Fine Portraiture For Your Wedding

Your wedding day is coming soon and you still don't know what to do with your hair and makeup. What size bouquet should you use? What time of day would be the best lighting for your portraits?

I have run into some problems on the wedding day that almost brought the bride to tears. Most of them could have been avoided by the bride if the proper planning had been made.

For example, a bride showed up late at her ceremony and told me the salon that fixed her hair made her look like something out of a horror movie. The makeup made her look older and would have scared the groom away. The bride had to spend time redoing her hair and makeup herself.

I would suggest that the bride have a trial run with a reputable beauty salon a few days before the ceremony to confirm the hair style and makeup, and build her confidence that she will be the best thing the groom has ever seen. The bride needs only about 10% more makeup than she would normally put on. I like the natural look. A good base and some concealer under the eyes will keep down the cost of photo retouching. The hair should be worn in a way that the bride feels comfortable. I prefer to have the hair pulled back from the face so that it will not blow into the mouth or eyes during the portraits. However, I want to reemphasize that the hair style must be what the bride thinks will show her best side.

Almost every bride I work with that doesn't have a figure like a toothpick wants to look tall and thin in photos. A black dress would help, but it is usually not the acceptable bridal attire. I recommend to stay away from the sleeveless gowns. I know that they are currently the popular style, but the arms will stand out in the photo and compete with the face for attention. Long sleeves can be hot and uncomfortable in the Hawaii climate, so an ideal sleeve length would be midway between the elbow and shoulder. Gloves also work well in photos. Brides should try on their wedding gown the day before the wedding; I have had two brides who have popped their zippers on the wedding day. (I carry a sewing kit in my camera bag.) For the larger-than-average girl, I would suggest a slightly larger-than-average bouquet. Don't go overboard, because by the end of the day a large bouquet can get pretty heavy.

Would you like to stay away from those heavy shadows under the eyes, smile lines, and those terrible blemishes that show up in the photos and stay forever in your wedding album? Makeup does help, but the time of day can have a much bigger effect on the outcome of the photographs. "Soft Light" is what the photographers call the beautiful light in the late afternoon that will make the bride and groom look like they have perfect skin. (There are limits to what the light can do for the couple.) Usually, the last 30-40 minutes of the day will give that nice warm glow that lights up the eyes and sets the scene for those romantic portraits. Allow the photographer enough time to take those quality photos, and then just enjoy all the compliments from your friends about how beautiful your wedding photos look.