So you’ve gotten engaged and you probably have your eye on your photographer (or maybe you’ve booked them already!) and you’re probably super excited to go take engagement photos. Maybe even use them for your Save-the-Dates. Well, great! I highly recommend an engagement session before your big day, but have you also booked your photographer for a bridal session? If you haven’t, keep reading for all the reasons that you need a bridal session before the wedding!

Bridal sessions are a complete run-through.

This is the perfect chance to practice everything! Hair, make-up, your bouquet, your dress – everything gets used in a bridal session. This helps you see exactly what you’ll look like on your wedding day, so if you want to make some changes to your hair or makeup, you can! Your bridal session is the perfect dress rehearsal before the big day!

Bridal sessions are good for your photographer.

We all have those little things we dislike about ourselves, and you are you’re biggest critic. You tend to be even more tough on your own appearance on wedding day, and it’s the one day that you’ll probably have more photos taken of you than any other time in your life. Taking bridal photos helps your photographer understand what poses and moments make you feel beautiful! They’ll know which “side” is your favorite, which angles you don’t love, how to make you genuinely smile – all of which are so important on your wedding day!

Bridal sessions allows you to relax.

Wedding days can inevitably be stressful, especially when you know you have a long day ahead. When you do a bridal session, you’ve already done a run-through of the getting ready and photography routine. Brides that opt for bridal photos tend to be much more relaxed on wedding day, because they feel like they had a dress run and already know what to expect. You want to be able to be calm and relaxed and enjoy that day, and when you’ve had a trial run, that’s much easier to do.

Bridal sessions help you move comfortably in your dress.

Let’s be honest, you’ve probably never worn such a heavy, long, big (or expensive) dress before, so how can you be comfortable in it? During your bridal session you’ll be able to practice  spending a decent period of time in your dress and get to know how it moves. This is so important when it comes to being comfortable on your wedding day!

Bridal sessions are timeless.

These photos are something you will cherish for a lifetime. You may show your children these pictures someday and you might even inspire them to do their own! And your parents will probably want to hang these all over the house. Take the time to have a session for pictures that make you feel glamorous, beautiful, and most of all, excited to start your married life with the person you love!