Bridal Portraits | The Photography Shack

Bridal portraits can be done on the day of the wedding, or if there are time restrictions, a few days before the wedding day.

The bridal portraits are usually shot on location at the bridal house. A selection of bridal portraits may be arranged prior to the day of the shoot. This can be achieved by appointment with the photographer, the bride and groom advise on the type of bridal portraits needed to meet their requirements.

If the need is for a studio shoot or use of extra equipment, then the photographer will advise of the extra costs. There may be a need to do the bridal portraits on a day other than the wedding day. If this is the case, then an arrangement is made to shoot the bridal portraits prior to the wedding.

My Own Wedding

One thing I skipped when I got married was the appointment for bridal portraits. Though I thought they might have been very neat to have, I decided that I really didn’t want to get dressed up in my wedding dress and pay to have my hair done before my wedding, only to have to do it all over again for the actual event.

I know these are important to some women, but for me, it not only saved money to skip them, it wasn’t something that I felt I needed to do.

For some reason, I wanted to be dressed up in my dress and looking wonderful on my wedding day only. I thought it would not be as special the second time.

I was right. I would not have felt as good if I had put my dress on for bridal portraits before the wedding day, and I certainly didn’t feel like doing it after the fact.

All Wedding Photos On Day Of Wedding

Instead, I did all the photos I wanted on the day and left it that way. I do understand why many want to do the bridal portraits, and I can also understand why this is an advantage to some.

They don’t feel stressed or rushed, and they don’t have guests waiting around for them to finish on their wedding day. It does reduce the amount of time spent with the photographer after the ceremony, and I can’t think of one wedding guest that would not love that.

Meeting Parental Expectations

For some though, the bridal portraits odyssey becomes more important than the wedding day. This happened to a friend of mine. She is a wonderful girl, but she is somewhat hung up on what her parents expect of her.

They wanted a very large portrait to hang in their home, and that was that. She could have done it on the wedding day, but she had to keep the photos down as much as she could.

She made the appointment for her bridal portraits and said she had a good time doing them, but she also said she felt it took away from the wedding day a bit for her.

The important thing is to make the experience what the couples dreams it to be, and not to be hung up on what others think is right. If a bride thinks it might take away from how she feels on her big day, they could be shot on the day.

My Professional Wedding Photography

Most of my wedding portraits I have shot on the day of the wedding. There have been rare circumstances when the outdoor shots could not be done ie it was pouring rain, and the bride has come back later and did those shots a few weeks after their honeymoon.

The person viewing the images, does not know when the portraits are shot, so it does not really matter if they are shot on the wedding day, or a few days earlier or after the honeymoon.

Bridal Portraits on The Wedding Day

Bridal portraits can be done on the day of the wedding. You do not need a separate day just for the portraits. Unless there are specific requirements, which require extra preparation, equipment and time, then there will be a separate day set up to shoot the portraits. Otherwise most bridal portraits can be shot on the day of the wedding.

The bridal portraits can be shot in a studio or on location at the bridal house. Most often it is done at the bridal house and usually the images of the bride and the bridesmaids are included.