Bridal Portraits

kristinalily

Has anyone here done bridal portraits outside? I'm just worried about my dress getting dirty since it's a couple months before the wedding. How dirty did your dress get either during bridal portraits or even during an outdoor wedding?

And just though I would share -- I thought these were gorgeous. If only there was a place here like this... http://gallery.waldorfphotographicart.com/erica/

mandysmear

I think bridal portraits are ridiculous.  And I love photography and any reason to hire a phootgrapher to get some nice photos taken. 

kristinalily

Oh okay, well. I'm getting them done for fun and not being charged anything since my photographer is just a friend. I love photography too and I figured I would get them done since I could...but not if it's gonna mess up my dress. Since I haven't actually ever worn a wedding dress outside before I wantd to know how dirty your dress gets from being outside usually.

katiewhompus

I had an outdoor wedding and it got pretty dirty. The hem was fairly grass/dirt stained and I was pretty careful about picking up the hem when I moved around. Depending on how hot it is outside you may also need to get it cleaned prior to the wedding for sweat.

kate51485

Bridal portraits are dumb. 

squirrly

I think any bridal portraits outside the studio are going to potentially be damaging to your dress.  Also, it's difficult timing because your alterations really shouldn't be done by then.

I'd see if you can either convert the credit toward more time/prints/etc. for the actual wedding, or do a trash the dress session after the wedding.

crfische

Bridal portraits are stupid. If I got offered them for free, and my photographer insisted, I would pay him money to not take them.

kristinalily

As I said, just doing them for fun and not paying anything. But obviously I shouldn't do them since they are apparently stupid. Also, my alterations are already done? I  guess I should have just asked how dirty your dress got from being outside at your wedding. I'll make sure the photog doesn't take any individual pics of me at the wedding either. That's probably stupid too.

MyNameIsNot

Do a trash the dress after the wedding.  It's less stupid and you don't have to worry about your dress.

kristinalily

Oh, I'm definitely doing a trash the dress! That's already been planned. I can't wait

crfische

Then yes. Your dress will get dirty. And because you wanted so many pictures of yourself, your dress may be ruined for your wedding.

better?

squirrly

Kristin, most people don't do their alterations that early, just in case.  My FSIL lost a TON of weight due to stress the last month before her wedding.  (Not to scare you, just explaining my comment.)

kristinalily

Thanks, I know I shouldn't have done them that early but I just moved across the country and I was kind of freaked out about finding a place in my new town like the one I had where I used to live. So I went ahead and did it.

I'm not trying to be mean or anything. The bridal portraits were my mom's idea plus my photog has never done them before and wanted to use me to practice and I wanted to use them to do a run through of everything (hair, makeup, bouquet etc.). My florist is a family member and suggested it too so she could make a trial bouquet. I was just kind of shocked at people's reactions to these. haha. I may just try to find someplace inside if I can.

crfische

I will also admit that for some reason I have strong reactions to bridal portraits. Like...why get dressed up on a day that isn't your wedding in your wedding stuff and take pictures pretending that it's your wedding, when it isn't your wedding at all.

Just seems narcissitic and odd to me. And you'll have 23948729384729834729384 pictures from your REAL wedding day, that I don't get the point of them.

Ask mRm, I've gone rounds with her too for a similar, related reason, yet totally different.

kristinalily

crfische, I actually totally agree with the fact that they are probably pointless. I know that every wedding I've gone to they usually have a large framed picture of the bride up somewhere (I'm not even doing that...I'm not using these for anything actually). BUT since I am taking them I was just curious about the dress getting dirty...not whether or not I should take them. BUT again, if someone asked about something related to doing something I thought was stupid I would probably respond the same way everyone else has

crfische

I do think it might be regional too, or more popular in the south. There are people on here who have done them. JessandTrav comes to mind...

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

While I agree that bridal portraits are pointless, the pictures you posted ARE really pretty.

jamiefour

I have never even heard of bridal portraits.  For OP, I have been in a few weddings with outdoor pics and the brides dresses got pretty dirty so I would probably do them inside if that is an option. 

opalsky007

Bridal portraits are NMS, but if you do them, I'd recommend a cool indoor venue so you won't risk harming your dress. How about a theater, a museum, your church, or an old building with great architecture? Keep in mind that a lot of museums and other sites may require a fee for photography.

KentuckyKate

FWIW everybody, it appears that OP is in TX and her wedding is in KY... bridal portraits are much more common in the south, and many photographers offer them with their packages.

Anyway, I'm not doing them, but I know plenty of people who have, and I'm pretty sure they just got their dresses cleaned afterward.

mandysmear

I had lots of "bridal" portraits taken on my wedding day and I have one hanging in my bedroom of me and one of my husband ... call it a "groom" portrait I guess. 

I don't think there's anything wrong with having photos taken of each of you on your own... I think it's stupid to get dressed up in your wedding attire on the day that is not your wedding day and get photos taken. 

TTD, I'm okay with, just because they come out quite artsy and non-wedding-y.  They come out more vogue.  Anyway, that's my take.

kikibaby

I always think bridal portraits are incredibly cheesy looking.  But, you know, to each their own and stuff.

Koopa17

The bottom of my dress got really dirty on my wedding day, we were constantly cleaning it and dusting it off.  I thought about doing bridals (also from DFW, so everyone down here seems to think it's necessary) but I ultimately decided I didn't want to.  My reasoning was that while I would be all dressed up and hair done and everything, I wouldn't look the same as I would on my wedding day.  I don't really think you can recreate the excited/happy smile you would have on your wedding day. 

But sorry, that wasn't at all your question.  Depending on where you got your dress, you can take it back before the wedding and have it cleaned and repressed, and they should be able to get out most dirt stains.  No guarantees though.

Sorry for the novel!

[Deleted User]

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_bridal-portraits-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:0726adde-59a0-4447-ad2f-99ab08d4afa7Post:3a5e6b68-6ac7-4cfd-9162-286130e5920b">Re: Bridal Portraits</a>:
[QUOTE]:) I do think it might be regional too, or more popular in the south. There are people on here who have done them. JessandTrav comes to mind...
Posted by crfische[/QUOTE]

I'm thinking this might be true. My sister had them done as did all of my friends. I never even realized that they weren't totally normal until I decided that I didn't want to do them and started asking around. I chose not to have them done, mainly because I didn't want to pay for them and I am not a fan of portraits of any kind.

CaptiolBride

i thought............PHOTOS.....OUTSIDE...BRIDE....DRES..... = TRASH THE DRESS????

jenb1205

Bridal portraits are just what is done where I'm from and getting married (TX).  It's a tradition and a good way to practice getting hair and make up done (and then you can see how it actually looks in pictures, not just in a mirror).  It's also a good way to get comfortable in your wedding day undergarments and with your photographer.  Moving north, I was surprised to hear that it's not a part of weddings.  To each their own. 

I've never known anyone to have major problems with their dress getting dirty during bridals.  Most local photogs are really careful about where they put you and with the fun shoes that lots of people wear there are lots of cute poses you can do with your dress not touching the ground.  I'd consider the grounds of a museum because you'd be less likely to be tromping around in mud.  I've also seen people do bridals inside the church they are getting married in for an indoor site.  If you consider that you'll likely be very careful and holding it off the ground for all but a few seconds of snapshots, I think it will be just fine.   

Good luck, you'll be fine!  And you can always take the dress and have it cleaned on the bottom.  It was made to be worn, right?

kristinalily

Thank you Jen! I was seriously thinking I was going crazy...and thought that all my friends and family were narcissistic or something. haha. I do understand the points of view of people that think they're stupid. I'll definitely be looking into museums and someone else here mentioned older buildings would be cool.

jenb1205

Weddings are just crazy different in different regions of the country, sheesh even from family to family the expectations are so varied.

I've never known anyone to not do them, it's just second nature.  I can't imagine not doing them myself (even though I will probably be getting my dress cleaned as I will be COMPLETELY sweating through it in August).  One of my besties is getting married next month and ended up doing hers twice because her hair was so bad the first time around.  Good lesson for her to learn not on the wedding day because she hated it in the pictures.  Obvs, you can do that with a hair trial too, so it's no big deal however you choose to go about it.  Cheers!  

katiewhompus

As I said earlier, my wedding was outdoors and my dress was a mess. The hem was stained from grass and dirt even though I was very careful with it. It was also dirty from the floor inside because dirt got tracked in. I would not do outdoor pictures prior to the wedding because you are going to be dealing with grass stains, dirt, sweat, etc.

Koopa17

Until the knot, I had never known anyone to not do them either.  My mom was not happy with my decision.  The dallas arboretum always seems to be a great spot for bridal portraits, and you can stay on the paved paths to avoid too much dirt.  Good luck!

thesuninherhead

The underneath of my dress was black by the end of the first hour of wear during my wedding... there's no way I would have wanted to take any pictures in it prior to event.