getting ready for your wedding

You have spent months, maybe even years choosing every last detail of your bridal look. From the shoes and flowers, to the beautiful earrings your Mom picked out and all the way to the necklace that every woman in your family wore on her wedding day. Every detail counts. Every detail is important. And every detail deserves to be photographed in the best way possible.

This week, I want to share with all of you the “YPP top 5 tips for your wedding day detail photos!” When you go to check out your bridal suite, or talk to your venue florist and Maid of Honor, these are the top things to consider!

Windows, Windows and more Windows

Whenever I walk into a bridal suite and see natural light flowing in and big, beautiful windows all around, my heart does a happy dance! Windows are a photographers best friend, especially in the Bride and Groom getting ready rooms! The natural light is the best light! It will make your rings shine like no other, your flowers pop and your dress look stunning and elegant all in one. Before your big day, take some time and talk to your venue or hotel to make sure there are plenty of windows in both the Bride and Groom getting ready rooms! We want to photograph your details with the best like as possible!

Put it all together!

You have a million and ten things going on the morning of your wedding, getting all the bridal details together shouldn’t be one of them! Sometime the week before your wedding day, put all of your bridal details together in a box (besides the dress of course)! This should include everything you want photographed! Here is the YPP List of Details to consider:

• Invitation
• Perfume
• Rings
• Shoes
• Earrings
• Bracelets
• Necklaces
• Other Jewelry
• Veil (maybe not actually in the box, but near it)
• Hair pieces
• Keepsakes
• Gifts

Bridesmaid Dress

If you are anything like me, you absolutely love color and tones, that is why your wedding colors are essential in telling your bridal story! Ask one of your bridesmaids to volunteer her dress while we photograph your details! It will add that little extra something to tie it all together!

Bouquets and Extra Petals

You can never have enough flowers on your wedding day! They are elegant, fresh and beautiful! Have your florist deliver your bouquet to your getting ready location! This will give us plenty of time to photograph the incredible bouquet you will be holding as you say “I do!” When you chat with your florist the week of your wedding, ask them if they can include some extra petals or the flowers that they clipped off when finishing your bouquet! The petals and extra flowers will be an incredible accent for your detail photos!

Enough Time

I always suggest at least 45 minutes for the bridal detail photo portion of the morning! I know, you might think it sounds like too much time, but those 45 minutes fly by and your bridal details deserve to be captured and forever remembered! You carefully selected each and every bridal detail, let’s make sure we have plenty of time to feature them!

There is something so special about capturing a woman’s bridal details. It is so personal, intimate and incredibly touching. Your details deserve the best light, the best care and the best love we can offer and if you ask me, these five tips will let you love your details in the best way possible!

You had your engagement photos done. You’ve got your wedding dress fitting scheduled for next week. Your hair and make-up trials were even dreamier than you expected and the big day is coming up! Next up, your nails! Although your wedding day manicure might not be on the top of the list when it comes to your wedding day beauty look, it still shouldn’t be overlooked!

First things first,  the best time to get your wedding day manicure is one to two days before your wedding.

Here are a few other important things YPP suggests to achieve your wedding day nail dreams!

1. Always get a trail run

   You get your wedding hair and make-up trail, you have a rehearsal dinner and you go for your foot tasting, so why wouldn’t you also go for a nail trail run! I would suggest scheduling your trail run two months in advance. This way you can enjoy the look and make sure it is exactly what you want!

   BONUS: Try as many shades as you would like: You try on different dresses, you taste different cakes and you check out dozens of wedding shoes (at least if you are anything like me), add different nail colors to that list! Try as many different shades as you would like, make sure it exactly the correct look you want for your big day.

2. Consider the Season

   I’m not saying go dark red just because your wedding falls out in Autumn but if you are struggling with your wedding nail color vision, use your wedding season as your nail-spiration!

3. GEL over anything else

   I personally LOVE gel manicures. As a photographer, I always make sure I have my nails done, usually lavender. Since I am always holding a camera, gesturing, or holding something, I am constantly aware of my hands. I get gel manicures every single time! They look smooth and chip less easily. Plus, your wedding nails will remind you of your special day all through out your honeymoon!

4. Keep it simple

   I know, you may want to be creative, you may want to be unique, and you might have seen some really cool nail art on Pinterest, but you also want your wedding day look to be timeless. I don’t mean to say that if you are the friend who always has fun-art on her nails, you should tone it down for your wedding, but I do suggest, for those women out there who haven’t tried nail-art before, you may want to keep the adventure for a different day!

5. Don’t forget your toes!

   If you have closed shoes or a long enough dress, you may not be worried about showing of your toes, but don’t forget, your wedding day is being photographed from start to finish! Your toes may make a surprise appearance as are getting into your dress or taking your robe photos!

   BONUS: Many brides paint their toes blue for their something blue.

    

6.  Prepare yourself: The Emergency Wedding Day Kit

   Your wedding day is going to be fabulous and just in case something disastrous happens, which I don’t think it will, you should buy a bottle of your wedding day nail polish and put it in your handy dandy Wedding Day Emergency Kit! Better be safe than sorry!!

7. The perfect nail length

   The question you should be asking yourself is, what am I comfortable with? If you don’t usually get long extensions, I would suggest avoiding that for your big day too. You don’t want to feel clumsy, awkward or uncomfortable! If you have short fingers like me, aim for a medium-length oval-shape nail, this will look not only look elegant but also elongate your fingers! If you have shorter nail beds, try a shorter, more square tip! Consult your manicurist to help you decide what the best look is for your finger type!

And on a final note, don’t forget to moisturize! Your hands will be touched, kissed, photographed and looked at all day, make sure you have that bridal glow, even on your fingers and toes! Now go on, go book yourself a manicure, grab your maid of honor, and dream about your wedding!!! If you fiance asks, it’s Yael’s orders!