Bridal Portraits Worth Fighting Over

Written by Gregory Byerline on August 5, 2011 at 6:25 pm

Today's post is from one of my fave Nashville photographers, who also happens to be a great friend. Gregory and I met while working on a wedding together in late 2007. Shortly after I hired him for some personal work of mine and have been recommending him to brides ever since. His talent, keen eye, fun attitude and true passion for photography makes him a shoe-in. Really - he's incredible!

So without further ado, a word from Gregory about your Bridal Portraits:

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It’s no secret that bridal portraits top my list of favorite types of shoots, for many reasons. First, it’s an opportunity for a bride to be pampered at a magazine-level custom photo shoot with professional hair & make-up, a chance that a majority of women have yet to experience first-hand.

Secondly, it’s a time to make the most important portrait of your life, a timeless and elegant photograph showing your own unique and innate beauty. In a woman’s life, there are key milestones that are photographed and shared with family and friends…Newborn, then 3–5 sessions during your first year of life, then preschool, then kindergarten, then key birthdays, then annual family portrait, then “nothing” for a few years during those awkward years perhaps, then high school senior portraits. Then what? College graduation? Maybe, but there isn’t typically a fashionable hullabaloo over the square, flat cap with a mini curtain tassel and a boxy, drapery graduation gown that makes you look like a raisin and hides your favorite dress.

The next major milestone in the life of a young woman is…your wedding day! The day you’ve been dreaming of since you were a little girl. The day you marry your Prince Charming. The day all eyes are on you at your most radiant and glamorous. A bride in her wedding dress is the pinnacle of style and elegance. You’ve spent thousands of dollars on a one-event dress. You’ve ramped up your exercise and fitness regimen to achieve your desired figure. You’ve selected fine jewelry and sexy shoes to properly accessorize. You may have even selected a diamond-studded tiara. Tell me another time in your life when you will go to all of that “trouble” for one day.

A bridal portrait session is another opportunity to wear your dress and jewels and sexy shoes and pamper yourself to create the most important portrait of your life. This is the portrait your grandchildren will fight over. I tweeted about this a couple weeks ago after wrapping a super-elegant bridal portrait session with a bride who values all of this already, and it’s been on my mind ever since. Some of the replies I received to that tweet included “As someone who is fighting over my grandma’s, I AGREE!” and “So true. Didn’t feel I could afford it. [I] wish now I could’ve put the sitting on my bridal registry. Ideas 11 years to late.” And, of course my favorite one, “I LOVE MINE!” from one of my 2011 brides. Mission accomplished.

Then today I heard an interview on NPR’s “All Things Considered” show that shared the same sentiment. Anne Barge, a wedding gown designer for 20+ years with her own lineas well as designs in the Bagdley Mischka line, said “It’s the dress of your life, and if there is ever one picture your [descendants] have of you it’s the one in your wedding dress.”

So, yeah. What she said!

Include a bridal portrait session in your marriage celebration plans. Book the right photographer who will capture you at your most elegant and glamorous while still portraying You, At Your Best. Even if your style leans away from jewels and tiaras and leans toward cowboy boots and no-veil, the heirloom print will still be something your grandchildren will love to have, but they can’t fight over your photo if that photo is never made.

Waltz through these bridal portraits (link here) to see what recent brides now have in their homes for generations to enjoy. See more at WedCandy.com as well.

I’m passionate about making modern and elegant bridal portraits, and I’ll close with some thoughts on my approach to bridal portraits and why they matter in this short video produced by my friend Mark Brown of Mod Media. Cheers to you.

http://vimeo.com/17626664

“A bride in her wedding dress is the pinnacle of style and elegance. This is the time to make the most important portrait of your life, a timeless and elegant photograph showing your own unique and innate beauty. You deserve a magazine-quality portrait masterfully created as if you were the model in that magazine. And that’s what I love to do.”

As a side note, I also highly recommend bridal portraits for a few more reasons:

You learn your dress. You have stress-free hours to learn how it feels, how it moves, how to sit/stand/walk/look breathtaking in your dress!
Learning all of that on a day besides your wedding helps incredibly at your wedding! You will not be self conscious. This will show through in your photos!
Your photographer will learn you, in your dress. This is gold, ladies, for your wedding day. It helps your photographer just as much as it does you.

Happy planning!

Visit us at A Music City Event or call 615.727.3903!

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