Weddings. it IS the season after all. So, I have been photographing a select few over the last few weeks. The brides who choose to work with me are a little left of centre, and they mostly plan small gatherings of close friends and family. This makes for a great celebration, which is what a wedding SHOULD be.
That leads me to the Dress Reveal. What is it?? It’s a time just before the ceremony where the groom and the bride meet up and the groom get’s his first look at the bride in all her beauty in a quiet, controlled and personal setting.
Wait?? WHAT?? BEFORE the ceremony?? Isn’t that bad luck??
Like a lot of other ‘traditions’ around weddings, this one is changing with the times, and it’s something I am all in favour of! Too often the stress of the wedding day can be overwhelming for both the bride and the groom, and they never really enjoy the most important part, because they are so nervous, and so worried that something could go wrong. One way around that is to spend just a few moments with each other before the event, to remind themselves that this day is all about their love for each other, and the new life they are starting together as man and wife.
I mention a dress reveal to all of my brides, several have taken me up on it, and those images are just beautiful. So intimate, so full of emotion and so very personal. They also go through the rest of the day a lot calmer, and a lot happier.
Lisa and Harrison’s wedding in the Clare Valley of South Australia gave me some lovely photo backdrops, and I suggested the dress reveal to them at our pre wedding meeting. Lisa didn’t seem to keen, but said they would discuss it. When I returned on the weekend of the wedding, they told me they wanted to go ahead, we worked it into the timetable and off we went to the local lake.
It was perfect! Lisa was so very nervous, but she’d already told me that my hair and makeup efforts had made her feel more beautiful than she had ever been before, so we planned her sneaking up on him, I asked Harrison to slowly take her into his arms and dance after a few moments, and that was all the direction they had. After positioning everyone where the light was beautiful, I took a lot of steps back and picked up a LONG lens so as not to intrude. I will let the images speak for themselves.
So, if your photographer hasn’t mentioned the Dress Reveal, or First Look to you, ASK them if they can do one. If they have, think VERY seriously about it. I promise you, those images will be some of the most beautiful memories you have of your wedding day.
