Photos, you will have lots and lots of photos taken on your special day and naturally you’ll want to look your very best, especially as it is your wedding day.
Here are a few tips to point you in the right direction
Don’t drink too much
Plan to have your hen or stag do a few nights before ,as opposed to the night before. This will prevent hangovers on the day and dark circles from appearing around your eyes.
Get a good night’s sleep the night before
This will help you look your best and appear more calm and serene in your photos (however you may be feeling on the inside). Sleep will help your overall mood, which will come across in your photos.
Practice
It’s a good idea to practice poses before the event, even better if your photographer offers this session as it will help you prepare and feel more comfortable when it comes to the day. It also gives you the opportunity to discuss what types of photos you want i.e do you want romantic shots gazing into each other’s eyes or do you prefer family portrait style photos or of course a combination of the two. It also gives you the chance to discover your ‘best side’ or features. Have fun experimenting.
Your Best Side
Speaking of your ‘best side’ here’s your chance to shine, besides if you can’t show off on your wedding day, when can you? If you are hiring a professional photographer, let them know which side you prefer to have your photo taken from and if you have a particular feature played down.
Your Smile
You are going to be happy and full of love, which is why your face will light up naturally and your eyes will sparkle with joy on this momentous occasion. Of course you will smile a lot but do not feel as though you have to smile continuously throughout all the photos. Sometimes the best photos are captured when your eyes are ‘smiling’ and you are being admired by your loved one.
Strike a Pose
Taking action is empowering and will help you feel in control of the situation, which for many can be a relief. Having a couple of poses prepared in advance can help you feel like ‘you’ve got this’ in front of the camera.
Here are a couple of poses for you to try:
Chin area - many people are concerned about having double chins in photos, one solution would be to tilt your head up slightly, this will elongate your neck and reduce the impact of a double chin.
Slimming effect – Hold your arms slightly away from your body, this helps you to look slimmer and helps define your waist. An example of this would be to hold your bouquet at hip level with your forearms slightly raised. Angling your body towards the camera instead of a front pose is also more slimming.
Neck area – Lower your shoulder, as you look towards the camera and tilt your head slightly.
Eyes – To make your eyes look bigger, turn your neck towards the camera and raise your eyebrows, while looking upwards slightly.
Model look – Turn and look towards the camera from an angle. Keep one foot behind the other (at right angles if you can), while placing your weight on the back foot and smile.
Full Make-up, Hair, Jewellery & Dress rehearsal
Practice how you want your hair and make-up to look on the day. If you can, practice wearing your dress with your wedding jewellery too in front of your mirror, as this will help you feel more confident on the day which help to create those lovely photos.
Communication
This may sound obvious but it is essential to inform your photographer what you do and don’t want, in order to maximise getting the best photos possible. For instance, if you don’t like your photographer hanging around you throughout the day and prefer photos taken at only certain intervals, let them know so as to avoid unnecessary awkward conversations and bad feeling towards each other. Discuss what scenery you would prefer in the background so you know you are both ‘singing from the same hymn sheet ‘as it were. This will help you to feel at ease with your photographer , which promotes lovely photos
Stay Natural
There’s no need to be false or feel you have to put on a show if you don’t want to, just because it’s your wedding day. Besides the best photos are almost always the ones which have caught you by surprise and you didn’t even realise they had been taken. For instance, when you steal a kiss from your beloved or gaze across the room to them adoringly. Stay true to yourself and enjoy the moment.
Relax
Remember to take time to breath and enjoy these special moments. This will help keep you calm and composed while others are flapping in excitement around you. This will also help keep you looking amazing in those beautiful wedding photos.
You’ve Got this.
Enjoy your wedding day
By Pamela Sommers
Pamela is a London wedding jewellery specialist and founder of SommerSparkle, an award-winning online boutique creating fairytale weddings with their beautiful bridal jewellery & accessories.
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