Taking portraits of the bridesmaids is one of my favorite parts of the day. The gowns, the flowers, the BRIDE. It’s all very glamorous! As any wedding photographer knows, time is of the essence during the rush of a wedding day. You must use every minute you have efficiently and confidently, so that you can simultaneously take create portraits while also making the process enjoyable for the bride and groom.

To achieve this, I’ve created a flow I like to take the girls through at every wedding to keep it light and fun, to ensure all the details are covered, and that everyone has their moment with the bride. Curious how it goes? Read on!

THE BRIDE

First, the bride! It’s her day, and what better way to highlight that then to give her the spotlight. I start with a traditional standing pose holding the bouquet. This is a great time to find her best angles. Then ask her sway and twist, spin her dress, flow with her veil, smell her flowers… anything to get her moving and smiling. I promise it will loosen her body language too for those that effortless finish. This is a great time to catch those details too like her jewelry, hairpiece, bouquet, the back of the dress, and anything else that may be special to her.

THE GROUP

Next I’ll bring all the girls together for a series with the maids. Watch the bride light up when you do this as she is surrounded by all the women she loves. I’ll place half the girls on one side, and half on the other, taller ones toward the middle. It’s important to give each maid a little attention and instruction so they feel confident in their pose. This will really polish the final portrait. Then I instruct the group as follows:

Traditional - I ask everyone to face the bride, drop their weight in their back hip, point their flowers toward the camera, and to stand tall with beautiful long necks like a crane. Then we all take a deep breath, and smile!
Cozy - Then I’ll ask the girls to lean into each other, flirt with their neighbor and tell each other how great they look and how much they appreciate each other. Don’t forget to keep those shoulders back and shine from the heart!
Sassy - This one is my favorite pose. I tell the girls to channel their inner Kristin Wiig from Bridesmaids. I’ll pose them alternating back to back, and heart to heart, some bouquets up some down, some hands on the hips, lips closed… get creative here!

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THE INDIVIDUALS

Then of course you will want a nice portrait of the bride and each of her maids. I find brides love to use these for birthday posts, or special shoutouts to their loved ones on social. So I ask the girls to line up off camera, pull them in one by one, and give them each some individualized attention. Have them go through these three poses with the bride:

Traditional - For this one I have them stand hip to hip, turn in toward each other, drop their weight in the back hips, stand nice and tall and “shine from the heart”. (That last part is usually what gets me a warm smile)
Look At Each Other - This one is pretty self explanatory but they are so fun because it will showcase the relationship the bride has with each girl. Some will laugh, some will cry, some will make a funny face. It’s a small way to bring out each bridesmaids personality.
Cheek To Cheek - Who doesn’t love a good cheek to cheek with their bestie? Every bridesmaid I’ve ever worked with knows exactly what to do for this photo because us girls have been doing it since the invention of facebook. ;)