Your wedding day is a special event shared between friends and family members. It just makes sense that you want to look your best — especially in the wedding photos that you’ll keep for years and years to come.
While you’ll probably be beaming on your wedding day no matter what, there are some things you can do to really bring out your best in your wedding pictures. Here are a few tips that can help:
1. Use the Right Kind and Amount of Makeup
This is especially important if your photographer is going to use flash since the wrong foundation can create a “wash-out effect” in your pictures. Make sure you’re using makeup that complements your natural features. Test out various options to see which combination of foundation, mascara, eyeliner, etc. works best for you.
2. Practice Your Poses for the Wedding Photos
“Seriously?” you may be thinking. Granted, the idea sounds kind of silly, but when you practice your poses it will actually help your wedding pictures to come out better. Even though your photographer will give you some coaching on where to place your hands or how to angle your body, it’s still a good idea to have a few “go-to poses” ready just in case. And when you’re practicing, don’t forget to hold that smile!
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when practicing your poses:
- Try angling your body to the “camera” (your mirror), lean on your back foot, and smile. This “red carpet pose” has a slimming effect in pictures, since your body is not being photographed straight on.
- Try leaning towards the camera with your chin and neck tilted downward ever so slightly. Then, look up. This pose will make your eyes appear larger and accentuate your eyebrows.
- Lower your shoulder toward the camera while lifting your chin up slightly. This will make your neck appear longer and more slender.
- Leave a little gap between your body and your arms. This will not only make your arms look smaller, but will also cause a slimming effect around your torso.
- When you’re practicing your “bouquet pose,” remember to hold your prop at your hip, and keep your forearm at an angle. This will make your body look longer and slimmer.
3. Whiten Your Teeth
Make an appointment with your dentist sometime before the wedding for professional teeth cleaning. Check out teeth whitening options so that your smile will truly shine on the wedding day. You can try out teeth whitening strips on your own, but it may be better to leave this to the professionals and let your dentist do the work.
4. Get a Manicure
Your hands will show up in photos throughout the day and you’ll want your hands to look pretty up close. Pencil in some time to visit the salon, and treat yourself to a manicure before the wedding — and it isn’t a bad idea for him too!
5. Relax!
One of the keys to great wedding photos is that both of you look relaxed and comfortable in your photos. Most of us are not used to having a camera pointed at us all day and aren’t sure what to do. A talented photographer will give you direction, but it is also important for you to be yourself. The best tip we can give you is to focus on each other or the friends and family that are around you. If the photos are of just you, focus on peaceful thoughts and don’t be worried about whether the cake is going to arrive on time. Let others worry about the details and just enjoy being you! It will make a huge difference in how happy you are with your photos.
6. Find a Photographer You’re Comfortable With
This is a big one. After all, if you put hours of work into your poses but get stuck with a second-rate photographer, then your wedding pictures will still not come out as good as they could have been.
Do your homework. Check out a photographer’s portfolio. Ask him or her which styles they are especially comfortable shooting, and ask for samples or links to previous sessions. And — this cannot be overstated — find a photographer whose personality really meshes with yours and that of your spouse. If you both feel comfortable around your photographer, it will be that much easier to give a relaxed pose and a vibrant smile when he or she is lined up behind the camera.
If you need help finding a first-class photographer that will really make you and your spouse comfortable during your wedding day (or if you have any other questions about how to look your best in wedding photos) reach out to us today.
