Tips for Getting Ready Photos on Your Wedding Day

Getting ready photos are an amazing way to capture the early parts of your wedding day! There is so much excitement and anticipation which makes for great candid moments to be documented. Although the skill of your photographer has a big impact on getting great photos, there is often careful preparation and planning on the couple’s part that plays a role in amazing pictures as well! As you and your partner make plans for this part of your day, there are a few different things you can keep in mind to aid in making incredible photos.

Everything from choosing the right getting ready spaces to researching how to properly tie a bow tie can contribute to getting ready photo success 🤣 Taking steps to ensure you stick to your timeline will also go a long way in getting better photos - the more time your photographer has to work with the better the results! 

This article contains all of my detailed advice to set you up for success on your wedding day and get the best getting ready photos possible.

Schedule plenty of time for photos

If getting ready photos are important to you, be sure to schedule enough time for your photographer to capture them all! I typically recommend 1.5 to 2 hours total for all the getting ready pictures and here’s how I break it down:

Detail photos - 30 minutes
These are the close up shots of things like your invitations and rings (I’ve got a helpful checklist of what to bring for these!)

True candids - 30 minutes to 1 hour
If you want natural captures of your getting ready experience - laughter as you're hanging out with your wedding party, your hair and makeup being done, etc - it's a good idea to allow plenty of time for those natural moments to happen.

Getting dressed/directed candids - 30 minutes
Allow time to actually get yourself dressed, and then most photographers like to do some “directed candids” where we help guide you with where to stand as you’re putting on your jacket or having your dress zipped up.

You can cut time wherever you see fit depending on which photos are most important to you! (I've got even more detailed tips on planning your photography timeline in another blog post.)

Consider proximity when choosing location

If your venue has adequate space on the property for both of you to get ready, that's always the best choice! It will save you lots of time and stress if you're able to avoid traveling between locations.

Otherwise most couples decide to book an Airbnb or hotel suite nearby to use as their getting ready space, or even their own home if it’s close by. Unexpected traffic can throw off your entire wedding day timeline, so staying as close to the venue as possible is always safest!

Choose a room with plenty of space

When deciding what size space you’ll need for getting ready, you’ll want to consider how many people will be there with you. There are often wedding party members, parents or other family members, hair stylists, makeup artists, photographers, videographers - a room can fill up pretty quickly! 

If you have a hair and makeup team, they'll need room for their setup, and your photographers and videographers will be able to get you better shots if we have more room to move around. Don’t forget about the things you need to bring - clothes, bags, lunch. All of the "stuff" needed for getting ready can clutter up a room and look messy in your photos, so the bigger the room the easier it is to hide the mess!

If your venue has a getting ready space but you think it might be too cramped, consider getting a hotel suite or nearby Airbnb for the majority of your getting ready activities. Then you can use the smaller space at your venue just for finishing touches!

Look for natural light

Finding a room with lots of natural light is always helpful for photos! It's much more flattering than light from lamps or overhead lighting. I also think it's nice for everyone if it's bright enough that the photographer doesn't need to use flash.

Lots of big windows are want you want to look for!

Keep the room as tidy as possible

This is much easier said than done on a hectic wedding day haha, but the cleaner you can keep your getting ready space the better! At least try to keep the clutter contained to one area, which will reduce the chances of having things like food and water bottles in all of your photos. But don’t stress if it’s not achievable, some of my favorite getting ready photos have junk in the background and it helps capture the whirlwind of the wedding morning!

Take photos elsewhere if needed

If you read those first few tips and thought “oh no, my getting ready space is not big, does not have great lighting, and I know we're gonna make a mess” 😂 - have no fear! If you want some picture perfect getting ready photos, you can always take them somewhere else, even outside! I’ve photographed plenty of getting ready photos in locations that absolutely were not used for the actual getting ready, but you can zip a dress and put on shoes anywhere.

This is also a great option if you’re getting ready offsite, you don’t want a ton of getting ready photos, and you’re trying to maximize time with your photographer. Rather than losing that precious photographer time on traveling between locations, they can just meet you at your venue and do some quick staged getting ready photos there.

Practice tying bow ties ahead of time

I can’t tell you how many wedding parties I’ve seen crowded around a phone watching YouTube bow tie tutorials 🤣 If you and/or your wedding party will be wearing bow ties, please practice them ahead of time! This will save you time on the wedding day and will help ensure everyone’s ties are straight and secure.

Make sure someone knows how to pin boutonnieres

If you and your wedding party are wearing boutonnieres, ideally you’ll have multiple people who know how to pin them to save time. Make sure those people are aware that you’re counting on them for this task and that they stay nearby. (“Oh my mom will do the boutonnieres” - but if mom is currently down in the reception hall unpacking centerpieces and you’re getting ready on the 10th floor, she’s not going to be helpful 🤣). You can also ask your florist about magnet boutonnieres to avoid the extra hassle and the risk of anyone getting stabbed with a needle. (And here’s a YouTube boutonniere tutorial.)

Help hair and makeup stay on time

You often hear stories of weddings running late because hair and makeup fell behind. There's a couple things you can do to help prevent this from happening! 

1) Make sure you hire an experienced, professional team. (I've got a list here of some of my DC area hair and makeup favorites.) They will know exactly how many artists they need to bring, and will make a timeline for you to get all services completed in the needed timeframe!

2) Keep your wedding party and family members on task 🤣 This is honestly one of the biggest causes of hair and makeup delays - a bridesmaid needed to go back to her hotel room for a minute, someone is outside on a phone call, this one is still eating lunch. Make sure everyone knows when they are scheduled to be in a chair so they don't throw off your timeline!

Allow enough time for getting dressed

You might think getting dressed is a quick two minute thing, but that's not always the case! If your dress has a ton of buttons on it or if you’re wearing a bow tie and aren’t confident in how to tie it, getting dressed can take some time. I’d plan to give yourself 10 - 30 minutes for the actual process of putting on your outfit, depending on how complicated it is.

Set details aside beforehand

Do you want those pre-wedding detail photos of your invitations, jewelry, shoes, etc? Set them all aside for your photographer ahead of time! Keeping them in one location (like a bag or shoebox) will help your photographer gather all the items quickly and you won’t have to worry about forgetting to include something. If you and your partner are getting ready separately, I usually recommend putting all the rings together with the lead photographer.

I’ve got a more detailed blog post dedicated to my wedding detail photos checklist if you want to see what I recommend bringing for these pictures!

Schedule matching outfit photos (if you want them)

Are you and your wedding party planning to wear some kind of matching outfits while you get ready? Pajamas, robes, etc? If you want to get a few posed photos with everyone before they put on their formalwear, make sure to coordinate the timing of this with your photographer and your hair/makeup team! Ideally you'll want you and your wedding party to all be finished with hair and makeup before taking these photos (trust me, it's a bummer to be the one bridesmaid whose hair/makeup isn't done yet but everyone else is looking all glammed up 😂). Put these photos into your timeline so everyone knows exactly when to be ready for them.

Cut the little inner straps from dresses

I always recommend that anyone wearing a dress cut out those little hanger straps. I hate them with a passion because they are always riding up and coming out of people's armpits 🤣 If they are not necessary for holding your dress on a hanger, cut ‘em out the night before! Or make sure you have scissors and cut them out right before you get dressed.

Have family and wedding party dressed in time for important photos

If you want pictures of your wedding party or family members helping you get dressed (zipping up your dress, straightening your tie, etc) - make sure they get dressed before you! The photos will look nicer if they are in their formalwear instead of their getting ready clothes.

Make time to eat

This is very common wedding advice so I’m sure it isn’t news to you, but make sure you eat something while getting ready! If you want to maximize photography time, plan to eat your meal before your photographer arrives or while they are taking the detail photos. Totally fine if that doesn’t happen and you’re eating lunch while your photographer is taking your candid getting ready pictures, but most people don’t want photos of themselves eating 🤣

Consider getting ready together

While many couples get ready separately, you absolutely do not have to follow this tradition! I’ve worked with plenty of couples who choose to get ready together. It can be helpful for nerves (who better to calm you down than the love of your life?) and can also help with coordination/logistics to have everyone in one location. Plus you’ll get even more photos of the two of you together!

Have your flowers delivered early

When coordinating with your florist, keep your photos in mind for the timing of flower delivery! If you want your flowers included in your detail photos and/or if you’re doing photos with your partner and wedding party before the ceremony, you’ll want to be sure the bouquets and/or boutonnieres arrive beforehand. (And allow enough time for putting on those boutonnieres!)

Consider asking for loose florals

Definitely not a requirement, but if you like those flat lay style detail photos, some floral accents are a great addition. Ask your florist if they’re able to provide some extra loose florals for those photos! And again, just make sure the flowers will arrive before your photographer is going to take those detail pictures.

Improve ventilation and filtration

This is the public health nerd in me coming out here and not related to photos 😂 But I’ve found that getting ready rooms often have some of the worst air quality of the entire wedding day! A bunch of people crammed into a small, poorly ventilated room for hours means everyone is breathing in everyone else's exhaled air and subsequently their germs.

Especially if you're heading out on your honeymoon shortly after the wedding, you'll want to avoid germs as best you can on your big day so you aren't sick for your trip! A helpful fix for this is to open windows and doors to improve air flow (even cracking a window or door just a little can make a big difference compared to closed). 

Bringing along an air purifier or two is also a great way to clean the air and reduce the chances of germs spreading. I love these Levoit purifiers.

Those are all of my tips to help you get the best getting ready photos on your wedding day! Hopefully they are helpful as you plan this portion of your day. Of course reach out to your wedding photographer to get their thoughts, because all of us have different preferences and recommendations based on the way we work.

If this advice was helpful, check out some of my other articles with wedding planning tips!