{Romantic Candlelit Styled Bridal Portraits}

Bridal portrait sessions are all the rage, more specifically in the southern part of the country, but if you’ve never heard of them then I’m sure you came to this blog post genuinely curious. Historically stemming from oil paintings of royalty in their bridal regalia, bridal sessions have evolved over time into today’s version, in which a session is scheduled separate from, and long before, the wedding day. These sessions are focused solely on the bride as she is photographed dressed in her full wedding attire including accessories with complete hair and makeup done as a trial for the actual wedding day. The location is usually different from the wedding day and more time is spent curating creative images of the bride. The results are typically kept secret, and in many cases a large print from the session is later displayed at the wedding reception. After the wedding, portraits are later gifted to the parents of the bride.

This tradition is not overly common in this part of the midwest but I’ve always loved gazing at bridal images online from other photographers that shoot bridal sessions. As the busy season slowed down, I decided to create my own styled bridal session with, none other than the beautiful Ryley, a member of TEAM 24 (CBS Senior Spokesmodel). Often times, during a wedding day there are very few minutes to capture the bride, herself, let alone enough time to create compelling and creative images. This was something I was CRAVING to do! Thankfully Ryley was so willing to participate with a more editorial posing style. She is stunning!!!

If you’re a bride, I’m sure your asking yourself, why would I need one of these session or can’t I just do this during the wedding day? The number one reason brides opt for a bridal session is to try out their full wedding day look, dress, shoes, hair, makeup and any other accessories BEFORE the big day. It allows for more time to make any changes necessary before the day of. An added bonus, you can use this time to break in your shoes and create beautiful, STRESS-FREE portraits that make wonderful parent and groom gifts. If you love the vibe of these images but your time or wallet doesn’t allow it, I highly suggest just working in an additional 15 minutes in your wedding day timeline dedicated to just portraits of you. Use your wedding decorations (florals and candles) to your advantage to create a small, beautiful space ahead of the wedding day. And PS: adding a cathedral length veil, even if it’s just for these portraits, will add to the opulence! 😉