What is a Bridal Session? Seattle Wedding Photographer Janet Lin Photography

FINE ART WASHINGTON AND DESTINATION

August 16, 2020

A Southern Wedding Tradition that has started to take hold around the world is the bridal portrait session. This is a pre-wedding session designed JUST for the bride. I love bridal sessions because I get to photograph my sweet brides when they are feeling perhaps the MOST beautiful they’ve ever felt, but without all the commotion of the actual wedding day going on around them. It’s a really special shoot that allows me to focus on and capture the bride, and all of the beautiful details (like the ring, veil, intricacies of her gown, etc.) in an environment that is truly all about her and commemorating this once-in-a-lifetime season she is in.

Not only does a bridal session allow the bride to just feel incredibly special and pampered, I actually feel like a bridal session takes some of the stress OUT of the wedding day for my brides, too. Here’s why; they get a practice run! Often for a bridal portrait session, the bride will schedule a hair and make up trial, get into her wedding dress, and even utilize a replica of their planned bridal bouquet. This takes all the guess-work out of how things will turn out on the wedding day; she already knows things will run smoothly, because she got to practice with her team and make any needed refinements at that time.

You can also get creative with your bridal session and select a location that might not otherwise be available to you on your actual wedding day. For example, perhaps you want a more adventurous setting like the beautiful Pacific Northwest mountain tops, a beach, or a gorgeous field of flowers, but these settings are not readily available at your wedding venue or there isn’t time for travel built into the wedding day. The bridal session is a lovely opportunity to steal away to a unique setting. Alternatively, many of the brides I work with are really drawn to the refined, editorial aesthetic of a clean, elegant white space, but their venue doesn’t necessarily have an option for this on the wedding day. The bridal session is a perfect opportunity to get into the studio together and create some gorgeous, magazine-worthy bridal portraits that will be timeless artifacts of the way you looked and felt as you prepared to marry the love of your life.

Needless to say, I adore bridal sessions and getting an extra opportunity to make a bride feel like a million bucks! Here is a little peek into a recent bridal session!