Bridal sessions

Bridal sessions are photo sessions in which brides pose for the camera in her wedding gown before the wedding day. I’ve never had a bride ask for one in my several years of doing wedding photography.

I recently took part in a wedding photography workshop led by a Dallas photographer. He showed several photos from bridal sessions during his PowerPoint presentation and referred often to “bridal sessions.”

So I started asking questions: Who does bridal sessions? How many does he do? Aren’t brides worried about getting their dresses dirty before the wedding?

He explained that many brides want these sessions and he does several. And brides are not worried about getting dresses dirty and don’t get them dirty.

He also said bridal sessions are common in the south. I’m from Nebraska and it seems like bridal sessions just don’t happen here. I can’t say they never happen, but I’m assuming they are pretty uncommon.

Reasons to consider bridal sessions

That’s unfortunate. I love photographing brides and I think bridal sessions are great ideas. Here’s why:

1. Photographers are busy at the wedding and don’t have a lot of time to do individual portraits. Bridal portraits are among the most important photos to shoot, but sometimes they just don’t happen, or not many of them are taken.

2. Scheduling a photo session before the wedding gives the photographer plenty of time to get some great shots of the brides. That’s important. Bridal portraits are one of the most common type of portraits that get hung on the wall.

3. Taking bridal portraits ahead of time will give the photographer more time to shoot other photos on the actual wedding day, particularly bride and groom portraits.

4. Bridal sessions give the bride more opportunity to get to know and bond with the photographer who will spend a lot of time with her on the wedding day.

5. Bridal sessions will allow the bride to become more comfortable in front of the camera before the wedding.

Any worry about getting a dress dirty I believe is unwarranted. The bride can be careful while wearing the dress and she will likely have it on an hour or less.

I encourage brides to consider a pre-wedding photo session. It may not be common in Nebraska, but I think it’s a great idea.