This one’s for the BRIDES!!! I love teaching photographers and sharing our knowledge, but every now and then I love to help MY brides and OTHER brides who are planning their big day! We see it ALL! We’ve photographed over 200 weddings and so we’ve seen all kinds of fun ideas, things that work well and things that don’t! Today I’m sharing my opinion about the VEIL and when I think it’s best to actually WEAR it! You may be wondering “Well Katelyn, doesn’t the bride wear the veil ALL DAY on her wedding day?”!
The answer to that is actually no! Most brides don’t wear their veils the ENTIRE day because they are a PAIN to maneuver! They usually only stay in as long as they absolutely HAVE to, unless it is a birdcage style veil that is very small and light weight!
So, when is the best time to wear the veil?! Here’s my opinion and some reasons why this option works REALLY well from a photo perspective!!
If my couple is sharing a first look and the bride has a veil to wear and doesn’t necessarily want the veil in EVERY portrait of the two of them, I recommend not wearing the veil for the First Look and saving it for the aisle! There are a few reasons why I love this idea! :
- It’s something that the groom hasn’t seen and will make the bride look EXTRA bridal when she is coming down the aisle!
- It GUARANTEES that I get to have portrait time after the ceremony because they’ll need some “veil fluffing” shots! Everyone needs a few “Veil fluffing” shots!!
- It keeps the veil from being wrinkled or damaged in any way before the ceremony!
- It allows me to have something new and fun to be creative with during sunset portraits!!
- We have seen a TON of grooms freak out when they see their bride during the first look and without thinking about it, they hug her so tight that it rips the veil out and that can really ruin the moment! So we try to avoid that!
- Veils photograph BETTER in evening, sunset light more than they do in the middle of the day! They can tend to be way overexposed because of the abundance of sunlight and ambient light during the first look!
- The bride gets TWO different “looks” on her wedding day! See examples below!
I know these are some of the things that you would probably NEVER think about, but they make a big difference for us as photographers on the wedding day! If you’re a bride debating on what to do with your veil, just know that this is really a very small part of the planning process, and even though it does impact the outcome of the photography on your wedding day, it’s not a deal breaker! If you want to wear that expensive veil all day to get your money’s worth then you go right ahead! It’s your day and you can do whatever you want!! :) I have a lot of KJ Brides who wear their veil for the first look, and then I help them take it out for a little variety too so there are MANY options!
Before the ceremony and after! :
Before the ceremony and after! :
Before the ceremony and after! :
Before the ceremony and after! :
Thanks for reading!
— Katelyn
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