Most weddings I’ve photographed have 4+ bridesmaids and groomsmen as well as a flower girl and a ring bearer. In order to prepare your bridal party for your wedding day, here are a few tips I recommend that you follow and relay to your girls & guys. 1. Most people who accept the honorable role of BRIDESMAID or GROOMSMEN know what to expect, but occasionally there are a few that don’t because they haven’t actually been in a wedding before. Make sure you share the photography timeline that I help you plan with them. Email it to them the week before your wedding day and have them save it to their phone so they can follow it accordingly. They’ll know what to expect and approximately how long they’ll be asked to stay for photos.

2. In my experience, it’s usually the guys who want to head straight to the party and skip the photos. Prepare them for what’s to come and tell them that if they behave for photos, you’ll feed them for a week. Haha! Bribery works with them, I promise. 😉

3. Make sure your bridesmaids and both mom’s keep their dresses hanging in a safe place to ensure there are no wrinkles for photos. If wrinkles do appear, bring a steamer and have them get rid of those awful things!

4. I’ve said this before, but I want to reiterate the fact that you must keep your getting ready space CLEAN! Nothing ruins a photo quite like trash, tons of bags, clothing, etc. does. Put all of those things in a separate room or in the corner of the room you’re in to ensure that they do not appear in your photos. I thank you in advance for doing this!

5. Buy your bridesmaids and groomsmen a nice gift to say that you love them and to show your appreciation. Give your MOH and BM an extra special gift so they’ll take great care of you on your wedding day. (They should already know to do this, but still.)And, an extra tip would be to schedule your bridal party photos with your flower girl(s) and ring bearer(s) FIRST. Most FGs and RBs tend to be quite young, and they’re really not interested in photos and just want to play. We’ll get them done in 10 minutes or under, so they’ll be extra happy and you’ll be stress-free.

Happy Planning! 🙂