I am always shocked when clients don’t know what a bridal session is, because my humble opinion is that they are the best way to make time for photos of the beautiful couple without being stressed out on wedding day. Oh wait, a bridal session doesn’t happen on my wedding day?!? Say what?

Don’t worry, I’m gonna tell ya all about what a bridal session is and why I believe that every couple needs to have one. Ya ready, let’s go!

What is a Bridal Session anyway?

A Bridal Session is a photo session with the bride and groom that happens a day, week, or even months after the wedding day. It doesn’t really matter when it happens, the point is that the bride and groom get dressed back up in their wedding attire, go on an epic adventure somewhere gorgeous(it doesn’t have to be the wedding venue) and take the wildest most romantic photos they will ever have together.

I know you have so many questions running through your mind right now, don’t worry, I’m going to try my best to answer them all, but mostly, WHY?

Mendocino Destination Wedding Photographer

Why Should I Schedule a Bridal Session?

I’m gonna shoot it to ya straight, you don’t have time for photos of the two of you on your wedding day. The wedding day timeline is so crammed with events, you need to get to your family and friends that came there to love on you, and of course there’s yummy food and cake to enjoy.

Most couples who I work with want beautiful photos in an epic location that is usually too far away from the venue to even consider. (sometimes it’s even in a completely different town or state!) And let me tell you how many times I have had to let them down lightly that they won’t have enough time for those beach shots or those epic bluff views. Gaaaahh, it is heartbreaking.

This is where the bridal session comes in. No need for broken hearts because if you choose a bridal session, you can have epic photos

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and have a more relaxed wedding day.
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and enjoy your family and friends on your wedding day.

and an epic location you’d love to get dressed up and explore together.

and take the time to connect with and enjoy your new spouse without worrying about your timeline.

Ok, I’m Sold. What’s Next?

The first thing you have to do is talk to your photographer. They will be able to give you the next steps. They will likely want to determine your preferred session: A day after, week (this is likely during the honeymoon), or a month or two later.

For my couples, whether I am photographing their wedding or just their bridal session we start by determining their dream location and the time of their session. And then, we plan out the rest of their epic adventure from there.

As a wedding photographer with a few years of experience and who has photographed dozens of weddings and bridal sessions, I gotta tell you that the bridal session is the best way to go! It’s unreal how much more laid back a wedding day is when the couple knows they have scheduled a bridal session. There’s more time for photos with the bridal party and their family. They don’t have to disappear for an hour or two for photos with their photographer, leaving their guests to fend for themselves. When they choose a bridal session, they have the peace of mind that they are going to have an epic adventure post-wedding so they get to relax and enjoy their loved ones on their actual day.

The other perk, and probably my favorite, is that brides don’t have to worry about keeping their dress in pristine condition during their photos. They can frolic and play unencumbered by the thought of getting dirty. In my opinion, there is nothing better than a dirty wedding dress and messy hair in photos of newly married couples!

California Destination Wedding Photographer Mendocino

By no means am I trying to sell anything here. I truly and passionately believe that the couples who make their love story a priority during their wedding day, are the couples that have the most fun. I am an advocate for stress free planning, and a laid day. A bridal session can provide the peace of mind that you need to make your day easy and stress free. I would tell any of my friends or family these same things if they were planning a wedding.

If you have questions about bridal sessions or any other part of your wedding day timeline, I would love to answer anything. I’m here for ya and hope that your wedding day is exactly everything you have dreamed it will be. Before I sign off, I will leave you with some photos that were taken during bridal sessions with me. Not to try and sell you anything, but perhaps to encourage you to consider this time and stress saving experience for your wedding day.

Speaking of Stress-Free Weddings, I wrote a how-to guide on wedding planning, if you’re interested you can read it here.

Now it’s your turn, if you or someone you know had a bridal session, do you think it was worth it? Did it alleviate stress on your wedding day? If you had it to do over again, would you schedule another one? Leave me a comment and let us know!

Interested in planning your own bridal session, want to bounce some ideas around?

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