The purpose of a bridal session is to get beautiful pictures of you in your dress on a day less stressful and rushed than the wedding day, which is often too hectic to allow a bride the time she needs to really relax and simply enjoy how beautiful she feels in her dress. Separate from the wedding day portraits, bridal sessions:
1. Are a way to add creative, editorial style images to your collection of wedding day photographs.
2. Are an excuse to wear your beautiful dress one more time before having it cleaned to preserve it, donate it, or sell it, whatever you plan to do with it!
Classic bridals are usually taken in a studio setting with a fashion photography approach complete with professional lighting. Emphasis is placed on the dress with you in it, and the photographer is able to thoughtfully construct the lighting and composition of each shot. Other than being worn, the dress is relatively safe. Because the dress is kept in this otherwise pristine condition, a bridal portrait session can be held on a day before the wedding, and brides often choose to have bridal portraits done on the same day they have their hair and makeup trials in order to take advantage of already being made up.
Modern bridals are similar to the Classic bridals, except they are held in an outdoor location, usually on a day after the wedding when the dress has already been broken in and is awaiting a good cleaning.
Fearless bridals (sometimes referred to as (‘trash the dress’) are a modern twist on the idea of bridal portraits. They are usually held on-location, and, considered a a once in a lifetime opportunity, they allow a new bride to do something creative (and maybe outrageous!) by wearing her gown in a situation or setting that one would probably never expect to see her in. Pictures can feature the bride alone, or the bride with her new spouse, and images can be romantic, pretty, fun, or downright edgy – whatever appeals to the bride! The concept of the photo shoot could be something as simple as the bride lounging in a meadow to something more adventurous like jumping off a diving board into a pool. In all cases, the extent of ‘fearlessness’ is at the sole discretion of the bride and whatever fits her vision of how she’d like to see herself in print.
FEARLESS BRIDAL FAQ:
Q. I’d like to do some cool and unexpected portraits in my dress. But I don’t want to ruin it. Can I still do a Fearless session?
A. Absolutely. You don’t have to harm your dress in the slightest if it’s not what you are into. While more daring brides may decide to take this trend of portrait photography to the extreme, Fearless bridals are simply portraits taken in an on-location setting that most would never expect to see a bride in. This could be anywhere from the forest to the beach to the desert to a more risque city junk yard to a mud bath at the local spa! (So, a mud bath would probably ruin the dress. But, if that’s your idea of an awesome portrait, we certainly wont stop you!)
Q. I’m intrigued, but I still don’t know if I could go through with it.
A. Unless you know someone who’s already participated in this type of artistic photo session, prior to the wedding, the concept of a Fearless bridal session sounds foreign, even frightening! Most brides simply can not imagine doing anything that could harm or soil a dress that she has put so much thought and money into! This is a very common feeling for most soon-to-be brides. It’s usually AFTER the wedding when the concept of a Fearless bridal session takes hold. The bride has already had so much fun wearing her dress on the wedding day that saying goodbye to it is tougher than she thought it would be. Now she’s thinking that it seems a shame to only be able to wear it just the once. And in all honesty, the dress is already dirty – filthier than she ever would have imagined! She has to get it cleaned anyway… Now, suddenly, the thought of getting the dress a little dirty (dirtier) for some really fun portraits just doesn’t seem so daunting.
Q. I know what I’d do with bridal portraits, but what would I do with Fearless bridal pictures?
A. It’s a no-brainer that formal portraits from a bridal session make for beautiful addition to the main wedding album (and prints also a great wedding gift for the parents of the bride!). Fearless portraits can also end up in the main wedding album, or can be featured separately in additional albums or photo books. We find that most Fearless clients end up using their pictures as wall art, especially canvases or metallic print enlargements. Metallic paper really makes these type of unique images pop! Standout mounted prints are also really popular (no frames required!).
Q. When should I book a Fearless session?
A. Anytime after your wedding when the time is right! The setting you decide on will factor in a bit. Depending on the time of year, you may need to jump on it or wait several months for the right temperatures and scenery to take effect! Oh, and just make sure you do it before you get your dress dry cleaned!
INVESTMENT
Sessions from $400+
A standard session includes up to 2 hours of on location photography, a personal ordering session, some proofs for Facebook, and a $50 credit to use towards your choice of prints and products.
Let’s schedule a time to talk and come up with an amazing concept!
