It’s time offline with your best girls (and guys!). You are showered in love, affection and joy from some of the most important people in your life. It’s a moment of “holy sh*t this is real now.” And it’s a fantastic opportunity for emotional, beautiful photos on your wedding day with your best friends. That’s right. We’re talking all about a bridesmaid reveal and why you should do one.
What is a bridesmaid reveal?
Have you seen the photos of bridesmaids all lined up, crying and cheering as they look at a bride on her wedding day? That’s what I’m talking about here.
A bridesmaid reveal is where your bridesmaids see you all done up and in your wedding dress for the first time as a group. This creates a moment for you, and for them, that you’ll never forget. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or time consuming. But adding a bridesmaid reveal to your timeline means a phone-free, intentional moment with you and your favorite people as they hype you up to go get married.
Why should I prioritize a bridesmaid reveal on my wedding morning?
These images are great, don’t get me wrong, but they aren’t the point.
These images are only beautiful because they capture an incredibly emotional moment. It’s the joy on your best friends’ faces that I want you to experience. The tears welling up in your sister’s eyes seeing you all grown up. The love and happiness I want you to feel because the people you choose to stand by you are entirely focused on you and this moment.
And the images you get, these pages in your wedding album, they’re beautiful because they make you feel. They take you back to this moment in time. To feeling loved and maybe a little overwhelmed (in the best way) and that’s why I want you to consider making time for it. Not because it’ll look good in a wedding album, but because you know you deserve to feel that love from the people you care about most.
Because you want an intentional, joy-filled wedding experience and this is one way to get it started right.
How do I make this happen?
It starts by separating yourself from the bridesmaids before you put on your dress. I recommend having a family member or your maid of honor help you into your dress. This also gets to become a special moment for you and whoever is helping zip or button you up. (Make sure your photographer and filmmaker are around for this too!)
When you’re ready to go, your photographer or videographer will help get your bridesmaids arranged. This can mean they either cover their eyes or turn around so they can’t see you. When you’re there and ready to go, you just tell your people to take a peek. Then get ready for lots of hugs and waterworks, my friend.
Tips for a successful bridesmaid reveal moment
If you’re starting to think about how to make this happen on your wedding day, here are a few tips for pulling it off:
- Tell your bridesmaids to put down their phones. This moment is special because you’re connected. They can take a million selfies with you later. You want to see their faces, not a phone in between you.
- Choose a well-lit space to do your reveal. Think somewhere with big open windows or even outside somewhere in the shade. (This is also just good advice for your getting ready space in general!)
- Have your bridesmaids declutter that space, if needed. This will help your images be super focused on you, your people and the emotion in the room (and not distracting piles of clothes and hair products!)
When in doubt, talk to your wedding photographer and videographer and they’ll help set it all up.
I hope this has helped you understand what a bridesmaid reveal is, why you should consider one and has you tearing up thinking about sharing this moment with the people you love most.
