Wedding Tips :: Choosing A Getting Ready Room

Everyone knows wedding planning is quite an endeavor. Luke and I remember that ourselves from planning our own wedding not too long ago. Aside from the major must-do's (like hire a florist, choose a photographer, and select a gown) that most brides know about, in our opinion, another must-do that we encourage for our brides is this: Choose a great getting ready room.

Your wedding day is going to be an exciting day and you're going to be surrounded by people you love. The first few hours of that day will be spent in your getting ready room, and we've found that it makes a big difference for the whole day (and for the photographs) to have a great space to relax in beforehand.

Here's our cheat-sheet of tips for choosing a great getting ready room!

1) CHOOSE A ROOM WITH WINDOWS.

This is simple enough, right? But it is the most important! From our standpoint as photographers, we want our brides to be photographed in the best light possible. Whether it's the getting ready portion of the day, or the bride and groom portraits around sunset, we are always making our decisions based off of where the prettiest light is. Natural light is our favorite, by far! If you're getting ready in a room that doesn't have any windows, the overhead lighting is what we have to work with, which frankly, just isn't as pretty. And we want the best for our brides! Window light is the softest and prettiest light available indoors. We love it when our brides select a venue that has a bridal suite with lots of yummy natural light, like the pictures below.

2) THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX.

If you're still in the planning stages of your wedding, when you're choosing your place to get married at, be sure to ask about the bridal suite or the area that you and your bridesmaids will have available to you to get ready in. If that room isn't right, but the venue is, there are always alternatives. We'd rather our brides get married in their sentimental home church or in a venue that really means something to them, rather than discounting an otherwise-perfect place because they have little more than a dark closet for getting ready.

Take Katie for example (below) who chose to have her final preparations done in her parents' home. One of the larger bedrooms in the house was cleared out/furniture pushed aside, and the window shades were opened. Katie looks beautiful in the lovely window light, and is clearly happy to be in someplace that is familiar and means something to her!

Another clever option is to rent a hotel suite. Hotel suites are an amazing choice because they usually have a huge window (see #1 above) and they have lots of amenities that just work for a wedding party: a big mirror and sink for bridesmaids makeup/prep, plenty of comfy places to sit, a TV or radio for entertainment, and a closet to hang the dresses in.

Haley (below) looks spectacular getting the finishing touches of makeup in front of the panoramic window in the hotel suite that she got ready in. Your makeup artist will appreciate the window light as well.

3) MAKE SURE IT IS BIG ENOUGH.

Sounds basic, but if you have a big wedding party, you need a big getting ready room. Make sure that the room you choose will have enough seating and space for everyone to have a place to sit for some of the really important getting ready stuff: like relaxing, telling stories, and laughing.

4) COOL IT DOWN.

Getting ready rooms are notoriously hot because there are lots of people coming in and out and there's always a crowd. We recommend having someone get there early in the morning and starting the air conditioner - and also setting it about 10 degrees cooler than what you think it needs to be. If you think it is going to be stuffy, have your maid of honor throw a fan in her car and bring it with (like the picture below.) Trust us - it will get hot. Never fails, if Luke and I are the first to arrive at the getting ready room, the first thing we do is turn the air conditioner cooler. We want our brides to be calm, COOL, and relaxed. There have been occasions where we have had to call a hotel front desk and have them bring a fan up from housekeeping to a room that was plenty chilly before 10 bridesmaids came in. Nothing is worse than being hot.

5) DON'T STRESS OUT OVER IT.

Remember: your getting ready room (or your flowers, or your dress, or your cake...) isn't the most important part of your day. What's important is spending time with your friends and family, and of course, marrying the love of your life. It can be super easy to find the right place to get ready. What's far more important is making sure you and your fiancé are taking time for yourselves and making sure to lay the correct foundation for a happy marriage. Have fun with your wedding planning!