How to Choose a Getting Ready Place for your Wedding
1) Find a place with lots of NATURAL lighting.
Windows windows windows! Natural lighting is key when it comes to getting ready photos. Sometimes venues provide getting ready areas with no windows and you're forced to either use the lighting in the room (which usually isn’t the most flattering..), or forced to use a flash. Using a flash for photos isn’t bad, but in contrast to natural lighting, it just isn’t as flattering as the natural light.
2) Bright Interiors
Getting ready areas with bright, light colors in the background is always great to work with! Having a room with white or light colored walls will always come out better than having a room with dark colored walls. Dark walls tend to absorb all the lighting, where light colored walls will bounce light around more and create even lighting.
3) Space to spread out
Find a place that has lots of room to spread out! Remember all the people that will potentially be in there. There’s you, bridesmaids, mothers, flower girls, hair and makeup, photographers and videographers. That can add up pretty quickly, and you don’t want photos with everyone on top of each other the whole time. Find a place where you can spread out, room to breathe and room to create beautiful photos.
4) Remove all the clutter
It takes a lot of STUFF to get ready for a wedding, especially when you have all your favorite people with you getting ready as well. Before the photographer arrives, delegate someone to remove everything you're not using. Clear off the bed, coffee tables, etc.. The last thing you want is to look at your photos after it’s all said and done and notice that there’s an empty water bottle in the background.. So be sure to remove all the clutter, or designate a space for all of that. If you're getting ready in a space with multiple rooms, then designate a space that will always stay decluttered, that way the photographer has a place to take photos of you getting into the dress, putting on your shoes, etc..
5) Outdoor Spaces
Find a spot that has outdoor spaces, this is a great way to add variety to your photos, or to add more space for your photos. It also creates a space to do things like pop a champagne bottle in your robes, or reveal you in your dress to your bridesmaids, or do detail shots of your dress. It also has NATURAL lighting!