Photographer

I really don’t think you’ll need or want 6 hours worth of getting ready photos! Sounds like 2 hours of getting ready photos will be more than enough. Maybe just ask your mom or a bridesmaid to make sure to take a few photos of the first few hours?

I would say really you need to only have getting ready photos of you. Truthfully do you need pics of your bridesmaids getting hair and make up. I would just take regular cell phone pics if needed but I think for me I would want pics of my getting hair and make up and getting dressed then some final pics of you and the party prior to first looks and ceremony.

You don’t want “getting ready” Picts to start until hair and makeup is almost finished. No ones going to want a professional picture without any makeup and hair all a mess. You will still have pictures of what looks like getting ready, with the matching pajamas and such but hair and makeup will look nice.

Get a college or photo student to get the pictures of your party getting ready for the time your photographer isn't there. that way it a win-win for both parties, you get your photos and they get the experience for their work/ school.

You don’t need hours of getting ready photos. I understand the appeal of a few cute posed photos or pictures of you getting into your dress, but honestly, what are you going to do with hundreds of pictures of your friends getting their hair curled? I think two hours is more than enough.

I think most photographer's "getting ready" photos are highly posed and taken at the very end of the actual getting ready time.... It's mostly posing and "pretending" to put finishing touches on make-up or hair. If you truly want candids during the actual hair & make-up appointment, I think you'll be happy enough with some cell phone pics taken by BM or mom. I think 12-2 with your photographer will be MORE than enough time to get some "pretend" hair & make-up shots, and posed bridal party in their getting ready outfits.

For daughter's wedding HMU started at 7, but the photographer didn't arrive until 11. She had 1.5 hrs of "getting ready" photo time before we left for the venue at 12:30. They had 1-3 at the venue for "getting the bride into her dress" type photos, first look with dad, first look with groom, and a zillion wedding party photos. Ceremony was 3:30 and reception ended at 10. Daughter ended up with 1100+ edited photos from start to finish.... There was plenty of coverage of everything!

Most “getting ready” photos are staged! My photographer told me no one wants pictures of them with hair and makeup not done. Your timeline will be fine.

You also don’t need the photographer all the way til the end! Ours is only staying until first dance, father daughter, and mother son dances are done!

Yep, as PP said, the getting ready photos are staged. You are to be fully made up and then the photographer starts shooting. My MUA used a clean brush to pretend to apply eye shadow on my and the hair stylist sprayed some extra hair spray. Then we did cutesy champagne toast photos, etc of us girls hanging out “getting ready”.

If she can get there for 12, that’s 2 hours of getting ready photos and is P L E N T Y. You don’t even want the real pre-getting ready nitty gritty photos— the way my photographer put it was basically that she wouldn’t dare take a pic before we had make up on. If we wanted hair and make up pics, it would be finishing touches or touch ups. Like arranging a curl, pinning a flower, putting on lipstick. But not bare faced and sleepy getting concealer spread on— it’s just not what you’ll want to see and remember later.


We got getting ready photos and they’re my favorite, but all of them happened AFTER we got hair and make up done (off site).
All our getting ready photos are genuine. They were at the house, getting dressed, and doing finishing touches. We have: my girls steaming their dresses, us drinking champagne and laughing together, putting on jewelry, me getting buttoned into my dress, everyone seeing me in my dress for the first time, putting on shoes, putting on veil, etc etc. Tons of great genuine pics. All just taken in the last hour before we headed down the aisle.

2 hours is plenty! I’m not having my photographer show up to the hotel until after hair and makeup is done and he will literally take probably 20 mins worth of pictures of us in our robes and my dress hanging then we move on to the venue where he’ll take all the detail shots of our rings and me getting into my dress. We had to choose wisely to maximize how time with our photographers and the ceremony and receptions pictures are more important to us.