better photos focused on the moment rather than the bright plastic shopping bag in the corner.

Good light

Try and get ready near a window with natural light coming in, make-up artists usually gravitate towards this spot anyway which is why it’s ideal that they have left prior to me arriving. It is much prettier for details and your skin than yellow overhead lighting. Keep indoor lights off during getting ready photos so you don’t get mixed colours in your photos (don’t worry, I’ll switch them off if you forget).

Accessories

Bring a nice hanger for your dress. It can be as simple as a wooden one, it doesn’t have to be anything fancy but it’ll look better than a plastic or wire one.

Seeing each other the day of

Not bothered about the tradition of not seeing each other on your day until the ceremony? Spend your morning together. Go on a walk, grab coffee at your favourite cafe, make pancakes and eggs together at home in your sweats, snuggle your dog/cat and have brunch in bed, help one another get ready. Do whatever it is that will make you enjoy your day more and make it more “you”. I love photographing mornings like this, it’s so raw, authentic and utterly beautiful capturing you both as a couple, natural and relaxed.