Decisions, decisions and more decisions!
It can feel like you have a million and a half decisions to make leading up to your wedding day. Choosing the “getting ready” location can often take a back seat to deciding on the band, decor, flowers and basically everything else. I encourage you to take a little bit of time and really think about your location though!
To help you decide I have put together a few key things you should keep in mind when deciding on a location, whether it be your childhood home, a hotel or even a B&B that you have rented for the morning. Make sure to check out one of my favorite blog posts that was totally dedicated to the morning of a beautiful wedding!
ENOUGH SPACE
This should be big factor when deciding where you should be getting ready, especially if your hair and makeup team is coming to your location (which I highly suggest). The morning of your wedding you may have close family members, the bridal party and additional friends with you while you are getting ready.
All of these people are going to bring their dresses, shoes, accessories and makeup with them. Having space for your friends and family to get ready as well is really important for the morning not to feel chaotic, which leads to a more relaxed experience for everyone!
Suzy rented a B&B home for the morning of her wedding with a terrace overlooking the Hudson Valley that the girls loved getting ready on!
NATURAL LIGHT
For beautiful getting ready and detail shots this one is so important! Having large windows or sliding doors where you are getting ready allows us to have natural looking portraits and details shots. Can beautiful photos be made without natural light – of course, but having ample natural light gives us so many options to create amazing photographs.
The morning of Kelly’s wedding we had crazy thunderstorms roll in, but we were able to take beautiful portraits and detail shots inside. This was possible because in the dining room there was a large sliding glass door that we took full advantage of!
ROOM DECOR
Take a look at what the room looks like as well. Light/white ceilings and walls are basically big reflectors that help spread the beautiful natural light around. So if you can have natural light plus a white ceiling that is a huge bonus for the getting ready room.
Also being aware of the decor is something to think about. Less is more when in comes to decorations, so if you have a choice opt for the room without floral wall paper.
Could these robes be any cuter that Rebecca and her bridesmaids wore? This room had limited natural light but we were able to take this super cute picture because the ceiling was white! This enables me to bounce the flash without producing a strange color cast!
LOCATION
The fewer locations that you have to travel between on your wedding day the better! And if you are traveling between locations try to have them close together. A beautiful getting ready location can loose it’s luster the day of your wedding if it is 45 minutes away from your ceremony site.
If your ceremony/reception venue has a suite or large getting ready room that can be a bonus, especially if it is part of the package they offer.
I hope this helps you decide on the perfect location for beautiful photographs the day of your wedding!
Sarah was able to have a low stress morning the day of her wedding at the Whiteface Lodge by planning well. The spa at the resort did a beautiful job with her hair and makeup and it took the stress of traveling to different location away since they were staying at the Whiteface Lodge as well.
Want to see more from Sarah and Matt’s low key family centered wedding at the Whiteface Lodge? Check out their wedding day BLOG POST for more photos! If you are interested in learning more about how I photograph weddings and to check availability please contact me!