Today’s brides and grooms usually hire a professional photographer to capture moments throughout their special day, and this includes getting photographs of the entire bridal party. So what should a good bridesmaid do if they want to go above and beyond when working with the photographer?
To answer that question we reached out to Pittsburgh wedding photographer Mandy Brisco, of Amanda Brisco Photography, for a few professional tips and tricks. Mandy started off by telling us about how she found her passion for photographing weddings.
I started my business in 2013 where I was photographing mostly families, babies, and maternity. I had the opportunity to be a second shooter for my first wedding in August of 2013. I immediately fell in love with not only the images but the entire process of the day. A month later, I covered my first wedding on my own and by the end of 2014, I had covered over 20 weddings and officially moved my business to full time wedding photography. I have always been a hopeless romantic, so my photography style mirrors that. I look to create soft, romantic images that truly captures the love and affection between my couples.
When asked about her experiences working with bridesmaids Mandy was quick to share with us that shooting photos of the Bride and her girls is one of the more fun parts of the day.
Each group of girls is different and they all have different personalities which makes it so much fun to be around them. The bridal prep is one of my favorite parts of the day because I am able to capture the fun interactions between the Bride and her girls, and the overall anticipation of the events to follow that day. Laughing, sharing stories, and having a great time creates really incredible candid photos to start off the day.
We asked if she’s ever had any difficult bridesmaids and Mandy happily confessed she hasn’t up to this point. The one major obstacle she sees happen time and again is spacing issues for bridal parties when getting ready. She confesses that most bridal suites don’t have enough room for bridal parties with a large number of bridesmaids, and having that many women in a small space can be overwhelming.
Another really important thing Mandy pointed out is that bridesmaids can be very helpful to keeping everything on schedule, so keep the following in mind:
Make sure hair and makeup is complete and everyone is dressed before the bride is dressed. Also, try not to wander off as it can be easy to lose members of the bridal party when getting ready in a hotel. Once the bride is ready to leave, if someone is missing, it can really stall the timing of the day’s activities.
We asked Mandy why she choose the three images above and she told us what she loved about all these groups of bridesmaids is their matching attire! She told us that not only does it make the images look cleaner, but it’s fun for the girls, and the more fun, the better the images.
You can follow Mandy on the following sites:
Bridesmaids Confession 
I love the getting ready photos! Some of my favorite wedding photos were before the ceremony with my Bridesmaids and cousins.
LikeLike
Yes Yes Yes to the keeping the room free of clutter! The only thing that bothers me about my bridesmaids photos is the little things in the background.
LikeLike
It’s totally something you don’t think about unless someone tells you. You’re getting ready and it’s chaos. Unless you planned a fully posed shoot it’s hard to remember to keep things nice and neat.
LikeLike
Lovely photos! Mandy really catches the fun and friendship amongst the bridal party. And great tip about not wandering off when the bride is ready, I was so stressed looking for one of my bridesmaids!
LikeLike
I made the mistake of telling my bridesmaids to take their time and finish getting ready during my first look. Next thing you know we’re almost done bridal portraits and the bridesmaids aren’t downstairs yet. My wedding planner went up to get them and they were still in regular clothes. There was a miscommunication where they thought they were supposed to wait for me and the photographer to get back. Ooops! So I say 100% now that the bridesmaids MUST be ready before the bride.
LikeLike