One of the photos that most wedding photographers take and most brides want to see is an image of the wedding dress. Usually your photographer will have a chance to take that photo during the time when you are getting ready. We don’t believe in spending an hour photographing your gown from different angles; we’re more interested in capturing images of you and your family as you make your preparations. But we do like to take a few photographs of your lovely gown before you put it on. Along those lines, this tip is all about what you can do, even before your photographer arrives, to help us create the most beautiful portrayal of your dress possible.

Bridal boutiques are well practiced at altering and pressing your gown to a level of perfection that mere humans like you and I could never attain, even with hours of ironing and steaming. As part of preparing your dress and ensuring that it remains in peak condition for the wedding day, often they stuff your dress with tissue paper and cardboard. The dress is often hung on a wire or plastic hanger and pretty much pinned into a position that is meant to keep it from being wrinkled or creased in any way. And this is a good thing.

However, when it comes time to photograph the dress, plastic hangers and cardboard stuffing are not what you want to see. Now in my opinion the best possible way to show off your dress before you put it on is on a mannequin or dress form. But that’s not very realistic – hotel staff tend to give you strange looks when you walk through the halls carrying a creepy white mannequin (trust me, I know). Slightly easier and also a huge step up from cardboard is the use of a pretty fabric hanger. Often labeled as lingerie hangers, they are sold at places like Target and Bed Bath and Beyond. Yes, there is such thing as an elegant hanger. Before your photographer arrives, or soon after depending on your schedule, ask your mom or bridesmaids to transfer your dress to the fabric hanger and remove the stuffing so that you show the gown in its best light for photography, free of wire or pins.

I can’t resist – I have to close this tip with that famous quote from the movie Mommie Dearest:

“No wire hangers, ever!”

Well, at least not on your wedding day!