Your bridal party photos are an important part of your wedding day. They are your closest friends and family, the ones you asked specifically to stand with you as you say “I Do”. Making sure that they are on board with the wedding day schedule is vital to the day going smoothly, especially with pictures! So here are some tips on getting them ready to stand beside you for your big day

Tell Everyone The Schedule

The bridal party members are a central part of the proceedings and must be prepared to play their part in a timely manner. The timeline for the wedding day can quickly be thrown off by a bridesmaid or groomsmen not being ready on time. So let the whole bridal party know what time they need to be fully ready! And this doesn’t just mean fully ready on time for the ceremony, but rather fully ontime for when we need to start taking photos, which might be several hours before the ceremony. 

Notice above that we said “fully ready”, and we mean it! That means all hair and makeup is fully done along with them being dressed from head to toe with their outfits, shoes, accessories and anything else they need. They need to be ready early, not only for the ceremony but for any pictures we might be taking before the ceremony. One side tip for bridesmaids – don’t forget to build in time for hair/makeup touch-ups right before the ceremony! 

Flowers at the Ready for Bridal Party Photos

Get those flowers! Seriously though, make sure that the bouquets are ready to go as soon as you need them. If they are real flowers, and you get them the day of, make sure to have water vases to avoid wilting! Another thing – bring paper towels to dry them off before you start handing them out! You don’t want wet hands staining dresses or making the bouquets slippery!

For the guys, keep your boutonnieres somewhere cool and moist until it’s time to put them on right before photos or the ceremony. And there’s no harm in having to ask one of the bridesmaids to help make sure it’s pinned on correctly! 

Waiting For The Party

If you provide alcoholic drinks to the bridal party while they wait, we suggest that you create strict limitations for them. What we don’t want is the bridal party getting drunk before the ceremony! Even being a little tipsy may cause disaster, so please, take it from us, one or two drinks only, and nothing too strong! 

Let the whole bridal party know that if they cooperate and do their part to be ready (and alert) on time, they get to the party much faster and that’s when they can really let loose and party! 

Basically, we need everyone on board for the day to go smoothly – and that includes your bridal party! Follow these tips to help you whip your bridal party into shape! (Just kidding!) But all joking aside, we hope that you and they can take these tips to heart and make the whole wedding day go off without a hitch!

If you need someone to capture your special occasion, then please contact us, we’d love to chat with you!

Happy Planning!
Nicole & Ryan

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