One of my absolute favourite parts of a wedding day is the morning bridal prep. I love spending the morning with the bride and her bridesmaids as it really gives me the chance to get to know all the girls and have a giggle. After more than 10 years photographing weddings, I still every wedding morning suffer with some weird kind of nervous anxiety. Thinking, will I have forgotten something, will my cameras work, will my Sat Nav get me to the venue without taking me down single track country roads. Will i remember everything I am supposed to do. All completely and utterly irrational thoughts. So, when I arrive safely at the venue, usually way earlier than I should be because of aforementioned thoughts, It is so nice to have 2 - 3 hours to realise everything is amazing, everything works and I am about to have the best day with the nicest bunch of people ever!

For the bride and her girls it’s a great chance to be around me and my constant clicking camera, getting used to the way I work and realising I shall ask absolutely nothing of them except to ignore me, be themselves and most of all enjoy it and have fun. Which then after already having a few hours together makes the rest of the day far more relaxed and comfortable.

Having a morning where I can take my time, taking lots photos of the bride getting ready, having her hair done, makeup done and having a cheeky glass of bubbly way earlier than anyone usually would is fab. It really adds to telling the whole story of the day and adds to a lovely start to any wedding album. With gorgeous detail shots of the dress, the shoes, the jewellery, the special mementos and details in and around the chosen bridal prep location. Whether this be at home, a parents home, a hotel, airbnb or the wedding venue itself, it’s great to look back in years to come at how everything was and how everything looked.

Many venues I photograph at, in and around Sussex have amazing spaces for the bride to get ready. Upwaltham Barns has the most amazingly stunning Jasmine cottage. Hendall Manor barns has a beautiful super homely 17th century sandstone barn, which can be used both the night before the wedding for the girls, and the night of the wedding for the happy couple. Long Furlong barn has a barn converted into a beauty room, with comfy sofas, shower room and ample space for all to get ready. Then there is of course the gorgeous hotels and manor houses, such as Hartsfield Manor, Buxted park and Wotton House who all have amazing dedicated rooms and spaces for both the bride and groom to get ready.

So for anyone out there thinking they might not want a photographer capturing them getting ready, its really not that bad…..