Choosing a Prep Space for your Wedding Day
Alright, brides. Let’s talk about choosing a prep space for your wedding day. I know this is an afterthought for a lot of couples (because let’s be honest, you’ve got a whole dang wedding to plan) but your prep space is a WAY more important piece of your wedding day than you might realize!
Why is your prep space so important?
Fist, because prep is such a fun part of your wedding day. For most brides (and grooms) that nervous excitement, those last few moments as a single person celebrating with your best friends…. Those end up being some of the most special and emotional images of the day.
Second (and more to the point), it isn’t just the getting ready images that are shot in the prep space. Wherever you’re getting ready is where we’ll be shooting all of your detail shots (ya know, your dress, your invitations, your jewelry, etc. etc.), your bridal portraits + groom portraits, AND all of your “getting ready” pictures.
So when you think about it, that prep space gets used for ALMOST as much of your day as your actual ceremony/reception venue! So splurge on it! So if it’s beautiful, naturally lit, and uncluttered, that means your images will be more beautiful, too!
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What should you look for when choosing where you’ll be getting ready on your wedding day?
My advice: splurge on an awesome, fun prep space. Find a fun, bright Airbnb near your venue! Or ask for an upgraded hotel room with lots of windows and some extra space! Try to look for a space large enough for all your your friends and family to comfortable while they get ready. If you can find a space with a corner or a closet where you can stash dress bags, suitcases, makeup, etc. so they’re not in the background of all of your pictures, that’s an extra plus! And always look for a space with white or neutral colored walls.
Don’t be afraid to book your prep space early! I can’t tell you how many brides we’ve worked with who left this until the last minute and then were disappointed with their remaining options. So if your venue doesn’t already have an awesome prep space, start looking! (And don’t be afraid to ask your photographer for help, we love helping with this stuff!!)
Bonus tip: If you can find a prep space where you/your wedding party could stay the night before, do it! I can’t tell you how different a bridal suite feels after the bridesmaids have all had a fun sleepover together the night before. We notice it instantly when we walk in the room. You can tell that everyone is more relaxed, they’ve spent time together, they have space to stash their stuff and get comfortable…. And you don’t have to worry about schlepping your stuff to and from the ceremony/reception venues, worrying about being kicked out after the venue closes, stashing things in your car, etc. etc. We also did this for our wedding, and honestly it was the one decision we were most happy about. It gave us so much extra intimate time with our very closest family and friends, and it was so, so, SO much fun. Some of my favorite wedding memories are from the time we had there with our friends and family in the two days leading up to our wedding day.
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So there you go! Your prep space really is important, it’s used for a huge percentage of your wedding day images, and splurging on a really fun/beautiful space will make those last few moments you have as a single lady so fun!!!