By Florent Vidal Photography

This part of the day is one of my favourites at a wedding. The dress that’s been carefully hung silently witnesses the emotions that fill the room. The palpable excitement and the anticipation of the events that lie ahead. While the celebratory mode is present, couples also use this moment to reflect on the grand commitment that they are about to take.

Here are 5 things to think about when planning for your getting ready:

House or Hotel?

Couples often wonder whether it’s better to get ready in their house or in a hotel. Firstly, it’s important to be close to the ceremony venue and limit the drive, as you will be more relaxed. A luxury hotel room is great as it is tidy and helps you really focus on what is happening and detach yourself from everyday life. Pick a big and bright room, get Champagne and fresh flowers delivered and make the most of it!

Some may prefer to get ready at their parents’ home. This is also a great option as you will have nostalgic feelings when getting ready for your wedding in the house where you grew up. Your parents though will be more distracted by their ‘everyday life’ than if you were at a hotel with everyone only focusing on you. It is a personal choice dependent on you, your relationship with your parents and siblings, and with the house.

Space & Light

Pick a space that is huge with plenty of natural light

If your bedroom is too dark or too small don’t be afraid to move it to your living room, which probably has better lighting and has more space. Make sure there is enough room for you and your entourage to get ready. This will ensure that I can easily move around to get different angles of your preparation.

Also, please take the time to tidy up. I try to move things around when needed and to get the best angles, but full-on cleaning up is obviously impossible. What you see around you will be captured in the photographs. So unless you want those empty takeaway boxes in your wedding photos, please make sure to remove them.

Think of the atmosphere that you’d like to have and choose wisely who will be there including your suppliers.

Don’t worry about me (the photographer), I’m not here to direct your prep, I’m here to capture the real emotions that will come from this special moment. We will not do fake shots of you putting on your earring, putting on your shoes, etc. All of that will happen and I will capture it naturally. My approach is to help you make your preparations relaxing and focus on the emotion of the moment.

You should think about this, too, when choosing your wedding suppliers (hairdressers, make-up artist) since you will pass a lot of time with them. Not only you must love their work but also have a good rapport with them. You want professionals that will respect you and your moment. This is especially true if you’re doing a DIY backyard wedding as you are likely to spend more time with them setting up your wedding space.

Lastly, I think that it’s better to have the TV turned off. You are getting married today! It’s a distraction that isn’t needed on this day. You want to be in touch with your emotions and what’s happening around you. Just have a soft calm background music and have only the people whom you love present.

Allow enough time

If you have chosen our full day coverage for your wedding day and we’ve had our wedding preparation meeting, then all you have to do on the day is relax. There’s no need to stress about the time.

I will arrive at your place more than two hours before the ceremony to capture your preparation and do some fun and artistic portraits of you, your girls/boys and your family.