How to Look Great in Every Photo
Looking great in your wedding photographs requires more than just good photography, proper hair, makeup and state-of-mind are also important.
1. Do not have your bachelorette party the day before your wedding! Do not let your future husband have his bachelor party the night before the wedding! Let me tell you what happens. Good friends come in from out of town the day before the wedding. They take you or your fiancé out for drinks. Morning rolls around and I'm photographing you or your fiancé who has gotten little sleep and is possibly hung over, and it’s going to be a long day. This makes my job a little more difficult, but most importantly, I have seen fights between the Bride and Groom happen because of this situation. Please promise me you will avoid this situation!
2. Remember to smile! It seems ridiculous to say, but there is a lot of pressure and stress. Do not let it get to you. Everything is going to be fine. For us photographers, there is nothing we like seeing more than a glowing smiling bride on her wedding day!
3. Hire a professional hair and makeup artist who is familiar with what will look good on film.
4. If you need a foundation, choose one that matches your neck color.
5. Use a matte finish makeup and lipstick. Matte shades absorb light and help reduce shine. If you're having a lot of flash pictures taken, apply plenty of powder and keep a compact handy for touch-ups. Remember, Bride's Maids are there to hold on to these things for you!
6. Use water-resistant mascara. It is a wedding after all!
7. Blend thoroughly. Hard lines are more visible in photos.
8. Remember to look natural. However, use makeup and lipstick that is a slightly darker than normal so that it will read normally on film.
9. Reduce red or irritated eyes with a drop of over-the-counter eye drops on the morning of the wedding before applying makeup.
10. To rid eyeglass glare, get glare-proof lenses – or go with contacts. Remove eyeglasses a half hour before portraits to avoid marks created by the nose rest.
11. Groom your eyebrows for close-up portraits. Use eye shadow to fill in eyebrows or a little powder to tone them down.
12. Do a trial run on your hair and makeup and practice walking in your fitted gown at some point in the weeks before the wedding.
13. Select a smaller bouquet that won't overpower your face.
14. Relax and Have Fun! Get a massage the day before and a good night's sleep. Being well rested is some of the best beauty advice.
- Jesse
