The EDucated Bride Series: Day After Session

Day After Wedding Session – The “After Wedding” session, is a portrait session that couples use to maximize their time on their wedding day. Firstly, let’s get the myth that the Day After Session happens the very next day after the wedding. A day after session can take place any day following the wedding and we always encourage our brides and grooms to do it after they return from the honeymoon.

Here are five reasons why a couples should choose a day after session.

1. The Dress – If you’re nervous about the possibilities of getting your dress dirty before the wedding then I strongly recommend doing the After Wedding session. Also, if your wedding dress alterations are not complete until a few days of the wedding and you want to do bridal portraits then this gives you a great opportunity to capture bridal portraits. In addition, a Day After Session could give you the opportunity to wear your wedding dress three times (Bridals, Wedding day, and After Wedding Session). You paid a lot of money for that dress, you should wear it as many times a possible. 

2. Evening Wedding Without a first look during the darker months (October, November, December, January, February) – If you want to be more traditional and avoid doing a first look and you’re getting married in one of the aforementioned months then a day-after session could allow you to take portraits in more ideal lighting. This session is almost a MUST add, as we always want to give our brides images that are bright and lively and those images can’t be captured after dusk.

3. Tardy to The Party – A large percent of weddings start late and it often cuts into the time we have carved out for portraits. I once photographed a wedding that started two hours late which meant that the wedding ceremony concluded after the sun had set. The venue was gorgeous but we were not able to capture portraits of the couple before the good light had vanished. Adding a Day After Session to your wedding collection relieves some of the pressure of adhering to a strict timeline. In addition, brides can remove the portrait session from the timeline altogether if they add a day after session. Wedding days can be a grinder for the bride and groom, having a portrait session in a more relaxed environment without the constraints of time is often a win-win situation.

4. Rainy Wedding Day – Rain on a wedding day is “Good Luck” in superstition but “Bad Luck” in photography. Although we can create some great images in the rain, with back light shoots highlighting the rain drops it’s not ideal. After we create those shots, the couple will need to come back into the reception a little wet and that is not what we want our couples to endure on their wedding day. If it rains on your wedding day and we are unable to get those portraits we both want, I have GIFTED my couples a Day After Session.

5. Location, Location, Location – One of the greatest bonuses a Day After Session can add to your wedding collection is the ability to marry two different locations together. We’ve had brides who struggled choosing between two venues and was able to do their day after session at the venue they did not choose. Also, if you feel that the venue you choose will not afford you the portrait opportunities that some other places could, then doing an After Wedding Session is a solution. Also, if you’re going to Fiji, and you want to bring me along because you think I need a nice vacation, and you want me to capture your day after session there, I will happily oblige!

I know I gave you a lot of pros, and not many cons to the day after session. If the groom is renting a tuxedo, he will need to rent the tux for an additional day if the day after session occurs any day outside of the following day of the wedding. The bride will need to get hair and make-up done again, as well as adding a second bouquet (optional, not mandatory).However please know that the Day After session does not have to be done in a tuxedo or in your wedding dress. It can be done in a formal dress and a nice suit like the couple below. 

Your wedding day is important and you want to remember it as beautifully as you first envisioned. Things like getting the dress dirty, fleeting day light, a late start and weather should not keep you from getting insanely gorgeous pictures. We always schedule a 15-30 minute mini session for couples on the day of the wedding, so know that great images are possible the day of, but we’ve always heard our couples say they felt more relaxed during sessions capture after the wedding. Thanks for reading, I hope this helped! Ed.

 

This is our fourth installment of the EDucated Bride Series:

1. 7 Tips For A Stress Free Wedding

2. Why Add A Bridal Session

3. 8 Tips Before Hiring A Photographer

4. Why Add A Day After Session