Wedding Tips

What Are Bridal Portraits? 6 Reasons to Consider Them

Dallas wedding photographer captures bride sitting on chair looking across room

Have you been hearing a lot about Bridal Portraits and Bridal Sessions lately? Wondering if it could be a good option for you? Let’s talk about it!

What are Bridal Portraits? What is a Bridal Session?

First, let’s dive into what a bridal session is! A bridal portrait session is a photography session that focuses on the bride in her wedding attire. While we can always capture a few of these portraits on your actual wedding day, a complete bridal session is normally done about a month ahead of your wedding day.

Now you might ask, is it worth the extra effort to get my bridal portraits done early?

As a seasoned DFW wedding photographer, I’ve seen the pros of having a focused session for your bridal portraits greatly outweigh the cons! So, here are 6 reasons why you might want to consider this beloved wedding tradition! (Along with some bridal portrait ideas, poses and inspiration!)

Bride wearing strapless wedding dress with a long veil and crown smiling in front of rock waterfall at Knotting Hill Place wedding venue in Dallas tx by Stefani Ciotti Photography

1. Prepare a Trial Run

Picture this: a sneak peek into your wedding day glam before the big day itself! Doing a bridal session is like a practice run for your hair, makeup, and your wedding dress before the big day. This gives you the chance to see how everything comes together and how it will all photograph together. This can be invaluable! Trust me; what looks fabulous in the mirror might end up surprising you in photos. So, it’s your chance to fine-tune everything and make sure you’re completely confident in your choices and decisions leading into your wedding day.

This is also a useful chance to meet and work with your vendors. To figure out how best to do things. And if necessary, together you can tweak colors or styles so everything is just right for your big day.

Dallas wedding photographer Stefani Ciotti Photography captures bride sitting on chair, holding bridal bouquet and smiling across room

2. Enjoy Diverse Locations

Next, having bridal portraits gives you a little bonus location! We can explore a variety of locations you may not see on your actual wedding day due to time constraints. Take an extra hour to walk along the creek or to pose in that gazebo! 

Who says your wedding photos have to be confined to the venue? With bridal portraits, we get to include a variety of locations that might be a bit tricky on the actual wedding day – or explore entirely new locations altogether. The possibilities are endless with additional portrait time.

Another bonus: it’s a great failsafe for your venue too. For example, if it’s raining on your wedding day, you can rest easy knowing you already have a set of outdoor photos to enjoy.

bridal portrait of bride at stoney ridge villa wedding venue holding white bridal bouquet

3. Try Out Multiple Looks

If you’re planning on including two separate wedding looks, your bridals are a great excuse to do both. Some brides have more than one dress. Others want to honor family/cultural traditions. If these traditions don’t align with your wedding day plans, use your bridals to incorporate them. Bridal portraits are a convenient way to say yes to all your ideas.

4. Display Bridals as Wedding Decor

When a bridal session is done sufficiently in advance, you can display your bridals at the wedding. Imagine walking into your wedding venue and seeing your beautiful bridal portraits gracing the space. It’s not just a photo; it’s a piece of art that can elevate your decor. They can be used in centerpieces, an “About Us” table, or a display of family generations – your bridals can be a personal addition that further personalizes your decor and tells your love story.

5. Save Time – and Stress – on Wedding Day

Let’s talk about one of the best perks – time-saving and stress-relieving!

If you have a tight schedule during your wedding celebration, you might miss having a more thorough portrait session. Every moment on your big day is precious, and I want you to savor them without feeling rushed or having a tight schedule looming over you.

Or if your wedding day timeline is running a little behind, you don’t have to worry about sacrificing bridal portrait time at all. You can relax knowing you already have an entire gallery of beautiful portraits. Relieving so much unnecessary stress on the day of.

6. Benefit From More Photos

And last but certainly not least, you’ll walk away with more photos to love and cherish! Because let’s be real, I have yet to have a bride regret having MORE photographs documenting and celebrating this exciting chapter in her life.

Bride on couch in Stoney Ridge Villa's bridal suite with wedding dress train beautifully on floor during bridal portraits

Still searching for the best Dallas wedding photographer? I’d love to capture your bridal portraits and every magical moment after! Reach out and let’s chat about your unique vision.

Paragraph

Let's connect

Want your once-in-a-lifetime memories captured like this?

Let's chat!

+ SHOW COMMENTS

- Hide Comments

add a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Dallas Venues

Browse some of the best wedding venues in Dallas here!

Top Blog Categories

Weddings

View more weddings from Dallas TX to around the world!

Portraits

View engagements, bridals, family and senior sessions here!

Wedding Tips

Let me help you with your wedding planning here!

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE
TO PORTRAIT
SESSION LOCATIONS
IN DFW

Snag this!

The Ultimate Guide to
Dallas Photoshoot Locations

Searching for the perfect location for your next portrait session? 
Let me help!  I've compiled 50 of my favorite portrait locations in North Texas into a free guide for you.  Download it below!

And this too!

My FREE
Wedding Planning Tool

Searching for a free and versatile digital wedding planning tool?  One that offers a roadmap from engagement through after the wedding?  One that can be completely customized to you, is accessible from anywhere, by anyone you want, via website or desktop/mobile app? Then this is for you!  Download this free resource below!  (Download also includes an instructional video to walk you through the basics of Trello + how to best use your new wedding planning board!  All free!) 

© Stefani Ciotti Photography 2024  |  All rights reserved 

Serving Dallas fort worth texas and beyond  |  682-350-3844