If you thought the beautiful getting-ready wedding pictures happen all by themselves because the bride was pretty or the wedding photographer was super talented then think again. It’s not the case. It requires careful planning to get those pictures. While spontaneity is needed for capturing the raw emotions of the day, here are seven things you can do before your wedding photographer actually comes to the shoot

1. LOCATION
Pick a location that is spacious, full of light, and most importantly compliments your taste.
Don’t just get into something in hurry. The better you plan the better results you will get. After all, the place you get ready is the place where you will be spending a significant portion of your day getting pampered. This area should be a special place and should have lots of space that makes everyone feel relaxed. Try booking a corner room that has enough light coming in. It’s a good idea to also do this with your photographer much ahead so they know what kind of lights they would have to bring in.

2. REMEMBER: LESS IS MORE.

Don’t try to cram up the room with many people. This will become chaotic very soon. The last thing a bride would need is getting tensed before the wedding.

3. KEEP THE ROOM CLEAN.

Many times there are just too many things thrown over in the bed/room/table. Extra clothes, water bottles, paper, etc. All this can become distracting for the photographs. You also don’t want the photographers to spend time cleaning this as they could be using the time taking pictures instead. So just remove or trash the things that you don’t want. Keep the place tidy and it will come out well in the pictures.

4. GET ALL THE DETAILS YOU’D LIKE PHOTOGRAPHED TOGETHER AND IN ONE SPOT.

Save your photographer time and energy by having all your details together in one place. The dress, the jewelry, the shoes and if you have any letters, the rings, the invitation card. This way your photographer will invest time in getting the shots without wasting their time hunting them down. Sometimes these will get missed out completely so it’s better to plan ahead and bring them all in one place.

5: BOOK A MAKEUP ARTIST
You want to look your best on your wedding day and a professional make-up artist will help you do that. Plus while you get the makeup done your photographer will get some nice creative shots.

Make sure you have powder and lipstick in your bag (or give it to a bridesmaid) for little touch-ups throughout the day too. Airbrushing during photo editing can only do so much (and your photographer will not be able to photoshop all the images because it takes a lot of time and would have to get a photo retoucher to do it)

6. HAVE FUN & SAVOR THE MOMENTS.

The getting ready shots are just as much about the details as they are the candid moments, notes Remember. “Relax, enjoy yourself, let us do our thing, and try to pretend we aren’t there. Feel the emotions of the moment and trust that if we need something from you, we’ll ask.”