I can’t believe we are finally here — the Bridal Getting Ready Process is BY FAR my favorite time of the wedding day! It’s filled with so many special moments that are worth taking a little extra time to cherish.

Having been a bride, I’ve learned that it’s extremely challenging to process all the moving pieces from your wedding day. From the decor, to the people, to all the important milestones, you’re lucky to have a few blissful memories that you can recall years later.

So when I started Lele & Beane Photography, I knew I had to do something different to help my brides retain their beautiful memories more readily. Keep reading to learn how I’m different than most photographers and go the extra mile to make sure your day is incredible!

If you book with me

“With Lele & Beane Photography, the getting ready process is intentionally designed with memorable sights, sounds, smells, and moments worth savoring to help you create lasting memories alongside your images.”

How to Prepare the Bridal Suite

Style the Getting Ready Location

Whether it’s a church nursery room, Airbnb, or full bridal suite, I love to encourage you to design the getting-ready space to impact all of your senses. Here are some tips on how to prepare:

Surround yourself with your bouquets - Nothing says bridal than the colors and smells of your gorgeous flowers! See if your florist can bring them bright & early.
Hang up your dresses - Hang those beauties on display with velvet hangers with a swivel top! Steam your dresses before you arrive & hang them on display.
Play some tunes - Play background music to add to the getting-ready process. Your vibe may be soft & romantic or more lively for dancing & singing!
Incorporate heirloom items - I had my great-grandmother’s hair brush & mirror on the table while I had my makeup done AND used the same goblets my parents drank out of on their wedding day. I’ve seen brides use their mom’s crystal for a toast with their bridesmaids or even a grandmother’s pin attached to your bouquet!
Organize the room - Talk to your photographer about where they plan on taking photos. If it’s in the same room as hair & makeup, then keep bags & all accessories at the opposite end of the room. This will make for a clean & stress-free environment!

Prep for Hair & Makeup

At 80% of my weddings, the hair & makeup process gets behind and delays the schedule drastically. If this happens, portrait times are lessened and become very rushed — making the entire day a stressful process.

Here are some tips to avoid this completely:

Make sure you have enough stylists. On average, it takes the bride 1 hour for makeup and 1 hour for hair. For bridesmaids, mothers, grandmothers, and flower girls, it usually takes about 30-45 minutes per service.
Don’t forget about mothers, grandmothers, and flower girls. If these people were not taken into account initially, the hair & makeup artists would not have enough time to get everyone done. Communicate this upfront to all parties.
Give yourself cushion time. If the schedule has photos starting at 1:00 pm, ask your stylists to be done by 12:30 pm. This gives you some cushion time in case they need it, but also more time to enjoy lunch, bathroom breaks, etc.
Provide non-messy meals and lots of hydration. There’s nothing like a bunch of hangry ladies trying to get pampered! Lol. It helps to have small finger foods and lots of water for everyone during the pampering process.

The Wedding Accessories

aka the wedding details

While hair & makeup take place, I love starting out the wedding day by capturing all the accessories you've carefully chosen for your big day! This includes anything from your wardrobe, rings, invitations, flowers, gifts, and any other small details important to you.

Fun additions include a personalized ring box, hanger, heirloom items, or even your table linens or napkins to be used as the backdrop of your wedding rings!

Bridal Details: Bouquet, Dress, Veil, Shoes, Rings + Ring Box, Perfume Bottle, Jewelry & Hairpieces
Groom Details: Boutonniere, Shoes & Socks, Pocket Square, Watch, Tie/Bowtie, Ring + Ring Box, Cologne Bottle
Paper Items: Vow Books, the Full Invitation Suite ( 2 full sets with envelopes + stamps), Any Other Stationery like Program Cards
Misc: Heirloom Items or Sentimental Keepsakes (that match your wedding aesthetics)

Bride & Mom View The Accessories

a chance to savor the little things

Please play the mood music above.

After hair & makeup is complete, I love to invite the bride and her mother (or mother figure) to view all of the wedding accessories. Usually, this is their first time seeing the bouquet and taking in all of the design work that they’ve spent months dreaming about!

As I address the bride and her mother, I’ll start playing the mood music above and invite them to take a deep breath…

“It’s time! You’re finally about to become a wife. The first step of the day is to savor all of the details you’ve carefully chosen to represent your love story. I’d love to give you a moment to simply take it all in. Smell your flowers, touch your dress, and put your ring back on. I want you to remember every detail of today!”

As I walk them into the room hand in hand, there’s usually an audible “wow", as they see the dress and how beautiful everything looks together. Sometimes there are tears and hugs, but there’s no pressure to respond any certain way. The goal is to give you time to see your dream come together and take a moment to breathe before the rush of photos begins!

Party Time with Your Bridesmaids!

Your Last Single Girl Hoo-Rah

After they’ve had a moment to view the wedding accessories, I love inviting the bridesmaids to enjoy them as well. This makes for the perfect backdrop for fun photos with the girls in robes or PJs!

At this point, the mood changes to what I call your last HOO-RAH with the girls hehe =) I ask the bridesmaids to tell me a song that reminds them of the bride, and I invite them to have a dance party!

“Alright ladies, now that hair & makeup is done — it’s time to get this party started! I want you to relive all of the glory days with the bride as a single woman. Tell some funny stories, dance all you want, and have another swig of that mimosa!”

I love giving the bride this time with her girls before she gets her dress on. There’s nothing like reminiscing on all the fun times they’ve had together. I hear all sorts of stories, giggles, and snorts as they simply get to be themselves and let loose!

Here are some tips on how to prepare:

Casual Outfits. Robes or PJs are great to wear for hair and makeup. I’ve also seen oversized t-shirts, matching slippers, or matching jewelry sets.
View the Wedding Accessories. It’s fun to show the girls all of your super-hard design work!
Turn up the Music. Play music so you can sing and dance with your girls!
Make a Toast. Fancy mimosas?! You can share fun stories and make a special toast.
The more the merrier. Add in your grandmother or future mother-in-law for an added twist!

Putting Your Wedding Dress On

A Private Moment For the bride and her mother

After all of the silliness is giggled out, it’s now time to officially get the wedding dress on! Because this moment is so special, I reserve it for the bride and her mother (or mother figure) only. It allows them to have a private moment together before walking down the aisle. This is usually when the weight of the day sets in — a day filled with so many firsts and lasts that deserve to be experienced fully.

When you are both ready to get dressed, I’ll look at mom and say,

“These are your last few moments with your daughter before she gets married. Take advantage of this time together — if it looks like prayers, tears, or encouragements — cherish every minute. Once you’re fully dressed, I’ll come back in and capture the final touches.”

As I close the door with tears in my eyes, I watch as they realize the significance of the moment they have together. I’m very close to my mom, so this time of day always gets me.

Once they are both fully dressed, I’ll come back into the room to capture these moments:

Help Mom Get Ready: If mom has a corsage or jewerly, I love for the bride to be a part of putting that on her mom.
Zipping / Buttoning the Dress. Make sure you have a sewing stitch if needed.
Putting on the veil. Sometimes the hair stylist will need to do this, so your mom can pretend. Or you can wait and lets your bridesmaids do this.
Putting on heirloom items. This could be jewelry or even something blue.
Smiling portrait. Even if there are tears — this is a sweet time for a portrait to remember.

First Look with Bridesmaids

an optional add-on

As you’re getting dressed, the bridesmaids are usually getting ready in another room. Once everyone is ready, it’s super fun to have a First Look with your bridesmaids! This usually consists of lots of hugs and sometimes even tears. No matter the reaction — I love to encourage your girls to go crazy at the sight of you! After they’ve had a moment to take it in, they can also be a part of helping you finish get ready.

Putting on your Garter. Your matron or maid of honor can help you put on your garter.
Playing with your veil. Everyone can be a part of adjusting your veil and making sure it looks perfect!
Any final touches + smiling portrait. This is a great photo to have with everyone fully dressed.

Indoor Bridal Portraits

If everything is on time and the schedule allows it, I love to capture portraits of just you indoors! This may look like close-up shots of your jewelry, your veil over your head for a more traditional vibe, and even detailed shots of your ring as you touch and smell your flowers. Everything has a purpose in encouraging you to make memories as your portraits take place.

Pro Tip

To create lasting memories, provide space for you and your loved ones to express thoughts & emotions.

Final Moments with Family

First Look with Dad

Now that you’re fully dressed, this is a great time to invite your dad (or father figure) in to see you for the first time. He will want to be fully dressed with his boutonniere on. I love to give a simple reminder that these are his last few moments with the bride before she gets married and to love on you like crazy!

Immediate Family Portraits

After he has seen you, I will slowly go into portraits of you two, as well as invite the rest of your immediate family into portraits if their schedule allows it. This usually consists of just parents and siblings, but I’ve also seen some grandparents or other family members be a part of this process. For siblings, I usually do a regular portrait, as well as one that encompasses what your relationship was like growing up — sometimes I get fake fighting and sometimes just big hugs =)

Gifts

To make sure we don’t get behind on the wedding timeline, I normally suggest that all gifts take place at the rehearsal dinner. However, if we plan in advance knowing that they need to be somewhat quick, this is a great time to receive or give gifts to your parents.

Final Thoughts

Whether it’s your parents, wedding party, best friend from college, or your even just great grandmother’s picture, make sure to take time to give and receive love from those you cherish most. Those are the details you will remember!