I have to admit, when I moved to Texas from New Jersey, I had never even heard of bridal sessions. So before we get started, we do have to set the record straight here – it’s a southern thing, so if you’re not from the south, you may have been wondering the same thing! A lot of brides ask us at consultations whether they should do it, so today on the blog we’re giving y’all the scoop! Because even if you’re a bride who doesn’t want all the attention on herself, there’s still some great reasons to do one! And if you think bridals have to be boring, think again! They’re meant to be a reflection of you, so I love seeing a photo of you in your dress before we pick a location! I’m not about stiff, boring photos! I love movement, energy, and capturing the glow of a bride in her wedding dress! Obviously, we’re definitely pro-bridal session for a lot of reasons, so here’s 5 reasons why!

1) A bridal session is the perfect opportunity for a hair and makeup trial run. EVERY bride, and I do mean every bride should be doing a trial of her hair and make-up before the wedding day. I don’t care if you’ve known your hair and makeup artist since you were 12, you should be doing a practice run!  Because let’s be honest – you don’t want to be figuring out what you like or don’t like on the wedding day. We’ve seen it happen, and it can end in a lot of unnecessary stress and tears for the bride. Not fun. So if you’re doing the trial anyways, why not get some beautiful photos out of it?! We’ve also had brides realize they needed further alterations or a better pair of shoes after just two hours in their dress – better to realize that before the big day for sure!

2) Doing a bridal session guarantees you’ll get lots of amazing portraits in your dress! On a typical wedding day, we take a few minutes out of bride and groom portraits to photograph both of you separately. But rarely is there enough time for anything close to a mini bridal session – that’s just the nature of the day. So if you want more than a few classic portraits of you in your dress, a bridal session is the way to go!

3) Your bridal session could allow for a more creative location. Let’s say you’re getting married at a church, but would love for portraits of you at a much more non-traditional location. A bridal session would allow for that! For example, Courtney (below) did her bridals at Arbor Hills (and ROCKED that creek), and Taylor (above) did hers at Bob Jones Nature Preserve. And those certainly wouldn’t have been possible outside of a bridal session.

4) Do you like the idea of displaying a bridal print at the reception? Our print house is super fast, and we can even deliver prints the week of the wedding if needed. Some people aren’t a fan of having all that attention on themselves, and I totally understand, but many brides love doing this!

5) And my last thought is – why pay so much for a dress to literally only wear it on ONE day, when you can wear it on two? Haha, but all joking aside – I know I was so in love with my dress, I wanted to wear it as much as possible! I had a blast getting dolled up and in front of the camera in my favorite outfit…ever! Our brides have told us what a fun experience their bridal session was, and even how it helped relieve some stress before the wedding by having something fun to look forward to!

So there’s this Yankee’s five reasons why I think EVERY bride should join the southern tradition and do a bridal session! If you enjoyed this post, you may also like:

4 Ways to Surprise Your Spouse on Your Wedding Day

Creative Ideas for a Memorable Exit 

The Getting Ready Room- Things to Consider

View more bridal sessions here.