So you have the prefect guy, the perfect dress, the perfect ring, the perfect weather, the perfect dress. Somehow after many months of planning, it’s finally come together and you’re not sure how, but it has…
Your big day is here.
You’ve pretty much prepared for everything and it’s finally come together.
The photographer is supposed to arrive at your room in a few minutes to start capturing the getting ready shots and suddenly it hits you that you’re a little nervous, unsure what to do in front of the camera, how to pose, how to guarantee that you’ll look like one of those glamorous yet angelic brides you always see in Munaluchi Bridal magazine. You trust your photographer but still…
As a wedding photographer, I want to make sure that you look absolutely stunning on your wedding day.
Your photographer will know what to look for and offer some posing tips, but great posing comes down to looking and feeling confident. Below are my 5 tips and secrets to making sure you look stunning in your wedding photographs.
- Hire a team of professionals to make you look and feel your best.
For you, that might mean a $500 massage at the 5 star spa or a top makeup artist. For my personal photo shoot, I hired one of the hair stylists who styled the ladies in Beyoncé’s “Pretty Hurts” video. I knew that I needed her hair magic skills to look and feel absolutely stunning. What I know for sure is that when you feel like a queen and treat yourself like a queen, you look more beautiful and pose more authentically.
- Imagine yourself looking 10x more glamorous than your favorite celebrity.
When I recently did a personal photo shoot, the celebrity I channeled was Gabrielle Union. I picked 5 images of her that I loved and I imagined myself looking 10x better. Yup, my make-up artist Abby of Juicy Looks Makeup (http://myjuicylooks.com) humbled me be saying there was no way she could make me look like her, but I didn’t care. I still brought 3 images of Gabrielle Union and kept pointing at her make-up. On that day for a few hours, I looked, felt and glowed10x better than Gabrielle Union and it showed in my photos.
- Take care of yourself the day before and get a good night’s rest.
A stressed bride doesn’t look her best and you can feel and see the stress in how she looks and poses. When my sister got married, she asked me as her MOH to handle the mountain of requests, phone calls, logistics issues and guests’ questions that came rolling in from guests and family the day before her wedding so she could enjoy a stress-free, quiet evening in her hotel room mentally preparing for her wedding day. When her big day arrived, she got 8 hours of sleep, was calm and looked radiant all day long.
- Let it.go.
Things will go wrong on your wedding day. Repeat: things will go wrong. I promise. Let.it.go. When your wedding bouquet has a darker shade of pink flowers than you expected, the most beautiful brides I’ve photographed would laugh at the situation and then confidently make it work, then refocus their attention back on what matters most: marrying the man of their dreams and enjoying their wedding celebration.
- A pair of Spanx and a good strapless bra are worth the investment.
No matter who you are or the shape of your body, a little smoothing action around your tummy, hips and thighs area helps a bride not only look amazing but also feel confident in posing knowing that every part of her is nicely tucked in nicely. The same goes for bride’s who spend most of the wedding day tugging at and pulling up at the top of their dress. Feeling self-conscious about any chest spillage makes it hard to look and feel confident posing.
So I’m sure you expected to read a list of “cross your legs, turn left, chin up…. The truth is posing comes naturally when you look and feel your best. Your photographer will take care of the rest if you come looking and feeling your best.
