dress

“I have no idea what to wear! What do you recommend!?” This is the number one question I get from women no matter what kind of session they are dressing for! From maternity photos, to engagement sessions, from family mini sessions all the way to entrepreneurial headshots, I am always asked about outfit choices. “What colors work the best? What is the most flattering? Should I just wear black?” These are all great questions and guess what? I used to ask the same ones but then I became a photographer and over the years, I have photographed hundreds of sessions and have seen an abundance of color combinations in front of my camera and this is what I have found..

Selecting softer, lighter tones and more muted shades are always great choices! By avoiding an ultra-bright dress or a bold colored skirt, it will help bring all the attention to your faces and let the eye focus on the way you feel about each other instead of what you are wearing. The camera loves shades of soft pink and muted blues mixed with sophisticated light neutrals like heather gray, creams, leather brown and white. That softer color palette fits beautifully into almost all natural outdoor environments!

I know, you want to wear something nice, and I totally support that! You should feel beautiful in your photography session outfit, but, as a photographer who loves to capture people, emotions and love, I am here to remind you that your wardrobe isn’t the center of attention, you are. Your love deserves to shine brighter than any other aspect of your beautiful photos and that’s why I strongly suggest, soft, light tones!

You are about to be announced as Mr. and Mrs. for the first time. You’re still flying high from the amazing morning surrounded by family and friends, your emotional and intimate first look and the best wedding ceremony you could have asked for. Now, as your guests are getting seated and situated, it’s time. Time to bustle that dress. Maid of Honor this is all you!

Bustling a wedding dress can be a daunting task! Every wedding dress has its own, unique bustle and if you are anything like me, I wouldn’t even know where to start. That’s why, I always suggest being prepared!

Here are YPPs “Maid of Honor Bustle Five Step Survivor Guide” for all the amazing and incredible Maid of Honors out there!

Step 1: Go to the Wedding Dress Fitting!

Cue the tears and the champagne!! As Maid of Honor it is not only a privilege but your duty to go along to at least one of your besties wedding dress fittings! Seeing your best friend try on her dress before the big day is a moment you will cherish forever! Plus, it gives you the perfect opportunity to watch the pros at work and see exactly how to bustle the dress! The bustle isn’t usually designed until the alterations begin so this is a great opportunity to really understand the bustle for the wedding day!

Step 2: Record it!

Imagine, you are watching your BFF stand in front of you in her white dress, huge smile and twinkling eyes. It’s her final wedding dress fitting. All the alterations have been made. The bustle has been perfectly placed and her wedding is in just a few short weeks. You are in complete awe as you watch the bride-to-be glow in every way. Get your head in the game! You are here for a reason! Ask the stylist to show you exactly how to bustle the dress. Pull out your phone and hit record! Make sure you get every detail on video. It will make it that much easier to bustle it on the big day!

Step 3: Take note of how long it takes!

As you stand there watching the stylist expertly bustle your friends dress in, pay attention to how long it takes her! Bustles can go from a simple, one button contraption to a few dozen hooks, you need to make sure you have plenty of time to bustle the day of!

PRO TIP: I always suggest adding an extra buffer of 10-15 minutes for the bustle just in case!

Step 4: Squad Goals

Although the responsibility usually falls on the Maid of Honor, it’s never a bad thing to have a few other helping hands! Grab a couple of the other bridesmaids to help you bustle as quickly and as well as possible! The more eyes on the video, the more people holding the dress, the easier and faster it is to get your bride moving as swiftly as possible!

Step 5: Emergency Kit

Bustles are delicate. Buttons can pop, ribbons can break, ties can loosen but the show must go on! Your responsibility as the Maid of Honor is to make sure you have a back up plan. More often than not, a damaged bustle can be fixed with a safety pin! That’s right, a safety pin! To be the ultimate Maid of Honor and win major points, come prepared. bring a little bag full of all different sized safety pins. You will be the hero of the night!

There is a month of the year in which the timing and designer selections are great for every bride-to-be and it’s the month of January. Yes, that’s right, January! Are you shocked? I know I was! To me, January has always been the month of New Years resolutions, tons of hot coffees and warm fuzzy socks. New clothes and especially a wedding dress has never been something I associated with the first month of the year. Yet, now that I know this, it totally makes sense and here is why.

New Collections

The start of the year is the perfect time for boutiques to restock their rails and put all the latest styles and trends on display!

BONUS: New arrivals = discontinued lines = sales = get them while they are still there!

Sample Sales!

Who doesn’t love a good sample sale?! What’s a sample sale you may ask? A sample sale is when bridal boutiques and designers sell the dresses brides try on in store. How great is that! All your favorite styles and all for discounted prices!

When you find a designer you absolutely adore, keep sample sales in mind! Many beloved and well-known designers tend to host two sample sales a year and the first one is usually in January (the second one is in the summer)! So put those Sample Sale dates in your calendar and set about a gazillion reminders!!

BONUS: Sample Sales can be chaotic and pretty overwhelming (check out the episode of friends: The one where Monica is looking for her wedding dress). I suggest doing some ‘normal shops’ with your besties before the big sample sale! This way, you will have the chance to try on different styles, silhouettes and materials and know exactly what you are looking for before you hit the chaos!

Just Engaged!

Ever wonder why you see sooo many more Facebook Engagement Announcements over the Holiday Season?! Well, over 100,000 proposals take place between Thanksgiving and Christmas! 100,000!!! How amazing is that!

With 100,000 newly engaged brides planning, researching and shopping for their dream wedding, it could only mean one thing… The wedding dress stores are busy with excited new brides! I mean, let’s be real, what better way to turn the cold month of January into a fun, exciting one!

Vintage and Second Hand Dresses

For the brides who are looking for a more vintage feel to their wedding dress, January is still the best month to shop! Why? Well, to put it simply, “NEW YEAR, NEW ME!”

January is one of the most popular times of years to clean out our closets, get rid of things we no longer wear and make room for our new, favorite outfits! This includes former brides and their wedding dresses! So get out your snow-boots ladies and let’s go shopping for your hidden treasure!

For all those brides out there who can’t wait until next January to buy their wedding dress, due to time constraints or maybe just because you are just bursting with giddiness, do not fret! There really is no bad month to go shopping for your wedding dress. No matter if you start in August or even March, you will find a wedding dress that looks amazing, makes you feel like a queen and will get your groom’s jaw dropping to the floor! Remember, you are beautiful in every way!

I know what you are thinking, “Of course Yael. Of course I am going to try on my wedding dress and shoes together to make sure it all looks exactly the way I want it!”

It may be a no brainer for you, but as a Type A Personality, I like to be 120% confident that every bride and groom out there knows to do exactly this! I personally don’t like surprises, especially when it comes to wedding day attire! I want to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible for you the morning of your wedding, that includes knowing exactly how to secure your wedding dress and how to pin his own boutonnière!

I like to be sure. Sure that your wedding shoes are broken in, the earrings match perfectly and the groom knows exactly how to tie his wedding day bow tie! I want you to feel relaxed and ready to go. I want you to be confident that things will run smoothly when it comes to your wedding day get-up. The best way to do this is simple. Try it on. Try it all on! All of it! Don’t leave anything for chance!

For my beautiful brides, make sure you know how to climb into your dress without messing with your hair and that you know exactly how to fasten your wedding day jewelry.

For all my awesome YP grooms out there, if you do not already know how to properly secure your suspenders, cufflinks and tie, learn how to do it sometime prior to your wedding day! It is amazing what YouTube can teach you these days. Plus, if you let it slip to the future Mrs. that you are trying on your wedding outfit, she will beyond touched and excited… I like to think of it as a win, win, win!

Trust me on this, there is nothing better than having everything fit perfectly and run smoothly the morning you say “I do!” So trying on your wedding day attire before your big day, can never hurt! Plus, you chose this outfit for a reason, making sure it all works and fits correctly should be fun!

BONUS: Helpful Links for the Groom:

How to Tie a Bowtie

How to Put on Suspenders

How to Pin a Boutonniere

“I just don’t know about the dress” she said as she looked down.   “I just can’t tell if it is the right look for me. ” My friend said as she twirled around to see the back in the mirror.

I just stared at her, in awe. My eyes watering, my mouth wide open. “Are you serious? It is perfect!” I said.

She put her hand on her chin and started squinting “I just don’t know”

As I watched her all I could think was… She looked incredible. It was the perfect dress. It was everything she described all wrapped up into one beautiful white dress. How could she not see how gorgeous she truly looked! 

Then it hit me. Her hair was in a messy bun on the top of her head. She was wearing her big, round glasses. Her bra-strap was showing and her sneakers were peaking out at the bottom. She needed to feel confident in herself before trying on  wedding dress….

“I love it!” I said, ” I think we should put in on hold.”

“What? Why!” She asked as we start unbuttoning the dress.

“Trust me on this one” I said.

A week later, we went to her favorite hair salon, got her hair and make-up done… on me of course. Once we were done, we went back to the bridal boutique, tried on the dress again. When she turned around to see herself in the mirror. We were both in tears.

“This is THE dress!” She said.

Primp First, Shop Second.  Bridal Boutiques are great when it comes to having the best lighting, great mirrors and incredible customer service. But, and there always is a but, you will be much happier with the experience if you felt confident and beautiful walking in already! Dress shopping can be a little intimidating and you are the bride for crying out loud! You deserve to feel beautiful and gorgeous so, instead of showing up with your usual shopping hair and glasses on, primp a little. Walk in feeling your best! You won’t regret it : )