I had the pleasure of shooting several formal sessions last year, and want to express the value and importance of the formals in the process of building your relationship with your photographer, and will add value to your wedding photography package.
A formal session can be a first look, in which the bride and groom arrive or dress separately so that the photographer can capture the first time the bride and groom see each other in their wedding attire.
The first look is a common occurrence in formal sessions. However, I was able to do a session in which the groom never saw the bride, but they were together for a two hour session! It made our session even more fun and special.
No peeking!!!
An amazing benefit of the formal session is the choice of location. If you are getting married in a temple (especially on the weekend), the area is very congested and time at each area for photos is limited on the wedding day. For this Salt Lake Temple formal session, we had the place nearly to ourselves on a Wednesday evening! If your wedding is themed, you can choose a location to shoot that embraces that theme. You also have the freedom to change location, if you’d like more than one look.
Notice that there are no people milling around behind the couple in the above photo! That’s unheard of (at least without a ton of editing), on a weekend wedding day.
A first-look session in Provo Canyon…
Time is one of the most significant benefits to having a formal session. There is time to showcase, individually, the bride and groom…
…and VERY MOST IMPORTANT, the development of a fantastic relationship with your photographer means that she can capture your personalities, the dynamics of your relationship, and tender, candid moments.
Formals also GIVE you more time on your wedding day to spend with family and friends in celebration! You will cut your wedding photo time in half on the day of your wedding if you choose to have formal photos done in advance.
It is vital to get the most out of your wedding photos that you consider having 3 sessions for yourselves, engagements, formals, and wedding day. Knowing my clients, giving them time and options makes our experience so rich.
Please contact me with any questions regarding your wedding photo package!