Morning wedding prep

Opinion differs between a lot of couples these days. For some, its a bit old fashioned and just something we do because our parents did it. For many others its a beautiful, intimate part of the day spent with family and your closest friends. 

Below I’ll talk through a few ways and things to think about to get the most out of your prep photos and crucially how to get what you want from them.

What do you want?

There are a lot of elements to traditional “prep” photos. Finishing touches of hair and make up, putting on the dress, dress reveal to bridesmaids, having a whisky together, matching pyjamas on the bed, first look with your partner, first look with parents, details of jewellery, stationary, cufflinks, shoes.

What does wedding prep mean to you? To get the best out of these photos, its so important you think about what parts of your morning mean the most to you. It is also absolutely fine not to know - communicate that with your photographer and they’ll make sure they try to capture everything.

Timings

Failing to plan is planning to fail. Sorry, I sound like my A-Level history teacher. But the message still stands. Liaising and speaking to your hair & make up artists to find out timings for who will be having make up and hair done and when means its easier to coordinate other elements of the morning like first looks, or for your photographer to switch to your partners prep location. 

Similarly, if you would like some nice portraits of you with your hair & make-up finished - make sure to allow time for this.

Additionally, think about where you are both getting ready. Is it in the same place? If not, you’re probably going to need a second photographer (and if you’re not going to have a second photographer, deciding on priorities as to who’s prep you would like covered is vital).

Spaces

The space you get ready in is key to a calm and easy morning. Where will prep be? Is it at your venue? Have you seen the room? Is it big enough for how many people you’ll have with you? How bright is it? 

If you’re not getting ready at the venue, I sometimes recommend an AirBnB rather than a hotel. The reason for this is most AirBnB’s will be built for people to live in, they’re homes. This generally means they tend to be airier, brighter and better designed for people moving around them. You know exactly what the space you’re getting is. Hotels are often designed to squeeze as many rooms for as many different customers as possible. Small windows, dingy lighting (designed for people sleeping or close to sleeping) and you can’t always guarantee which room or where in the hotel it will be. (This isn’t always the case though, I have covered prep in some absolutely beautiful hotel suites too!)

The other aspect is keeping the space clear. Now this is a divisive point. Some photographers say keeping everything tidy is so important or it’ll ruin photos. But for some, bottles of Prosecco strewn across the floor or Sainsbury’s bags with all your most important possessions around the place is just what reality is. That is what your morning was like - you don’t have to pretend otherwise if you’re not bothered. The key here, is you do what you want to do. (Oh and if you do want it kept clean and tidy, make sure to delegate that task to a friend!)

Finally, and this is probably the most important part - natural light and big windows are your friend. Your make up artist will thank you and so will your photographer!