What the heck are bridals and why do them?

You’ve got the fiance, the date and the ring, so now you’re headed into the thick of wedding planning. As you map out your big day, you know that you’ve got to make time for the first dance, cake cutting and of course, your exciting exit. There’s so much to think about when you look at the wedding timeline, but have you thought about bridals?

Bridals are those beautiful photos of just the bride and groom which are often the most used images following your wedding. Of course your photographer will be snapping photos of you guys the entire day, but once the wedding kicks off, a lot of those images will include your family, friends and bridal party throughout the celebration.

Taking bridals focuses on solely the couple and gives the photographer time to grab a mix of both posed and candid images consisting of just the newlyweds. As I go about working with my couples to create their wedding timeline, I always try to include at least 45 minutes for bridal images. Whether you schedule these photos for the day of or for even a few weeks before the actual wedding day, this is sometimes my favorite part of photographing weddings because I can see them relax and just bask in the moment of “holy cow, we’re getting married.”

The light in each of their eyes, the calmness of being in presence of their lover - it’s enough to give Nicholas Sparks a run for his money. Not only is the couple left with a little pocket of peace on a day that can feel overwhelming, but also gorgeous images to remind them for years to come of the commitment they made to each other.

And of course, great photos for Instagram once that anniversary rolls around.