It seems like there is so much planning that goes into the ceremony, the reception, the cake, the colors, the music, and many other things. I think that most couples don’t really worry about what type of room they will be using to get dressed in. I’ve photographed in all different types of situations to sunday school classrooms, hotel rooms, homes, tour buses, and even outside using a broken piece of glass as a mirror! And as a photographer, my job is to look for light… whether that’s using available light or creating light with different types of light sources. Well, I’d like to share some different scenarios with you all as you begin your planning this year and give you some different things to think about as you plan your wedding and where you will be getting dressed.

The images below were shot at The Pick Inn, in Gallatin, TN. Orginally, Amanda & her mom were sitting inside the room away from the windows and I just asked them if they wouldn’t mind moving closer to the window to allow some window light to spill in… and here’s what we got..

Hotels can be a great place to get dressed!  This shot was taken at The Hermitage Hotel. I can’t say enough about this hotel… absolutely amazing to take pictures in.  Below, Aisha and her sister were hanging out in the bathroom making the final adjustments before the ceremony when I simply asked to come out by the huge windows and let me photograph them while they finished getting ready. As you can see, window light is just totally beautiful…

Another beautiful location to get married AND that has amazing rooms to get dressed in is at Kennesaw Farms in Hendersonville, TN.  Notice the big mirror in these two different images below. It’s the same mirror in both pictures and how awesome would it be if mirrors could talk because I am sure that they would have some amazing stories to tell!

Again, in these shots below, I simply just used available window light.  The shot on the left is the bride’s son putting her ring on her hand and giving her his blessing to be married…

I think that the toughest places to photograph the “Getting Ready” shots are chuch classrooms.  Many times these rooms are downstairs where this is no natural light coming in and your only option is to use the florescent lights in the ceiling or to use on-camera flash. A note to photographers, I highly recommend trying to avoid using on camera flash for these types of pictures. If you do have to use on-camera flash, try either bouncing the light off of a wall or ceiling or using something to diffuse or soften the flash.  The “Getting Ready” shots should be as natural as possible capturing the light of the moment.

Besides hard lighting, another reason that classrooms are difficult to shoot it is because of the blemishes that are sometimes on the walls or ceilings. Notice the ceiling tiles below on the right.  Yes, I would normally either crop this image so that you couldn’t see the ceiling or I would photoshop the blemishes out. But I wanted to use this as an example of things to look for when you are taking tours of possible locations.

The room below was an actual bridal room at a church.. again, there weren’t any windows and the lights on the ceiling were actually behind the bride’s head so it wasn’t putting my light on her face.  To fix this problem, I put a lamp on the dresser, took the lamp shade off and shot. The bride was thankful for the lamp as well because now she could actually see what she was doing! There’s a cropped version below where I got rid of the lamp.

Here’s an  example of taking a dark classroom and turning it into my studio! In the image below, you will notice a carpeted choir riser behind the bride. It was pretty much used to just throw junk on.  There wasn’t any natural light and florescent lights are not the most attractive lighting to shoot in, so I set up my big light and cleared off the carpeted riser and asked the bride if she would stand up on it do a mini-fashionista-photoshoot with me!  Fashionista Photoshoot below!

One of my favorite places to shoot “Getting Ready” pictures are in homes.  There are many many advantages to shooting in homes!  Not only do you have so many rooms to choose from when it comes to a home but everyone is relaxed when they are in a home setting.  The shots below were taking in the brides home in Quito, Ecuador.

Here are some more shots in a family members home. And look at ALL the windows surrounding everybody! Can you tell that I love natural light?

Now one of the most unique places that I have shot the “Getting Ready” pictures was on a tour bus!  Not alot of space but it certainly provides alot of fun! I see a foot there in one of the bunks.. I think the bride was taking a little siesta before showtime!

Now when it comes to guys and “Getting Ready” photos, there is the exception of course but most guys take about 10-15 minutes to get ready so if they have a way to entertain themselves in the “Getting Ready” room, then life is good! In the guys room, I have seen everything from ping-pong tables to pool sticks to poker!

Well, I hope that this has sparked some different planning ideas or give you things to look for when you are scouting out locations for your wedding.  Just remember that there are lots of places to get dressed in and if you pick a place that has lots of lighting, not only will you get beautiful photographs, but your photographer will love you!  And if you’re a photographer, I hope it has maybe given you some ways to look for lighting!

Thanks! And leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!

Myrick Studios Press Release {Nashville, TN} – {Jan 19, 2010} – WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced that Myrick Studios has been selected to receive the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for Wedding Photography!

The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.

Myrick Studios is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”

We are happy to announce that Myrick Studios is among the very best photographers within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings. We would like to thank our past newlyweds for nominating us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at WeddingWire.com

About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding vendors. WeddingWire enables engaged couples to search, compare and book over 100,000 reviewed wedding vendors nationwide, from wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding vendors, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. In addition, WeddingWire has partnered with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO) to provide its network of local vendors and online wedding-planning tools in the Weddings section of www.MarthaStewartWeddings.com. For additional information, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

I am so excited about what 2010 is going to bring…and if there’s any photography needs that you might have, don’t hesitate to contact me! I hope your new year is filled with many blessings and lots of laughs!

May God richly bless you all!