Wedding photography
How to choose your wedding getting-ready space
Light, familiar faces and a room you actually want to spend the morning in.
The place you get ready becomes the setting for the first part of your wedding photographs. You’ll see the room around you, the people sharing it and the feeling of those hours before the ceremony. It deserves a little thought alongside the spaces you’ve chosen for the celebration itself.
When you’re comparing accommodation or looking through the rooms available at your venue, photographs of an empty interior only tell you so much. Consider how the space will feel once your closest people are there. The light matters, but so does having somewhere you can comfortably spend that part of the day together.
01
Look at where the light reaches
A large window is a useful starting point, particularly when there’s space nearby to sit, stand or be with someone else. A window tucked behind a bed gives us different possibilities from one beside an open sitting area. Neither tells the whole story of a room, but it’s worth looking beyond how bright it appears in a listing.
If you visit, notice where the daylight falls. A room can feel quite different in the morning and afternoon. You don’t need to assess the light yourself: a few photographs showing the windows and the room around them give your photographer a good starting point for that conversation.
02
Consider the room with your people in it
Think about who you’d like around you while you get ready. A beautiful bedroom can feel quite full once your wedding party, family and hair and makeup artists are there. An adjoining sitting room can give everyone a little more room without separating you from the company you wanted.
The photographs from this part of the day often include more than the final touches. Someone sitting beside you, a conversation across the room, a parent seeing you dressed: having space to be together lets those relationships become part of the pictures. Choose somewhere that feels comfortable with people in it, rather than only impressive when it’s empty.
03
Choose a setting you enjoy
A family home, an old house and a contemporary hotel each bring something different. There might be a personal reason for choosing a room, or you might simply love its colours, furniture and character. Both are good places to begin.
Pale walls and an open window can feel light and quiet; timber, patterned wallpaper or a favourite piece of furniture can bring a different warmth. There isn’t one correct backdrop for wedding photographs. A setting that feels connected to you has more to offer than a room chosen only because it looks like somewhere a wedding is supposed to happen.
04
Look beyond the accommodation photographs
Accommodation listings naturally tend to show the bed, bathroom and view. For getting ready, it helps to see the rest of the room too: the windows, seating and open areas where you’ll spend time. If a property has several room types, make sure the space you’re considering is the one you’d actually be booking.
Your venue or planner may already know the available getting-ready spaces well. Once you have a shortlist, share it with your photographer. It’s easier to talk about the photographic possibilities of two real options than to work from a general idea of the perfect room.
05
Allow the room to feel lived in
There’s a difference between a room that feels crowded and one that feels alive. Your morning will have conversation, anticipation and the small things people do for one another. The photographs can hold all of that. Everything doesn’t need to look untouched.
If you’re choosing between spaces, a separate place for luggage can be useful. But making the room presentable shouldn’t become another job you carry through the morning. Choose a space with room for the day to happen, then let the people around you bring the warmth and personality.
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Bring your options into the conversation
Before you decide, tell us where you’re considering, who will be with you and what you like about each place. We can talk about the light and surroundings alongside the feeling you want for that part of the day.
Where you get ready is only one piece of the picture. Giving yourself enough time to enjoy it matters too. Our guide to a wedding timeline with room to be present looks at the pace of the day beyond the room itself.
A morning that feels like yours
You can read more about our approach, or tell us about your wedding. We’d love to hear about the people and places you’re bringing together.