Long Island Wedding Getting Ready Photos
Bride having her makeup done for her getting ready photos. © Dan Wagner 2023
For your Long Island getting ready photos I arrive two hours before you leave for the church, or other ceremony location. This gives me time to photograph your wedding gown, invitation, bridal party bouquets, and other detail shots. That’s why it’s important to provide a wedding invitation, and to make sure the flowers are delivered shortly after I arrive.
Before going further, I should mention that some brides prefer not to do getting ready photos. Their reasons include not having enough time to get ready and take photos, wanting to save money on photography costs, and being satisfied with shooting a few cellphone photos. So, unless you’re ordering a wedding album, and want to devote two pages to getting ready photos, you might feel these photos aren’t necessary.
Back to shooting getting ready photos—while at your home, hotel, wedding venue, or other getting ready location, I also take hair and makeup, parent, sibling, family, friends, and bridal party photos. As such, you need to ask everyone to be dressed and ready an hour before leaving. Often this is an impossible task. (I remember one time a bride took the limo to her wedding ceremony alone because her bridesmaids couldn’t get ready on time.) If this happens we simply photograph the people we missed later.
Bride having her makeup done for her getting ready photos. © Dan Wagner 2023
Time permitting, I also take shots with your limo. These photos often include shots of you with your bridesmaids, and separate shots with your parents. Remember to save a parking spot in front of your house for the limos. If you’re traveling with your parents in a separate limo—it’s nice to get exterior and interior photos of that as well.
Having photographed hundreds of getting ready photos, I don’t require a shot list. That said, you’re always welcome to let me know if you have any requests. Throughout your wedding day, I’m always on the lookout for photo opportunities that will have you saying, “I’m so glad Dan got that shot.” There’s something about a special wedding shot that I’m often able to sense before it happens.
Whether it’s candid getting ready, ceremony, cocktail hour, or reception photos—people often compliment me by saying they didn’t remember my taking certain photos. I believe that being as unobtrusive as possible, and asserting oneself only as needed, is the mark of a good wedding photographer. After all, it’s your wedding, not a photo shoot!
Bride having her makeup done for her getting ready photos. © Dan Wagner 2023
7 Getting Ready Wedding Photo Tips
Consult with your photographer regarding arriving 1.5 to 2 hours before you have to leave for your wedding ceremony.
Make sure the flowers are delivered to your getting ready location in time for photos. If needed, make sure the groom’s boutonnieres and mom’s flowers are delivered to their location.
Not every bride cares about having the photographer shoot a photo of her wedding dress without her in it. Usually, she’s already shot dozens of cellphone photos of the dress alone. Or she might already be wearing her wedding dress when the photographer arrives.
Ask your limo driver to arrive early enough for getting ready photos.
Make sure key people have your getting ready and ceremony addresses and contact information.
My policy is to always follow the bride’s limo from the getting ready location to the ceremony location. To this end, it’s important to ask the limo driver to make sure I’m behind him. This means no excessive speeding or blowing through yellow lights—yes it does happen.
After reaching the ceremony location, the limo driver should have everyone wait inside the limo until the photographer is in position. If you’ve hired a videographer to shoot from the ceremony through the reception, then they will be at the ceremony location to film your limo’s arrival.
Bride having her makeup done for her getting ready photos. © Dan Wagner 2023
Long Island Wedding Venues
As a Long Island wedding photographer, many of my favorite venues are located near my Huntington office. I frequently photograph weddings at the Harborclub at Prime, Crest Hollow Country Club, Centerport Yacht Club, Chateau at Coindre Hall, Crescent Beach Club, de Seversky Mansion, Fox Hollow, Larkfield Manor, Mansion at Oyster Bay, Milleridge Inn, Mutton Town Club, Pavilion at Sunken Meadow, Seawanhaka Yacht Club, Three Village Inn, Water’s Edge, Watermill Caterers, Westbury Manor, Willow Creek, and other venues located further away such as the Hamptons.
I believe every bride and groom deserve beautiful wedding photos, friendly service, and reasonable prices. To make sure your wedding photos will be beautiful, I’ve spent years honing my craft. Photographing every wedding myself means you know what to expect. Every Long Island wedding photo you see on this website was shot by me.—Dan Wagner
Please view my wedding photography testimonials, packages, and wedding photography shot list article.
Stay tuned for more Long Island wedding photography blog articles!
“Dan Wagner came highly recommended by a very good friend who is also in the photography business. To be recommended by a competitor, I think, is one of the greatest compliments…and Dan most certainly lived up to his reputation. Dan’s work and professionalism are exquisite! Our wedding pictures are beautiful, romantic, creative, tasteful, spontaneous, some traditional & some modern. The wedding party had so much fun during the photo shoot in the gardens, that they didn’t even mind the cold, windy weather! We are extremely happy with our wedding pictures and video—they are wonderful lifetime memories.”
—Elaina and Scott
Every Bride and Groom Deserve Beautiful Wedding Photos!
Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences about Long Island wedding getting ready photos in the comment box below. Have a wonderful wedding, and many thanks for visiting my Long Island wedding photographer blog!