Brides! - Make the most of your bridal pictures!

Bridal pictures on your wedding day - Yes, of course, but how about boudoir, trash the dress pictures, as well?

Let’s face it – there aren’t very many days in a woman’s life where she is the center of attention. Her wedding day is one of those amazing days where, really, it’s all about the bride.

The fact that all the cameras and video cameras are trained on her is proof. Would you really blame her for wanting to spread that feeling out a little bit longer?

The great thing about wedding photography is that, unlike the food or the flowers, it can be spread out over days prior to and after the wedding with special types of bridal pictures such as boudoir photography and trash-the-dress photos. These types of photography really are polar opposites, as boudoir photography captures the bride at her most vulnerable, while trash-the-dress photography shows the bride all done up and signifying the end of her single years.

Boudoir photography is usually done a few weeks or months before the nuptials as a wedding-day gift to the groom. While the term ‘boudoir’ means bedroom in French, it isn’t necessarily x-rated photography. More often it’s suggestive photography of the bride, but that’s still enough to make a woman nervous about shedding her clothing in front of photographer she barely knows. The key to making sure you’re comfortable is to get to know the photographer well, view plenty of examples of his or her previous boudoir work and, as a last resort, down a glass of champagne or wine before getting in front of the camera to loosen your inhibitions (Please note: complete intoxication is not pretty, nor recommended!) Bring plenty of props and costume changes to give the photographer a lot of options, therefore improving the final project.

On the other end of the spectrum, trash-the-dress photos are the newest types of bridal pictures to hit the wedding industry, as it’s just shown up in the past decade. It was only in 2001, in fact, when a Las Vegas photographer first uttered the words “trash the dress.” The trend wasn’t even acknowledged in mainstream media until around 2007. The basic idea behind trashing the dress is to take an array of photos of the bride donning her wedding gown one more time after her wedding. Often the dress is ruined due to the locations and poses, such as in the water, climbing trees or in a grungy warehouse. These types of photos aren’t for everyone – the idea of trashing a $10,000 wedding dress is appalling to some – but it gives the bride incredibly unique, gorgeous photos that she would never get otherwise.

Because these types of bridal pictures are specialized and not completely mainstream yet, make sure to check out a photographer’s repertoire fully before selecting. In both instances, you should be completely comfortable during the photo shoot and extremely happy with the end results. Between boudoir photography and trash-the-dress sessions, a girl has never before had so many special options in bridal pictures to extend the focus beyond her wedding day.

Even if you're not convinced you still need your wedding dress to be unique, so be sure to check out Nicola's site to match the theme of your day.

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