Bridal sessions are a real old-school, southern tradition. According to The Bride Link, prior to WW II, “it was not common to have a photographer at the actual wedding so brides would schedule a session prior to the event. These portrait sessions were often taken in a photographer’s studio and would find their place on the mantle in her parent’s home after the wedding.”
So that’s the history, and southern girls still frequently schedule bridal sessions and display the portrait at the wedding.
Northern Virginia being not-really-the-south, I’d not done a bridal session until recently and have to say I am now obsessed! Even if you don’t want to display a portrait at the wedding, what a great chance to do a true trial run to make sure you love everything about the dress/hair/makeup/jewelery! PLUS it frees up time on your wedding day timeline because detail shots and your portraits are done! Often I only get a few minutes just with the bride, so this is a way for her to get a larger variety of images.
Michelle scheduled a bridal session in March, prior to her May wedding. She chose Bishop’s Garden at National Cathedral, because that’s actually where David proposed. I’m SO glad we did this session. It actually rained on Michelle’s wedding day, so she has a much wider variety of bridal portraits than we would have otherwise been able to capture.
Are you planning a wedding? Get in touch and let’s talk about your vision!
